I really like how you finished this article, Daniel, with questions of personal accountability. It's so odd to me that after 2,000 years since Jesus established His kingdom on Earth so many "followers" still absticate their responsibility as citizens of the kingdom by merely focusing on the greatness of what Christ did for us on the cross. While what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago is very worthy of our gratitude even today, it was only the starting point for His Kingdom reign. Imagine if as Americans, instead of exercising our freedoms to build wealth through business, and and entertain ourselves with sports and music and drama and perform charitable acts for the less fortunate around the world, we just focused on our military conquests over other countries and lived only at a sustenance level in a militarized state. Imagine how tragic that would be!
I think it's even more tragic that so much of formal Christianity is stuck in the mindset of mere survival. (I.E." look at how good our God is to save us from our past sins" and "isn't the New Heaven and New earth going to be so great when we don't have to be encumbered with all the sin that is around us now.")
I had a really nice neighbor invite me to his church service for this morning. Honestly I really wanted to go, and worship in a formal way with the saints that are gathered there but my wife didn't want to go, and my homeless friend who is sleeping on my couch needed to be feed and clothed, and my mom who lives alone, 30 minutes away from me, needed to be visited while I am off of work today, and I need to get together some things to take to her... I'm not complaining! I enjoy the life and privileged responsibilities the Lord has laid before me, I just wonder why so few people don't view these things to be worship of our Maker as well.
I totally view those things as worship. While I believe there are a lot of benefits to meeting with a local church, I don't see any problem with how you spent your Sunday.
I really like how you finished this article, Daniel, with questions of personal accountability. It's so odd to me that after 2,000 years since Jesus established His kingdom on Earth so many "followers" still absticate their responsibility as citizens of the kingdom by merely focusing on the greatness of what Christ did for us on the cross. While what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago is very worthy of our gratitude even today, it was only the starting point for His Kingdom reign. Imagine if as Americans, instead of exercising our freedoms to build wealth through business, and and entertain ourselves with sports and music and drama and perform charitable acts for the less fortunate around the world, we just focused on our military conquests over other countries and lived only at a sustenance level in a militarized state. Imagine how tragic that would be!
I think it's even more tragic that so much of formal Christianity is stuck in the mindset of mere survival. (I.E." look at how good our God is to save us from our past sins" and "isn't the New Heaven and New earth going to be so great when we don't have to be encumbered with all the sin that is around us now.")
I had a really nice neighbor invite me to his church service for this morning. Honestly I really wanted to go, and worship in a formal way with the saints that are gathered there but my wife didn't want to go, and my homeless friend who is sleeping on my couch needed to be feed and clothed, and my mom who lives alone, 30 minutes away from me, needed to be visited while I am off of work today, and I need to get together some things to take to her... I'm not complaining! I enjoy the life and privileged responsibilities the Lord has laid before me, I just wonder why so few people don't view these things to be worship of our Maker as well.
I totally view those things as worship. While I believe there are a lot of benefits to meeting with a local church, I don't see any problem with how you spent your Sunday.