~3 Tips to Finding A Church to Call Home

~The Battle Ground

~We Are the Church

This week, I want to encourage you with this final post to this series from verses found in Ephesians 4:1-6 which are expressed in many other ways throughout the Bible and throughout Paul’s letters.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Notice, Paul calls himself a prisoner of the Lord. In many circles being a prisoner is not a desirable position but Paul continually expresses his love for serving the Lord, even in this situation.

How many of us have been imprisoned for our faith? Yet, he is encouraging us and urging us on to continue in our calling in humbleness, patience and most importantly in love for one another. 

In verse 6, we have assurance of the greatness of God, Father of all, WHO IS OVER ALL AND THROUGH ALL AND IN ALL. That is the God that is on our side. HE is the One who is for us.

Over the past several weeks in our conversations, we have talked about how hard life is in a church setting. We often expect from the people, even in church, to not just be like God but be God and have the attributes that only God can have. This reality hits us hard sometimes and rocks our boat to the point we turn away from church and sometimes God.

That is not, in any way, God’s desire for the Church. Here, Paul calls for unity.

Paul, in these verses in Ephesians, is calling us to become a united, mature body in Christ and he is telling us it starts with loving one another. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He said to love God and love others.

We often times, forget the second part. The result is hurt of all kinds and magnitudes.

Paul is urging us here and I am encouraging you today, as believers in Christ, LOVE one another. Live your life worthy of your calling. Keep every effort to keep the unity.

We need to be able to stand together united. Today at my Bible study, we talked about fighting spiritual battles, also in Ephesians. Chapter 6 verse 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

The part that especially stands out to me, related to the Church is having the armor of the shield.

Soldiers on the front lines would hold a shield that was taller than they were. When fighting alone, they were vulnerable from almost every side. But when standing together, arm in arm, shield in front, they could press through the battle lines. They were protected on many sides. Feet standing firm in Christ and His Word, holding the lines or pressing forward.

That is the unity we are to have as the Church. Standing firm, together, holding our ground, and pressing through the lines, united in Christ.

Our calling is to share the Gospel, the Good News of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and the hope it offers to each and every person. Are you willing to pursue your calling for Christ today?

I hope these posts have been an encouragement to your heart. I know the conversations and time with you have been encouraging to me. Thank you.

Again, if anyone is in a position of being on the fence or uncertain about their next move, feel free to email me.  I would love to encourage you further. I would love to pray with you. I would love to help you move to a place of healing and to your next step in the journey. 

               Thanks! From all of us at  #SittingAmongFriends 

We have been on a fantastic journey over the past couple of weeks. What has made this great is the conversation that has been swirling through the comments. I hope you know that if you leave comments here, they are not overlooked. You matter to me and so do our conversations. I love that I am getting to know you and your hearts. If you comment, will you do me a favor, will you come back, and check my response. If you have anything to add, please do. This is not meant to be one-sided where I post and you read. 

Friends, The Battle Ground and 3 Tips To Finding a Church to Call Home leads us into this week’s post. These last two weeks have evolved into more than expected. I am writing in response to comments in a way that is intended to be healing and for the purposes of making us all stronger as a whole.

I started this blog to encourage the body of Christ. As believers, we are the body. We as the body are to be edifying, which means to build up and make stronger. I started Sitting Among Friends because I love to be able to sit down with you and have meaningful and biblical conversations, such as this.

I want to clarify two terms and I will try to be careful not use the two interchangeably. The word church as in the meeting and assembling of God’s people and The Church, which is the body of Christ as a whole, Christ being the head.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15

I grew up going to church. I have seen many things, both good and honestly, bad, but I love church. Attending church and having fellowship with other believers is vital. We were not intended on going through life and our journey alone.

If we look at the ministry of Jesus, as soon as he began, he started gathering people, his disciples, and they journeyed together.

Let’s be honest, did Christ need them to do His work? Does He need us to do His work now? Christ can accomplish His purposes with or without us. He wants us to be a part of it. So, in the gathering of the people, the assembling of His disciples (both then and now) shows us, He wants this to be a journey where we are in fellowship and in communion together.

One comment I received from a gentleman was stating that it does not say in the Bible that we are to attend church. I believe there is a large and growing population of people that would consider themselves Christians or believers and feel the same way.

I would like to address these thoughts beginning with these verses from 

Hebrews 10:24-25 which says Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing to a near. 

In or out of a church building, we are The Church. I understand the thinking that the church is not a building, it is a people. That is true. However, this does mean because we are everywhere we forsake or neglect meeting and assembling together. 

It also does not mean we have the option to excuse parts of the Bible because we are angry, upset, hurt, belittled, or any other thing that someone has hurled upon our hearts. 

Friends, God is a mighty healer, He is the God of all comfort, He is the Prince of Peace. If you feel any of these things apply to your story, you need to bend a knee to Him today. You need to straighten out the hurt and the anguish you have been carrying. It is making your load way too heavy.

This does not alleviate the problems that go on in churches. If we could, however, shift our thinking to align with God’s purposes for us in the assembly, which is to worship Him together. If we were able to see that the things of this world are temporary and that sometimes includes our gathering place. We need to focus on the things that are truly eternal then we would have one focus and be of one mind and purpose. 

Therefore, if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being of one mind, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2 BSB

This like-mindedness needs to stay in context of the verse. It does not mean we need to be exactly the same. Have the same haircuts. Wear the same clothes. Like the same style of worship music and want the chairs in the church to be the same color. 

This verse means we need to have the same purpose in bringing Glory to God, for HIS name’s sake. We need to have the same heavenward focus. Being people of kindness, compassion and showing humility to one another and not esteeming ourselves over one another. We need to love each other enough to care for the salvation and maturity of their faith. We need to see that they, too, are made in the image of our Creator. When we do these things, then our joy may be complete, and we can have a united front, standing strong together. 

If you have walked away from a church, make sure you have not also walked away from God. If you feel this is the case, brothers and sisters in Christ, He is waiting with open arms to receive you back.

If you have not been to church in a while, as a believer, you are part of the body, and we need you. We need you to help make us strong. We need to be united. We need the gifts and talents God has given you and equipped you with to serve Him. 

Don’t wait another week. Don’t give another excuse. Give it all to God and let Him handle the details. Be a willing obedient heart. And you give Him an open door to do the work He needs to complete in you. 

I know this is hard and may not seem like an answer. I understand, I have been there. Healing seems to take time. It seems to be a process. It can also be something we just relinquish. We don’t have to be in bondage to those thoughts and feelings. If the Son of Man sets us free we are free indeed. We need to be living in that freedom.

Friends, join me in prayer for the Body of Christ, for the millions of broken unrestored relationships, for those who want to draw near to God but don’t know where to begin and for those whose worship needs to be healed. For churches around the world to have a Christ-centered focus and for the love of Christ to shine through all that we do.

Friends, if you would like to further this conversation, you can contact me through email (located at the bottom of this page). I am willing to pray with you and do what I can to encourage you. If you are part of the body of Christ, please give an encouraging word below to help others heal and grow. I do appreciate all that you do for this community. Have a wonderful week! 

               Thanks! From all of us at  #SittingAmongFriends