Dominoes Part 2

Ok so this part is a progressive post from the last one. It will incorporate and elaborate on some of the thoughts, but it's mostly new material. I assume this will be a pretty lengthy post so I might end up even breaking it up into sub-posts but we will see.

As of last Sunday I hadn't been to church in about a month. Between the fact that it takes about an hour and a half to get to my church by public transportation, and traveling, plus some personal things that needed to be taken care of, I had neglected my attendance. Obviously this wasn't on purpose but my time is pretty restricted these days, so Sundays are sometimes the only free time I get.

Anyways, missing church for that long really reminded me how very much we all need fellowship and to be in God's house. It may not seem like it, but wow does sin slip in fast. Subtle change in views become big changes over time, and left unchecked can really threaten our faith.

Case and point, I'm in the market for a new phone and car now. Both are necessary at this point, and I'm working on saving the funds necessary for these purchases. I'm looking at a used car in the range of 7-9k or so as I'm planning on being here awhile and I would like something nice. I'm also looking at the galaxy note 8 phone. (I want to keep my American number so a new phone would be necessary, I looked into other options like Google voice and a Skype number but they just aren't feasible in my situation).

A little background on me. I was brought up with all the best equipment. I wasn't spoiled...I knew the value of what I had, but my parents had the motto "an artist is only as good as his tools". I grew up playing hockey, and for everyone who knows hockey reading this, equipment isn't cheap. I always had the best of the best, and I have grown accustomed to this. Would a burner phone work? Of course. Would a rust bucket car that goes from point A to point B safely work? Of course.

This brings up a great theological discussion. I think there are very valid arguments on both sides of this. As Christians where do "material belongings" fit in for us? Jesus lived broke and homeless. Paul was pretty close to this as well. Though there are times Paul says he lacked nothing, and lived pretty well.

There are other men in the Bible who were extremely wealthy. (King David, and King Solomon, as well as Job). These men lacked nothing. Obviously they had the means to have whatever they wanted. However, I would guess the truth lies in the motivation. Having a nice car/phone in order to garner attention from others is a sinful outlook, but having them out of necessity would be acceptable.

In my head I then wonder about what Paul said about "becoming all things to all people in order to win them". If I'm to be in the world of hockey, and teaching business men would having those things give me more credibility? Is that even what Paul meant? It's a legitimate question, and likely one that ends with not having the expensive things because it's easy to get caught up in that.

I don't think it's a sin to have things you can afford because God gives you the means to do so. However, the key is to not be attached to these "things". Understand that they are merely tools to be used for the kingdom. God can take everything away from you tomorrow (see the book of Job).

This is much easier said than done. All of this has been a background to my church visit last Sunday and the thoughts that have been going through my head. I seem to have revelation every time I go to church these days, and honestly I should probably be doing much more of it. The things I think of when I'm in God's house are very simple, yet profound. I find myself wanting to share more and more the deeper I go into Him. I find myself wanting to speak in church, and go on mission trips.

These things were never my desires before, but when God takes over your life you just can't help yourself. People tend to talk about what their heart desires. For some it's cars, for others it's men/women, yet others it's money. I am beginning to turn from all of that to talking about God, and it's scary and awesome. Scary because I know the sacrifice required for truly living as Christ does, but I am fully willing and looking forward to accepting that. Awesome because I used to think people that only wanted to talk about God were boring and lame, and now I'm starting to understand it.

I had a conversation with the pastor on Sunday 1 on 1. He pulled me aside and asked if we could talk. I was really excited because I had plenty I wanted to say to him since I had started attending this particular church. He may have been worried since I hadn't been to church in a month or so, and wanted to check in with me. His English was actually pretty good, good enough to have a conversation that we both understood.

He started by asking me how I liked the church. To which I answered that I liked it very much, and that from the first time I walked in I felt the Holy Spirit was at work. I also feel that each time I hear his sermon it's something that I need to hear, and that's very important. He was very happy to hear that and launched into an explanation of his theological beliefs and his vision of the church.

The main points that he mentioned were a church like the one in acts. A small church where people live and act as Christians. He also mentioned pushing people to be disciples since the Great Commission is something that we need to strive for.

I was happy to tell him that I agreed with everything he had to say. I am very in favor of home churches. I think it's extremely important to have fellowship with a small group of people. That way you have intimacy. You are involved in people's lives. You know what struggles they are going through, and what they need and you can fulfill those needs. That gets lost in large congregations. I also agree that we need to send out disciples to all nations. The only problem is that no one is teaching HOW to be a disciple. I know the desire is there, but the knowledge is missing.

I finally got the chance to tell the pastor how I felt about the G12 conference that we went to. I didn't like it. I think the idea can be a good one, but the way it's executed is pretty bad. There's a lot of prosperity gospel being preached, and only motivational speeches on being a good disciple, no teaching on HOW to do that.

I remember talking with my buddy Matt Gates about this during the conference, and he echoed those sentiments. Many people are saying "Go and make disciples of all nations" but no one is teaching how! I'm hoping that these revelations I'm having can help with this issue.

So then you ask, what are these revelations I've been having? Well as I said, they're pretty simple, yet profound. I'm hoping that these thoughts can help even one person, that would make things worth it, but even not at this point I know these will help me teach others in the future.

I will continue this post so as to not let it be too long!