I am just going to put a scripture up and a little parable and then I want you to talk to me about what you read. Look forward in hearing you comments. Here it goes:
Isaiah 1:11 – 20 (The Message)
“Why this frenzy of sacrifices?”
God’s asking.
“Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me, whoever gave you the idea of acting like this, Runing here and there, doing this and that – all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings – meetings, meetings, meetings – I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer – performance, I’ll be lookng the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up. Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good.
Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.
“Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.”
This is God’s Message:
“If your sins are blood red, they’ll be snow-white.
If they’re red like crimson, they’ll be like wool.
If you’ll willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings.
But if you’re stubborn, you’ll die like dogs.”
That’s right. God says so.
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Parable
There is a young lady who always went to church at 12:30 p.m., but church started every Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
So one day the Pastor had to ask her why she was always late to service and her response was…”Pastor that’s the time when something is being said”
TALK TO ME
I AM PRETTY SURE PEOPLE KNOW AND HAVE FELT LATELY THE “ROUTINE CURSE” IS WHAT I CALL IT. AND NOT JUST A T CHURCH BUT EVERYWHERE. WE HAVE TRADITIONS AND DAILY ROUTINES WHICH IS FIND BUT IF THERE IS NO CHANGE ITS EXHAUSTING AND FRUSTRUATING. AND I MEAN CHANGE IN INDIVIDUAL. TODAY’S WORD IS GALATIONS 6:2 BUT I READ MORE. WELL IT SEEMS LIKE IF WE WOULD JUST CONCERN OURSELVES WITH OUR ISSUES BY SUBMITTING AND STOP BEING SO CONCERNED THAT IF WE DO THIS AND THAT EVERYTHING WILL “LOOK” LIKE CHANGE HAS COME INTO OUR LIVES. WE ALL WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW SO INSTEAD CONCENTENRATING SO MUCH ON TRADITIONS AND SACRIFICES THAT DON’T MEAN ANYTHING TO US WHEN WE GIVE THEM—LET’S CONCENTRATE ON DOING HIS WILL. DO GOOD ONTO YOUR BROTHERS’ AND SISTERS’ SITUATIONS AND BE ON YOUR WAY. DON’T BECOME ANOTHER PROBLEM THEY ALREADY HAVE. WE ARE NOT GOD. I NEED TO KNOW GOD IS THE OWNER OF MY FINANCES, MY LUST, MY LYING, MY LIFE, MY BROTHER’S DRUG PROBLEM OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. WHEN I HAND IT OVER TO HIM I NO LONGER OWN IT!! WHEN I LET HIM HANDLE EVERY THING HE’LL LET ME KNOW WHAT MY SACRAFICE SHOULD BE, WHAT MEETING SHOULD BE HELD. AND I AM JUST THE MANAGER I MAKE SURE WHATEVER HE TELLS MEIS UP TO DO FOR THE DAY MONTH WEEK YEAR HOUR WHATEVER MAN I CARRY HIS WILL OUT. WE GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THESE ROUTINES MAN AND WE FORGET THAT WHATEVER AND WHEREVER HE TELLS US TO MOVE WE NEED TO MOVE. LORD I NEED YOU TO DIRECT MY STEPS SHOULD BE IN OUR MOUTHS EVERY DAY. WE JUST NEED TO LEARN HOW TO FOLLOW REGARDLESS OF ‘EMOTIONS’ STUFF IS GETTING OLD NOT GOD. ITS TIME TO BE CRAZY RADICAL WHATEVER WORD U WANT TO USE FOR GOD. WE ARE THE EXCEPTION-CHRISTIANS, BELIVERS. WHEN WE REALIZE LIKE SERIOUSLY UNDERSTAND HE IS THE ONLY REASON WE ARE ALIVE AND HE IS OUR PARENT, THATS WHEN WE WILL SEE HOW ROUTINE CAN MEAN THAT MY ROUTINE IS WHATEVER GOD TELLS ME TO DO TODAY. WE ALL KNOW WE SHOULD PRAY, TALK TO HIM READ HIS WORD BE GOOD, BUT ISN;T THERE MORE TO GOD? YES YES YES YES THERE IS? WHEN WILL WE FIND OUT? PLEASE CORRECT ANYTHING I SAID OUT OF ORDER D BECAUSE THIS IS THE WORLD WIDE WEB AND I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON GOD BUT I WANT CHRIST TO BE REPRESENTED RIGHT.
The parable was a blessing.. I do, however think that some people are waiting for something to happen, when that something “starts with them”. God, the gentleman will not force himself, and for many of us, we do not come with expectation. I guess to me, both parties in your scenario have to do a self reflection. The church has dropped the ball by trying to throw programs at a problem that programs can not fix! I think we need to look back at the scripture about “failing not to assemble” and get a better understanding on what that meant… What are your thoughts?
I found your posting because I googled “tired of Church”. Your use of Isaiah 1:17 is perfect for what I am feeling. I’m tired of the commotion. I’m tired of the gossip. I’m tired of having my attendance taken and the pious, self-rightous brothers and sisters. I’m tired of being beaten up by the pastor. Why do they beat up the ones that are showing up? I’m tired of the infighting behind closed doors. Frankly, after 20 years of being an active Christian, I believe that there is only a hairs breadth difference between Christians and the world, with of course some notable exceptions. It’s almost like the thought of “if you hang around a garage long enough, you’ll become a car.” It’s a silly way of reasoning. Just because I attend more (or less) regularly than the next guy, doesn’t make me any better or worse of a Christian does it? Not if a shred of grace is involved. Somehow the modern Church seems to have forgotten its’ roots. We are supposed to be there because of grace – not works. The works come after the grace has been accepted. Grace can only be accepted after a full and complete understanding of how sin has colored every aspect of our lives. A good example of that was given to me by a friend. He asked “what do you have when you have submerged and baptised a sinner? The answer: a wet sinner.
That’s my comment. Thank you – I feel better now.
-Mark
I should be resting but tears have become my food.
I somehow came across this website, not sure what it is, but I have read your comments. I find myself in some kind of the same place. I’m sitting here, wanting to meet with a body of believers today for encouragement, fellowship, refocus on God…but I’ve been searching church websites, and find nothing i want. Everyone is trying to come up with the “new” way of enticing christians to come to church- “oh, don’t wear those ties and dresses”, or, “come as you are-we don’t have any racism, etc.”-or church at night or on saturday!”. Nothing is wrong with any of that, but yet to me it seems all wrong! Why are we trying to “entice” people to come to the church! Is that really what the church is about! Isn’t the church really for the believers!!! For the believers to come together and be encouraged so that they can live in the world today and we are supposed to-for God-representing God in our everyday lives!~ Why are we using the devils methods of enticement-why would we stoop to his level when we have so much else going for us! We don’t have to do the enticing-the Holy Spirit does it himself! We’re just supposed to be obedient! We’re just supposed to come together to worship and seek his face-and if we we’re really doing that-would we be noticing the person next to us who is visiting and focusing so much attention on that! I believe that if we were doing what we really were called to do-seek his face!-then we wouldn’t have to do anything-b/c the holy spirit would draw men to himself-and it would not be of our doing, or our fancy programs, or our new age way of thinking. Please post your comments! thanks….
I have found this website recently…today in fact. I was reading up on the spirit of python. I kept going forward through all of the posts and the last post was almost a year ago. Why have you stopped making posts?
Jenn234,
The church is in a pretty terrible state right now. It is all about inreach instead of outreach. The church was for fellowship, worship, and equipping of the saints, but today it is about security, comfort, and selfishness. It is about what we can get from God rather than just serving the Lord because He is worthy. Also, it doesn’t help that Christianity is divided into 38,000+ denominations that all claim to know the truth (of course most of the are not asking God to give them the truth). I think it is time we get back to what the Lord has called us to do and be united. That is it. Unity.
http://sites.google.com/site/cfarevival
Good thoughts here. I concur. As a Christian of 50 years, churchman, worship leader, musician, full and part time staff, I’ve pretty much had it with the organized church. I don’t really believe this is what God had in mind. Not that all is bad, of course, but the emPHAsis continues to be on the wrong sylLAble.
Building up the program base so that people will come. This is central to western Christianity. Just tired of it all.
Dennis
By far the sweetest fellowship is with those who are paying the price of following Christ with acts of love and service that bear fruit. With those who worship in spirit and in truth. How easy it is to get caught in the web of fruitless and loveless work!
THere are so many distractions from the one true calling to love God and to love eachother!