For those who have left their churches and are now worshiping online… How is it going? How is the spiritual life of your family? In reality, the freedom of worshiping independently from others is an enticing option that provides flexibility and freedom, yet we must always be willing to take a step back to see if what is permissible is still beneficial for our families.
No matter if we like it or not, local Christian fellowships are still the safest and most efficient places to foster a growing relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. There are a few reasons for this. To begin with, most of us lack the time or spiritual gifts to continually bring out a fresh living Word of the Lord for our family to consume. That is why God called and created the pastorate so His people could be fed.
Secondly, love dies when it stops… What I mean by that is love continually flows out through the Father, through the Son, and by means of the Holy Spirit in us. This love is not meant to stop or end here. It is meant to flow out from us as we love others. By doing so, this glory from the father makes its way back to Himself in the form of praise. It truly is a cycle of holy love. Scripture is clear that if we fail to pass on this love in us, it will be taken from us. Therefore, a local fellowship of believers has always provided a place to love others publicly by providing fellowship and methods of evangelism. You see, we aren’t really supposed to go to church to get something, we are meant to give (or love) others as we gather.
Why are so many people worshiping in their homes? There are literally thousands of reasons. Some of them may seem selfish; however, many of these reasons are valid and justified. What this means is that many Christians and churches are now at an impasse as they are unable to reconcile because they are both unwilling to compromise on the issues that led to separation.
So why am I writing today. I am a pastor that sees many Christians struggling in their spiritual lives as they try and worship God on their own. I see children growing up in Christian homes that have never stepped foot in a church. Now grown, these same children are now leaving their parent’s faith altogether because it seems empty and void of power and purpose. I see a multitude of God’s people struggling spiritually with no way to move forward. Without change, many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren of these isolated Christian families will fall away from faith completely.
In response to this travesty God has been preparing a revival and reform to take place in His Church. The Spirit of God is on the move and many pastors are leaving the established church to go out to where the people are and start new fellowships that are void of religion and tradition. It is an attempt to address and combat many of the reasons that people have left the church. These new fellowships may look and feel like a normal church, yet structurally they will function much differently.
Picture a local fellowship where you aren’t forced to raise money. One where there is no option to become a member or be ranked higher or more important than someone else. A place where the pastor can preach Truth without compromise or the worry of trying to impress the important people to keep his/her job. A church with no board members or bylaws. One where the Word of God is the only manual we need to serve as the Church. It is a fellowship that takes the worldly things of religion and removes them from the get-go.
We are starting one of these types of fellowships in Bock, MN. We have a building that we get to use and a pastor, and now we are looking for fellow Christians who have left religion to help turn this fellowship into a safe place for others to come and worship God. We don’t need your money. We seek only to help bring some of these wandering sheep back into the fellowship.
Do you miss it? Do you miss the friendships and relationships of other Christians that love and support each other as we grow together as a spiritual family? Your family can experience these things once again. As our space dictates our meeting time, we will be having our primary worship service every Wednesday evening. This may work well for those who love to go camping on the weekends. If you would like more information about joining us, feel free to message me directly. Have a blessed day.