Jennifer, this ties strongly to the point Gabe was making in class a few weeks ago about not letting others into out struggles or like we discussed last Sunday night about not seeking guidance and help from the church.
"let’s restore the original, God-given purpose of assembly (Hebrews 10:23-25; I Corinthians 14:26). Let’s make it a priority that no one comes into our assembly discouraged and leaves the same way. Let’s make it our goal that when someone attends our assembly with a flat faith battery, they leave with their battery recharged. Let’s provoke the passive, stimulate the sluggish and build-up the beaten-down."
This quote will never sum up how the church operates until we prove through our consistent actions that our "assembly" is a safe place for the broken and beaten down. There are a select few individuals that know a few things about me that I may never share with the group...and I know a few things about others that I'm sure they would never share with the group. I believe there are numerous reasons for this - but when we share, bring-up, or focus on other's failures to prove something negative about them it's usually mean-sprited and tied to our own dissatisfaction with self. I have heard people I deeply love bring up the failures of a fellow Christian from 30-40 years ago. This was totally unacceptable. And it happens all the time - not just with folks I know. We don't bear one anothers burdens because we don't want what is painful and often embarrassing spread around and brought up years later. Unlike first-century Christians our church ties are often tertiary to our families, jobs, friendships and lifestyles.
1 comments:
Jennifer, this ties strongly to the point Gabe was making in class a few weeks ago about not letting others into out struggles or like we discussed last Sunday night about not seeking guidance and help from the church.
"let’s restore the original, God-given purpose of assembly (Hebrews 10:23-25; I Corinthians 14:26). Let’s make it a priority that no one comes into our assembly discouraged and leaves the same way. Let’s make it our goal that when someone attends our assembly with a flat faith battery, they leave with their battery recharged. Let’s provoke the passive, stimulate the sluggish and build-up the beaten-down."
This quote will never sum up how the church operates until we prove through our consistent actions that our "assembly" is a safe place for the broken and beaten down.
There are a select few individuals that know a few things about me that I may never share with the group...and I know a few things about others that I'm sure they would never share with the group. I believe there are numerous reasons for this - but when we share, bring-up, or focus on other's failures to prove something negative about them it's usually mean-sprited and tied to our own dissatisfaction with self.
I have heard people I deeply love bring up the failures of a fellow Christian from 30-40 years ago. This was totally unacceptable. And it happens all the time - not just with folks I know.
We don't bear one anothers burdens because we don't want what is painful and often embarrassing spread around and brought up years later.
Unlike first-century Christians our church ties are often tertiary to our families, jobs, friendships and lifestyles.
Thanks for the link.
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