Free to Worship: Part 5

I’m gonna end this series for now with this…

I believe that many of us as Christians just don’t know who we are in Jesus Christ. Many of us have grown up with distorted, incorrect, and exaggerated perceptions of Jesus Christ, God, and the Bible. Our identity has been damaged over years of religion, tradition and false teaching. Just as a baby has to grow and discover his/her identity in the world, a Christian has to grow and discover his/her identity in Christ. But how can people truly discover who they are if they are modeling themselves primarily after a church style or a particular church culture instead of the principles and teachings of Jesus Christ? How can people grow and mature and develop healthy spiritual lives if all they keep getting week after week are messages from the preacher that they add to their list of messages that they already can’t seem to figure out or apply (no offense to any men or women of God… you guys rock… thanks for answering the call to preach the Gospel)? But do you see what I am saying? We assume just because people classify themselves as Christians that they get it or that that they have a clear understanding of Jesus Christ, God and the Bible. You’d be surprised how many adults are just as confused as the kids are. I’m still in discovery myself and the more I learn the more I realize I don’t know much when it comes to God. I think that’s why Jesus kept stuff pretty simple in the first place.

So when I say, “I prefer the contemporary worship experience of a Buckhead Church over a traditional black church”, I am NOT saying I prefer singing certain songs or lifting my hands a certain way… that’s small talk. And I am definitely NOT saying that one race gets it and another race doesn’t. Every race that makes up the Church as a whole should be seeking truth… I hope. What I AM trying to say is that I want you to step outside of your box of how you see it and just hear me out for a minute…

I’m talking about WE as the Church creating an environment that recognizes that God is unique to each individual, and that we have to pause long enough to make sure people are really understanding and piecing together the truth of Jesus Christ, God and the Bible. I’m talking about an environment that is constantly challenging the minds of the people while allowing them to identify who they are and who Jesus Christ is at the core. I’m talking about an environment that focuses on breaking down Scripture in its “proper” context without adding the preacher’s opinion or perspective in order to give it a little twist or boost. I’m talking about an environment that challenges the leadership and staff to constantly rethink what it means to engage culture, the world, and even the everyday Christian in a way that is authentic, relevant, and simple with the message of Jesus Christ. I’m talking about an environment where youth can relate to God THEIR way instead of being forced to relate mom’s way. I’m talking about an environment that doesn’t promote a preacher over the church or makes a celebrity out of anybody, but makes every individual feel important and apart. THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING!!!

My prayer is that we would stop categorizing churches and learn to unite ideas and learn from one another. There is no perfect church and no perfect way to do church, but there is a perfect savior of “The Church”. And if we can learn from one another instead of settling for what we are familiar with or used to, we as a whole can grow so much faster and so much healthier. At the end of the day, my heart and part of my passion as a student of life and a student of ministry is to assist churches and church leaders in taking down the walls of differences and creating an environment where we can learn from one another. I personally think the idea that there are divisions in the Church that makes black and white Christians almost oblivious to each other is rather silly and stupid. We can all learn from one another.

So let’s do it!

Check out oneprayer.com and join us as churches across America and the world make the effort to unite as one. FINALLY!