Saturday, January 1, 2011

What I learned in 2010

When I think about how I teach my children about Creation, and how God made the earth and all that is in it. It just humbles me to think that he already knew all the lessons in life he was going to teach us before he ever created us. He already knew how to be the perfect father and didn't have to learn by trial and error. He knew what we needed because he knew us personally before we even knew Him.

Thinking back over the last year, I find it interesting how long it takes us humans to learn simple lessons God is trying to teach us. Some of us can sit and listen to a friend talk about their experiences over and over, and how painful the outcome of things were because of their mistakes; and then we go out and do the exact same thing and expect different results! Over and over again we do the same selfish, self-destructive things to ourselves and still we do not learn! I'm guilty as well of needing the Lord to hit me over the head with a brick before I can say "OH WOW! So that's how it's suppose to be!!" I feel like when it comes to life lessons from God, he teaches us in parts. Little by little, piece by piece he puts things together for us over long periods of time. Each year I feel like my life lessons have gotten more intense, more in depth and harder and harder to figure out what exactly God is trying to say at times!

2010 was a huge eye opener for me spiritually speaking. I believe that God has shown me one of the most important lessons of my life this year, piece by piece . For the last 12 years, I've gotten up on Sunday mornings, put on my Sunday best, put on shoes that make me grit my teeth in pain and went to "Church." I'd walk in say hello to whoever crossed my path on the way to my seat and do whatever ministry duties I had that day. Some days I'd sit behind/beside people and listen to them talk about what that person was wearing in the Choir, or this person's shoes or that person's hair style; and some day's I felt like it was a huge fashion show that I was not classy enough for. Some day's were better than others, there were some day's I could walk in and out and have not ONE person notice or say hello to me; but some day's when I would be so caught up with talking to people I couldn't get out of the building. I felt that people based my faithfulness to God on my attendance, how much I volunteered or how much money I gave. I'm not speaking of one particular "Church" that I've attended, but several of them. My overall experiences in "the church", I have to say has not been so great!

I found myself pulling away from "The Church" (not one in particular) wanting to seek the Lord on my own. I felt that I had grown more from spending my Sunday's and Wednesday's pouring over my bible myself, then I had in the last 12 years sitting in "the Church" building. As this began to happen in my life, the Lord piece by piece began to bring people into my life to explain to me what "The Church" really is! Last summer, I believe it was, we received a visit from my husbands old roommate in College; Pastor Jamal Jivanjee. Jamal started talking to us about a book he was reading called "Pagan Christianity" He told us all about his thoughts on "the church" and how a lot of things we do today in "the church" are old pagan traditions. He talked about how "the church" isn't a building full of people but a community of people. I listened to Jamal talk and my first reaction was "I like the traditions".

As time went on, my husband was asked to lead worship for a friend of ours at a new church plant one night. After the worship, we talked to him about the model of "the church" it seemed similar to what Jamal had talked about. The thing he said to us was "if you are ready to be a missionary in this county then this church is for you!" Basically it's a group of believers meeting together in a house, reaching out to non-believers in their neighborhood. Then eventually someone will start another community in another neighborhood and on and on. But the emphasis here is not on "Growth" of "the church" it's on growth of "THE CHURCH"; reaching non-believers.

For months we talked about this new "church" model. And for months I wrestled with what this meant for me, and for my future. Then last week I finished the most life changing book that brought everything God has been trying to show me together! "Radical" by David Platt.

I've learned this year that "The Church" is what has been separating The Church from being "THE CHURCH" - Yes you heard that right. WE are the church, our body is the Temple. The holy spirit does not just move at the alter of a building, or in the presence of one man standing on the pulpit preaching a sermon. The Holy Spirit moves within the Temple, it moves within all of us not just one of us, we are a mobile church, in need of community with other believers. "The Church" is not a building, or a denomination, or a service that caters to seekers, and ignores believers; nor is it a service that caters to believers. It's not for our entertainment and it's not for our comfort. "The Church" is us, the body of Christ coming together for one common purpose. "The Church" isn't about how big we can grow "the church". Jesus only had 12 disciples of whom were not schooled, but trained to go into the world and teach the good news. Looking at the New Testament it seems Jesus was more successful with those 12 disciples then some "churches" are with 10k members! From my experience getting people to volunteer for things in "churches" is like pulling teeth sometimes. In the book "radical" it talks about people saying things like "that's just not my calling!" I for one am guilty of using that excuse myself, but it also talks about how when Jesus says "GO" it doesn't say "if you are called" because he has called everyone! It's not about being comfortable in our church buildings, and not stepping on peoples toes, the watered-down gospel doesn't satisfy; it's about being uncomfortable and offending people for the gospel!

Why it took me this long to be able to look at how Jesus did things and say "Hey that is how your suppose to do church" I have no idea. It has been right in front of me all this time and I'm just now being hit with the brick! It would make since that we would duplicate everything our Savior did, if we are Christ-followers. I mean really he showed us how to do everything from prayer to living a godly life; why wouldn't he have shown us how to BE the church too?

I'm thankful for the lessons the Lord has been teaching me. I'm looking forward to what he has in store for us in 2011 since I've finally grasped what he was trying to say to me in 2010. Praying for lots of spiritual growth this year! God Bless and Happy New year!

1 comment:

  1. Toneka,

    Thanks for this blog. I am so blessed to be a small part of your journey. It sounds like you have taken the 'red pill' in the Matrix and you are about to see just how far the rabbit hole goes. Living life outside the Matrix is glorious however. It's like dying of thirst on a hot day in the desert and trying to drink water from those bottles that hamsters drink out of, and then suddenly being exposed to a flowing, deep, crisp & cold river of spring water!

    Thanks for writing this:)

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