"So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore" Comments and Quotes

Posted: 2009-10-23 07:40:26

Comments by David Nelson and quotes from the book “So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore” by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman

Introduction:  This book had a lot of good things to say but there are a few areas that could be taken the wrong way. One area that could be misunderstood is the idea of getting together for meetings. I do believe that two or three can meet in His name and He will be in their midst. As for larger meetings (let’s say 10-50), we then can receive from the Lord through other’s spiritual gifts, and I am one who desires to assemble more often as the days are growing darker and darker. The book, I feel, could give the impression that “meetings” could be less important than “fellowship,” but I want to make clear that meetings with prophecies, teachings, or songs may not happen at a restaurant or at a back yard barbeque (but these may have times of very rich fellowship). It is my dream that there might develop meetings every week or perhaps many times each week (but this is to be only as the Lord leads, and what I am dreaming for may be accomplished differently as the Lord sees fit). By the idea of “regular meetings” I mean that people will know there is a place to come where the Lord will be and others will gather. (there will be a time to gather and a place).

Though we should not be too legalistic about getting together with one another, it is important, needful, scriptural, God’s plan and goal that we be together, relate to one another, give each other our spiritual gifts, love each other, for God’s greater glory (we will be a spiritual building, a spiritual house, a Bride, a Body). This is God’s plan, not just separate individuals or loose stones laying here and there scattered on the ground.

Lets now look at some of the rich things the above authors talked about in their book.

Everything the Church does should be geared toward pointing to and encouraging each individual’s personal relationship with the Lord. This does not seem to be the main emphasis in many churches today. Are we taught diligently how to know the Lord and walk with Him? Are we taught  how to know His voice and have an intimate relationship with Him? Maybe that is because the people teaching us are not walking close to Him.

Concerning the hard things that come into our lives as we choose to walk closer to the Lord (we experience some suffering), these hard circumstances that come our way are meant to push us toward the Lord, that we might learn how to rest in His love, His protection, and His provision rather than fending for ourselves. A path of suffering is ahead (but also a path of great joy and satisfaction) when we really resolve to draw near to God, seek Him alone, and to have an intimate relationship with Him. He will orchestrate things to happen beyond our own strength to draw us to look to Him for help, strength and wisdom. Things may seem to be spinning out of control but in drawing close to Him we must trust that He is in control of all these things.

Page 83—Suffering often indicates that God is setting us free of something (that was in our control) so that we must follow (and lean in on) and embrace Him more deeply. Don’t expect your circumstances to be always comfortable for He is guiding us in this adventure and journey with Him. God wants to teach us how to walk with Him through all these hard things so that we can learn and know the joy and peace (in Him) that transcends circumstances. God wants to set us free from things in which we used to find security in the past (our own ideas and our own thinking that our hard work and our human efforts without Him can save us).

Most of what we call “love” in the Church today is conditional. If you go along with the program, if you go to our group, if you cross your T’s and dot your I’s. But if you go away from our group then we will forget about you. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder but their “love” fades when you leave. It is “out of sight out of mind (out of heart).” The apostle Paul was not that way, the longer he was away from people in the churches in other cities the more he longed to see them again. His heart was so big that he had everyone in it. His heart had been made big by God (whose heart is also so large that He has everyone in it). And Paul desired for eveyone’s “smaller, stingier hearts” would become bigger and welcome him in (and everyone else too). We need this kind of God love today. (II Cor. 6:11-13, 7:2,3 and I Thess. 2:7,8)

Page 123—How can we as a house church get to know each other, have relationships and come to love each other more? Share what you are learning from God in your daily walks and share what is in your heart.

Page 117—Have you ever noticed when you get together for a meal that there is an energy and a flowing in fellowship then when the meeting starts things slow down and get kind of stifled? Then when the meeting is over people get excited again with the energy returning and the fellowship flowing. Why is that? (We have to learn how to have meetings with the Lord and with each other that the Spirit can lead. This may take some time and patience, but don’t give up, the Spirit wants to flow with us!

Page 123—You cannot create Body life by principles only. God creates Body life. One must first have a real relationship with the Lord and then it can flow out and touch others when you meet together and it will prompt others to flow out with what the Lord has been giving them (in their daily lives).

Pages 123 and 124—Do we need someone to show us how to have meetings with the flow of the Spirit? Yes, there are those who can help, but they should not get in the way of relationships between the brethren, or get in the way of our relationship with the Lord. We should not become too dependent on a spiritual leader and we must always see them as equal with everyone else’s gifts, not better or higher.

Page 183—Whatever each individual knows of God’s life, it is just part of the whole. The fullest revelation of Him is in the corporate church (all the parts together). Body life is where a local group of people has chosen to walk together for a bit of the journey (there is no legalism) by cultivating close friendships and learning how to listen to God together.

Page 185—Every person I’ve ever met who is thriving in the life of Jesus has a desire to share authentic fellowship with other believers. But don’t say that it is the primary thing we need to keep us safe from error, for others around you can go in the wrong direction. You will stand before the Lord alone and He has given you His anointing to tell the truth from error (and the Word, and your relationship with the Lord where each one must recognize His voice for himself and follow Him). Just because you attend a group or go to a building that has real Christians in it does not mean you are experiencing Body life. When you build close friendships (relationships), share your spiritual gifts and receive them from others, and share the ups and downs of your journey with the Lord then you experience the life of Jesus.

Page 186—It is quite fun to enjoy large gatherings with great music and gifted teachers but the real joy of Body life cannot be shared in large groups (if that is all you have). In smaller groups anyone and everyone can share and becomes more suited to family sharing which is how Jesus described His Body.

Page 187—I am deeply troubled by the state of organized Christianity. Most of what we call “church” (meetings) today are nothing more than well-planned performances with little actual connection between believers. Believers are encouraged toward a group dependency on the system or its leaders rather than Jesus Himself. It is not emphasized or taught clearly that we must have a personal relationship with Christ and then learn to express the gifts He has given us to others (and receive others gifts) in our gatherings.

Page 188—Here are some of the dynamics of Body life. Get together with people who are seeking to follow the living Christ, where He is at the center of their lives, their affections and their conversation. They are open, honest, and authentic and are willing to share their journey with the Lord with others. Do not waste your money on extravagant buildings or programs where the people who sit next to each other are strangers and stay strangers. We need places where everyone is encouraged to and can participate, not just watch passively from a safe distance week after week.

Pages 188 and 189—Most of the people I talk with are not outside the current church system because they have lost their passion for Jesus or His people, but only because the traditional congregation near them couldn’t satisfy their hunger for relationship (with God or with others). They are seeking authentic expressions of Body life. Once you’ve tasted of living fellowship between passionate believers (or God manifesting Himself in a meeting in total freedom as He ought to be allowed) it is impossible (to go back) and settle for anything less. People who persecute each other because they left the established church are not letting each other do as they are led by the Lord to do. The people who leave should not hate or demean the people who stay in the system.

Page 190—Do not think it will be simple or easy to have or be part of a fellowship that the Lord is creating the way He wants. It may take some training to shake off old habits and not ship wreck the group. But it will be very worth it as the Lord shows you and others the way. We can only go so far with more and more talk about church and the way it ought to be. If you want to learn to play golf (and not just talk about golf) you will need to take a set of golf clubs out to a course and learn to play golf. We must learn to have church by doing it. The great thing is God is calling us to it, He wants it to work, He will show us the way to it, we must be willing to take our place in the Body as He desires.