I was sent a message this week by a teenager this week, who was trying to explain to a friend what “religion” she was, and what Faunce Memorial Church was.

“Christian” I said.  “Yeah, I know, but what “TYPE”?  She replied.

To many, you can say “Christian”… but that requires more definition.  Does that mean Baptist, or Roman Catholic, or snake-handling fundamentalist?  The liberal “accepting” Episcopalians fall under the umbrella of “Christian”, as does the vitriolic Westboro Baptist Church, though each would exclude the other from the label.

I myself grew up Roman Catholic, but then spent some years with the Assemblies of God, so I understand the pros and cons of being part of a larger and more structured denomination.

Still, I am convinced, that it is the labels and constructs of the denominations themselves that divide as much as anything else.  The apostles never had the intention of starting a denomination.  As a matter of fact, the were absolutely opposed to the divisions caused by an “ism”.  In the 1 letter to the Corinthians, Paul upbraids the church by saying  “What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” (1 Cor 1:12).

Paul says that this was proof that they were still immature in the faith.  Still “missing it”.   And today, people identify themselves with a denomination, now substituting Luther, Calvin, the Pope, and even Joel Osteen, in place of Paul, Apollos, and Cephas.

The bottom line is this-  there is only one church that Christ started.  It was handed on to the apostles.  It was faithfully passed on from generation to generation.  The fractionalized, divided, tradition-laden constructs we see today are a terrible and pale representation of what that church is supposed to be.

So when answering that question-  What type of church-  the only answer, as pompous as it might sound, is that we are part of THE church.  The one church that Jesus started and ordained the apostles to carry on.   And as much as we can understand and are able, we believe and hold to that which they believed, tossing away the man-made tradition that has arisen over the millennia that has only hurt the church.   We don’t have a catechism from the middle ages we need to ascribe to.   Just the Bible, as properly understood in context.  We don’t add to the Word of God.  We don’t subtract from it.

Now it all believers in Jesus Christ too this same, common -sense approach, how nice would that be?   There would be one “Type” of person believing Christ.  Just “Christians”.

This weekend I went to see the remake of The Lorax in the theaters with my youngest kids. I have and enjoy the original, and I figure that the producers can’t miss with todays animation, and the comedic input of Danny Devito, Betty White and Ed Helms. I would say, in short, that I “liked” it… didn’t “love it”.

I’ve tried to think about what was amiss in my affection for it, but haven’t been able to put my finger on it. The best I can do is surmise that, for the money that I pay to go to the movies, I expect a certain level of “wow” to grab me and entertain me, and it just wasn’t there.

Many people, it seems, have a similar expectation when they attend a church. There has to be a “shiver up their spine” when the worship band is playing. Or some type of eye-popping revelation that turns their world upside down. Or they feel they need to witness a miracle- a healing or even hear an anecdotal story about God doing something for someone. I’m not knocking any of those things. But I think that if that is the bar of expectation when we go to church, perhaps we are missing the point.

When believers come together, it really comes down to two purposes, which follow pretty closely to what Jesus said were the “greatest” commandments. Those he said was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart”, and the second to “love your neighbor as yourself”. (Matt 22:36-40).

Our purpose at church is to first “love the Lord” which is expressed through our worship. Sure it is good to have a quality worship band with the latest and greatest of music, and instruments and such. But our worship doesn’t hang on that. Its nice when everyone on the altar can sing on key… but your worship is not contingent upon that either. It’s an attitude of the heart, that exalts Christ, and sanctifies Him above all else. It’s praise and adoration for him, which wipes out thoughts of whether or not we think that so-and-so should have worn a tie today, or whether we care if the Patriots win today or not. We are there to worship God. With all of our heart. And mind. And strength.

A good friend told me the other day that they go to their church because the pastor makes them feel good about themselves. I had to hold back from shouting “It’s not about you!”. If that pastor thinks that it his job to make people feel good about themselves, he needs to read his job description again!

The second reason we gather as a church, as Jesus said, is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. That is expressed in our service or ministry to others.

No matter where you attend, there are people with needs. Some of those needs are serious. Some are emotional, some are financial, some are spiritual. Some people just simply need someone else to show that they care. A mature believer is in the Body of Christ to SERVE. It is sad to see so many mature Christians get burnt out by manipulative, bureaucratic churches,and end up neglecting any type of membership in a Christian church. They let their past hurt override their mandate to gather together as a church, and consequently, really don’t have a medium for serving others.

Others attend a church out of their own emotional or spiritual neediness, which is understandable for a young Christian, but for the mature in Christ, we should be there to help meet those needs. JFK’s great quote could be paraphrased in this case “Ask not what the church can do for you…” .

Getting back to my original thought, I think it is justifiable if I don’t go back to see the Lorax a second time, or buy the DVD when it comes out. It just didn’t grab me. But when it comes to church, we are not there for the entertainment, or the “wow” factor, or whatever need fulfillment we get out of it. Our purpose there is to worship and serve.
Have a great Sunday!