Monday, August 23, 2004
The Seduction of Fellowship
Fellowship.
The word itself conjures or rather brings to mind, magical and sacred images.
For instance the Fellowship of the Ring. The nine to stand against the Nazgul, the Ring Wraiths.
Mountain Valley Christian Fellowship. Just the name makes you want to attend.
Fellowship meeting, fellowship bible study.
There is something in us that cries out for Fellowship. I know of what I speak.
I've recently discovered that Fellowship can be something I'd never associated with that word before.
Fellowship can be Seductive. It can change you. Cause you to compromise.
For instance....
There are things in your life that you have laid down. Not just laid down, but renounced. There are things you said you would never again do.
But you pick them up. You do that which you renounced. You do not stand up for Jesus Christ, you allow Him to be grouped with Mohammad, Krisna, Shiva, Bhudda, as if he's not the Unique & Only Begotten Son of God, the Only Path to Salvation, but just another man doing his best for 'de lawd'.
Were you being tortured? Threatened? no.
Reliving old times sitting by a fire. A group of people, that are good people, in the non-christian sence of the word. Their conduct is what you wish most Christian's would act like. But they are not Christians. They repudiate Jesus being unique. They reject He is the Only Begotten. That He was God before the incarnation. Loving un-conditionally is enough for them. No dogma (they're pretty dogmatic about the no dogma though, unless it's theirs).
Why? So you can feel like you belong. So you fit in. So you can be included in a group of people. A fellowship. Sigh. And you leave there, having had a good time. But wounded just the same. Cause you've let yourself down. And maybe you've let Jesus down too. (Luke 12:8,9)
You've sat silent while they conversed about Church and Christ. You drank their shine, and smoked their pipe. You laughed and even chanted around the bon fire. Why? So that you could feel fellowship. That somewhere for a time, a short season, you belonged.
It is something that we hunger for...that I hunger for SOOO much, that pseudo fellowship, that wouldn't cut it in the church for me, seems to be okay in the world. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that as much as I despise the IC, I need her just the same. I'm seeing what happens when I'm on my own.
So, a sober warning. The things that haunt you from your past? The people who didn't change when you were transformed by Christ? They are one of the many voices in the world, calling you back, seducing you back. Until you compromise. Until you fall. Until you don't even recognize that you trampled on your beliefs, your convictions. Seduced.
Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on your lonely child. A sinner.
I'shalom
Love4theWord
The word itself conjures or rather brings to mind, magical and sacred images.
For instance the Fellowship of the Ring. The nine to stand against the Nazgul, the Ring Wraiths.
Mountain Valley Christian Fellowship. Just the name makes you want to attend.
Fellowship meeting, fellowship bible study.
There is something in us that cries out for Fellowship. I know of what I speak.
I've recently discovered that Fellowship can be something I'd never associated with that word before.
Fellowship can be Seductive. It can change you. Cause you to compromise.
For instance....
There are things in your life that you have laid down. Not just laid down, but renounced. There are things you said you would never again do.
But you pick them up. You do that which you renounced. You do not stand up for Jesus Christ, you allow Him to be grouped with Mohammad, Krisna, Shiva, Bhudda, as if he's not the Unique & Only Begotten Son of God, the Only Path to Salvation, but just another man doing his best for 'de lawd'.
Were you being tortured? Threatened? no.
Reliving old times sitting by a fire. A group of people, that are good people, in the non-christian sence of the word. Their conduct is what you wish most Christian's would act like. But they are not Christians. They repudiate Jesus being unique. They reject He is the Only Begotten. That He was God before the incarnation. Loving un-conditionally is enough for them. No dogma (they're pretty dogmatic about the no dogma though, unless it's theirs).
Why? So you can feel like you belong. So you fit in. So you can be included in a group of people. A fellowship. Sigh. And you leave there, having had a good time. But wounded just the same. Cause you've let yourself down. And maybe you've let Jesus down too. (Luke 12:8,9)
You've sat silent while they conversed about Church and Christ. You drank their shine, and smoked their pipe. You laughed and even chanted around the bon fire. Why? So that you could feel fellowship. That somewhere for a time, a short season, you belonged.
It is something that we hunger for...that I hunger for SOOO much, that pseudo fellowship, that wouldn't cut it in the church for me, seems to be okay in the world. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that as much as I despise the IC, I need her just the same. I'm seeing what happens when I'm on my own.
So, a sober warning. The things that haunt you from your past? The people who didn't change when you were transformed by Christ? They are one of the many voices in the world, calling you back, seducing you back. Until you compromise. Until you fall. Until you don't even recognize that you trampled on your beliefs, your convictions. Seduced.
Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on your lonely child. A sinner.
I'shalom
Love4theWord
