Keeping Church Uncomplicated by Thinking Outside the Church

Branches Church is about people. I know there are those who would immediately cringe at that philosophy and say that church is supposed to be about God. I believe the complications of religion begin right there in the why of doing church. One of the things Branches Church values is keeping church uncomplicated. So we're going to try to think outside the box of church, or religion, and see what God is up to in the world around us.

I once spoke with a guy who said he was reading his Bible and asking God to show Himself to him, but he didn't see God anywhere in it--it was just a bunch of stories about people. I replied with, "You mean stories about people who were trying to find God in their own life situations and circumstances and responding by either accepting or rejecting Him?"

"I never thought of it like that!" he said.

You see, even the Bible is written in such a way that we would have example after example of people to learn from, their footsteps to follow in, or their choices to learn from. Yes, it's God's Word - but it's not God, it's His Word. Much like this blog is not me, it's my thoughts and words put down for you to read. If you want to get to know me, come and visit, don't just read this blog. This format is too limited for me to reveal my whole thought process in.

The same goes for church or religion-- it's not God. It's not even for God, as if He needed anything from us. I can't imagine Him saying, "Oh boy, there's something I never thought of!" or "Wow, I never knew where to get one of these, thanks!" Church is supposed to be our expression of worship to God.

If we were to make church for God, it would become a to-do list of things we wouldn't want to forget and things we would want to remember in order to gain His acceptance or approval. Things we would define as acceptable or unacceptable. Things we would consider God is more pleased with because of the way we do them. Church would ultimately become about following the rules we set down for fear of not getting it right. We would constantly be comparing our own behavior to each other's to be sure we were doing it "correctly."

But if we make church about people, our church community becomes a safe place to share the ways God is speaking into our lives. Instead of comparing our to-do lists, we begin encouraging each other by pointing out where God is already at work in us. We begin to see where His life is showing itself in our daily living! That's the "why we do church" Branches is about - people finding God in the twists and turns of daily life! Uncomplicated.

Mike