A Christian is part of a large group of believers who gather regularly for a Sunday service. He is also part of a small group that develops deep friendships, who really know and encourage each other.
If such a person were to drop out of the small group, the large group of believers wouldn’t consider this as anything other than his own personal choice. He would still be normal.
But if that same person were to declare that the large Sunday service was no longer for him, and chose to stay with just the small group, some people would consider that abnormal.
Why is that?
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
WHY you believe something is infinitely more important than what you believe.
Caution: Do not read this blog if you are satisfied with WHAT you believe.
Links
- Ray Stedman Body Life
- AIDS Unconditional Love
- Hands at Work - Widows/Orphans
- Financial Freedom Being Healthy
- Faceless
- Orphans
- Truth or Fiction
- Tithing and Paid Pastors
- Health and Oportuntiy Videos
- How Rich Are You?
- Ben Carson
- Drew Marshall
- The Shack
- Radical Finances
- Christian Classics
- House2House
- Ideas Worth Spreading
- Jamie's Blog
- Lifestream
- Lessons in Christianity
Sacred Cowtipping
Why or Why Not?
As a former paid member of the fraternity of preachers, I thought it would be fun to write about things regarding institutional church life. I may be irreverant at times, but as Mark Twain has said, "sacred cows really do make great hamburgers."
Rest assured I do love Jesus and His church.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it"
-- Upton Sinclair
"A truth’s initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed. It wasn’t the world being round that agitated people, but that the world wasn’t flat. When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic."
—Dresden James
Rest assured I do love Jesus and His church.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it"
-- Upton Sinclair
"A truth’s initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed. It wasn’t the world being round that agitated people, but that the world wasn’t flat. When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic."
—Dresden James
Blog Archive
-
▼
2007
(141)
-
▼
March
(37)
- Happy Easter
- The Back of My Friend's Head
- Who's Your Covering?
- Jesus Never Fits
- Holy Institution
- Layman's Job Description
- Here Comes the Judge (part 1)
- Abnormal
- Magic 8-Ball
- Seduced by ...
- Satan Laughs as God Weeps
- Arctic Oranges.com
- What is the Gospel?
- Designer Pastor
- Find the Pastor
- Contributor Instead of Observer
- Our Facilities are Too Small
- The Weakly
- Square Pegs Round Holes
- Hockey Rules
- Small Beginings
- The Work of the Ministry
- Let My People Go
- Called
- Deprived
- Sermons: A Precious Jewel
- The Circulation of the Saints
- Covering/Smothering
- It's MY Church
- Top 10 Reasons for a Big Church
- Holy Crap
- Reaching Out: 1st Century Style
- Suffering anyone?
- Size Matters
- Protect them!
- Suppertime
- F.U.B.A.R.
-
▼
March
(37)
9 comments:
Answer The First: Authority structure. We can't be Lone Ranger Christians, so to whom do we answer if we're only in a small group?
How does going to a large service make one answerable?
I do both the large service thing, as well as the small group thing...My personal feeling is that a person is more likely to be held accountable by those in the smaller setting. It's really easy to disappear in a larger group.
Why is leaving the large service for a smaller group deamed "abnormal"? Perhaps because so many people are wrapped up in the idea that the church defines their Christianity. If one leaves that, perhaps it is seen as though that person is turning away from Christ...because we all know that you can't truly "know" Christ outside of a church, right?
*Insert sarcastic eye roll here*
Then again, I'm a relatively young Christian, so I could be WAY off...
Ah, but to whom is the leader of the small group answerable? That's the sticking point.
Though the answer should be clear: They should be accountable to the rest of the small group.
And your comment was well said, Ashleigh.
Ashleigh,
In the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, it was a little child that stated the obvious. I definitely don't think you are too young of a Christian to see.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor's_New_Clothes
Being accountable one to another, with people that know us and can help us, could shake the very foundations of how we are to grow as Christians.
So we move to an accountability-based system? As long as I have an accountability partner, I'm okay?
I like large services, at the very least because I like hearing different perspectives, and reminders, as well as the fellowship. But I also generally like sermons (just like I like reading Christian literature...and blogs). I think there's definite possibilities for growth there, although I don't discount the obvious benefits of a small group as well.
Throwing away large services would strike me as chucking the baby out with the bathwater.
Joel,
I didn't realize I had posted something about chucking out large services. I actually don't think I've said that anywhere in my blogs. I have stated that the weakly large service loses its impact and is not a biblical absolute or for that matter even a suggestion.
I was posing the question of why someone would be considered to be abnormal if they decided to stop attending Sunday services.
I personally think that large gatherings and preaching are vital for Christians and anyone else who would like to attend.
I may be mistating the intent of this blog, but then, I am not a lawyer.
Why is the Sunday service the "baby"? Lots of methods have come and gone. Biblically, why does this one have such predominance and such shaming if not practiced.
How do we apply 1 Cor. 14:26 in the large? It seems that this passage has almost no meaning for many Christians that attend Sunday services regularly.
Post a Comment