Monday, November 08, 2004
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:25,26
Every generation seems to have the need to go through some push back on the conventions of the prior one. Sometimes it is a violent rebellion while at others it is a subtle more harmless challenge to fashion or style. Christians are not immune to this tendency and that is generally a good thing. It is, however; not without risks. When the taste of free will seduces us into pushing against boundaries that God has set, it crosses a line we must not approach.
Is the church as we know it becoming obsolete? I see tendencies in some blogs that suggest that idea is being revived from those heady days of the early 70's. Has technology allowed us to go one better than God? We no longer need to associate in the traditional sense of church. The authoritative structures of the church only seem to keep replicating everything we don't like, we lack the freedom to be who we are. Pastors who don't blog are missing out on what is happening.
Of course there may be some bumps in the road to deal with. There is the problem of the Holy Spirit and His desire for unity. He also continues to impart the spiritual gift of pastor/teacher on men He gives to the church. And then there is the old conflict between the natural man and the new man created in Christ. Does God really want us to be ourselves? Galatians 5:16 seems to suggest otherwise.
Every generation seems to have the need to go through some push back on the conventions of the prior one. Sometimes it is a violent rebellion while at others it is a subtle more harmless challenge to fashion or style. Christians are not immune to this tendency and that is generally a good thing. It is, however; not without risks. When the taste of free will seduces us into pushing against boundaries that God has set, it crosses a line we must not approach.
Is the church as we know it becoming obsolete? I see tendencies in some blogs that suggest that idea is being revived from those heady days of the early 70's. Has technology allowed us to go one better than God? We no longer need to associate in the traditional sense of church. The authoritative structures of the church only seem to keep replicating everything we don't like, we lack the freedom to be who we are. Pastors who don't blog are missing out on what is happening.
Of course there may be some bumps in the road to deal with. There is the problem of the Holy Spirit and His desire for unity. He also continues to impart the spiritual gift of pastor/teacher on men He gives to the church. And then there is the old conflict between the natural man and the new man created in Christ. Does God really want us to be ourselves? Galatians 5:16 seems to suggest otherwise.
