Christianity Beyond Church
Perhaps some Christians find it difficult to separate their faith from the building where they worship.
For the secular community, too, faith means going to church, the two concepts are bound hand in hand.
And while, yes, church as an institution is a vital organ in the life of Christ´s followers, there is such a thing as Christian life beyond church.
Christians will say church is the body of Christ.
It is.
But it is not a physical structure that must always stay in one place.
Some of you will arrive at that point where you can carry your church around with you in your heart.
It is important for me not to be misunderstood.
I am not describing a scenario where society no longer needs churches with walls, but I am defining a condition of faith which is independent of church ritual.
If you have completed your faith walk as described in some of my articles, you will perhaps have reached a point where you are not inspired to new heights by your local ministry.
It is important to understand that if you are bored with your church, that does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your faith.
It may mean that you are now ready for a Christian life beyond church.
Jesus life was an evolution, a series of graduations which brought him ever closer to his father.
Though he began as a young man visiting the temples and listening to the rabbis preach, he soon became a teacher and a healer, even deigning to heal on the Sabbath, something thought to be quite shocking at the time.
From there he became a leader of a group of men, prophesying and guiding them into the future.
What use had Jesus for the temples at this point, when he was already on the doorstep of heaven? Let us remind ourselves that our faith is spirit, it flows, and coalesces, and changes like the mist.
While a church with walls, with its years of prayers sanctifying the air, its holy images, its communion and its fellowship, will always succeed in reducing you to tears of repentance and hope, still the time may come when you do not wish for the weekly ritual.
If you feel stuck in a routine of pew-warming which is not taking you to the next level, perhaps it is time to take yourself.
For the secular community, too, faith means going to church, the two concepts are bound hand in hand.
And while, yes, church as an institution is a vital organ in the life of Christ´s followers, there is such a thing as Christian life beyond church.
Christians will say church is the body of Christ.
It is.
But it is not a physical structure that must always stay in one place.
Some of you will arrive at that point where you can carry your church around with you in your heart.
It is important for me not to be misunderstood.
I am not describing a scenario where society no longer needs churches with walls, but I am defining a condition of faith which is independent of church ritual.
If you have completed your faith walk as described in some of my articles, you will perhaps have reached a point where you are not inspired to new heights by your local ministry.
It is important to understand that if you are bored with your church, that does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your faith.
It may mean that you are now ready for a Christian life beyond church.
Jesus life was an evolution, a series of graduations which brought him ever closer to his father.
Though he began as a young man visiting the temples and listening to the rabbis preach, he soon became a teacher and a healer, even deigning to heal on the Sabbath, something thought to be quite shocking at the time.
From there he became a leader of a group of men, prophesying and guiding them into the future.
What use had Jesus for the temples at this point, when he was already on the doorstep of heaven? Let us remind ourselves that our faith is spirit, it flows, and coalesces, and changes like the mist.
While a church with walls, with its years of prayers sanctifying the air, its holy images, its communion and its fellowship, will always succeed in reducing you to tears of repentance and hope, still the time may come when you do not wish for the weekly ritual.
If you feel stuck in a routine of pew-warming which is not taking you to the next level, perhaps it is time to take yourself.
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