Great quote from scholar N.T. Wright in his book Simply Christian:
"According to the early Christians, the church doesn't exist in order to provide a place where people can pursue their private spiritual agendas and develop their own spiritual potential. Nor does it exist in order to provide a safe haven in which people can hide from the wicked world and ensure that they themselves arrive safely at an otherworldly destination. Private spiritual growth and ultimate salvation come rather as the by-products of the main, central, overarching purpose for which God has called and is calling us. The purpose is clearly stated in various places in the New Testament: that through the church God will announce to the wider world that he is indeed its wise, loving and just creator; that through Jesus he has defeated the powers that corrupt and enslave it; and that by his Spirit he is at work to heal and renew it. The church exists, in other words, for what we sometimes call "mission" to announce to the world that Jesus is its Lord."
Anyone who has spent time with me knows that I agree wholeheartedly with the above idea - we don't attend church to hide or to pursue our own quest for a sphere where we can exercise some measure of power and control, but instead we gather together at least once each week to recharge our batteries, to encourage and teach and learn from each other - all that so that we can then go and do what Jesus told us to do - share the message of hope that we have freely received with others who are living far from God.
The minute we start thinking things are all about us, making us more comfortable, doing "church" the way we want to do it, focusing on our own desires instead of what the Word of God teaches - we are in serious trouble. May it never be so with us. I pray that we stay focused on the mission that Jesus gave us - that we remember whose disciples we are - that we be like our rabbi, Jesus, in every way, and more today than yesterday.
May this be true of me and of you.
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