Category: devotion

devotion

What is Church?

by eavangroll6 Comments on What is Church?
Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

Written By: Guest Author Jen Schmalz

Can I just tell you what a LOADED question this is?! It sounds so simple, right? But once you start chasing this rabbit, let me tell you… you will end up down the street in the neighbors yard!

Pursuing this question came after some really deep hurt from my own home church. As I sat in grief, I wondered how on earth we were going to move on. I grew up in this church, I believed in this church, I fought for this church, I loved this church! Someday I may share the whole story, but for now I will share that I believe the leadership of this church became so deceived by the enemy that they followed his lead in taking down one of their own. It was the most disheartening thing to watch unfold. We were on our knees praying for truth to reign, praying against the work of the enemy, praying that the eyes of leadership would be opened. After several conversations and letters to leadership, pleading for them to change course, the damage was done. Following God’s lead for our family, we knew we couldn’t stay. We stood confidently in the truth of knowing who our ultimate spiritual authority was. We knew the truth. And we had to walk away from a church that we could no longer submit ourselves to. The spiritual authority of their leadership was compromised. It was absolutely gut wrenching and left our heads spinning and our hearts broken!

As we processed our grief, we began trying to figure out some of the “practical” implications of no longer having a home church:

  • ·       What do we do on Sunday mornings?
  • ·       Do we start looking for another church?
  • ·       Virtual church?
  • ·       Home church?
  • ·       How do you “church shop”?
  • ·       What do we look for in a spiritually healthy church?
  • ·       Big church, small church?
  • ·       How do we trust leadership in a church again?
  • ·       What about our kids? How would they find Christian connection?

But the bigger question that really started burning in my heart, and perhaps laced with a bit of cynicism, was, “Well, what is Church anyway”?! It may seem like a ridiculous question. Especially for someone who was raised in the church, surrounded by other Christians for most of their life, and even worked on staff of a church for 21 years. But the question left me wanting more of an answer than what I truthfully knew how to answer at this point. So I did what I know as a believer is the only way to pursue real truth, I opened my Bible.

You can probably guess where I went. I went right to Acts and the start of the early church.  Acts 2 begins with the day of Pentecost, the filling of God’s people with the Holy Spirit following the death and resurrection of Jesus. Peter steps up in leadership to address a crowd that had gathered in Jerusalem and clearly shared the gospel in vs.38. Verse 41 then indicates that “their numbers were growing”… the very start of the church!

I read on, Acts 2:42-47 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

When you read through scripture, do you pray for understanding? I’ve read those verses before, I’ve heard countless teachings on this passage, but it was almost as if God reorganized these verses in my mind so that I could see His direct answer to me. Boy, do I feel loved when He does that! Here’s what He showed me:

Content – They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. There were some in spiritual authority here, teaching, chosen by God, and filled with the Holy Spirit. The group was devoted to prayer. And they praised God together. That’s Content! Right? It’s what they did together, how they were structured! I think this is WHAT church was (and is)!

Connection – Then, there’s the element of WHO they were. The church was (and is) the people! They fellowshipped together (they were believers who gathered together). They had things in common, sold their possessions, gave to anyone among them in need. That’s Connection! They knew one another so well that they knew each other’s needs. Do you know what the definition of “connect” is? It’s a verb, an action word, meaning, “to join, link or fasten together; unite or bind” (Dictionary.com). OK! Lord, I can see what you did here! You bound them together IN you!

Community – Could this be the HOW?! How they “did church”… they did it together. They broke bread (communion). They ate together. They met together every day! I’ve always loved the beauty of community that happens around the table and informal gatherings! Thank you Jesus for modeling this with your Disciples when you were on earth! You did life WITH your disciples, not apart from them.

Do you see it? Do you see what He was showing me? These 5 verses give us a pretty good picture of what and who the Church is, don’t they? I mean, it’s actually a really beautiful picture of what the church was created to be. A group of believers, filled with His Spirit, created for community with a unifying connection in Christ! That’s absolutely beautiful! This! This is the church!

There is certainly A LOT more scripture to consider if you’re pursuing this BIG question. I mean, a lot! But for the purpose of this blog post, I’m giving you the “simplified version” of what I found😊 Incidentally, there’s also A LOT I found in scripture about what the church is NOT. But we’re not chasing that rabbit today! But someday maybe!

Now that God gave me perspective on what and who He created the church to be, I wondered if I should still seek that answer on Where, When and Why? After all, He did seem to be answering me with those 5W’s!

There were some hints in the passage in Acts regarding the where, but I felt like God wanted me to pursue that one a bit more. Do you want to know where he brought me? Ephesians 2:19-22, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” God’s house is where His spirit is! And … as believers, His spirit dwells IN us! Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. The “where” is simply where His people are… gathered together! There are clear examples throughout the New Testament of different types of churches, big churches meeting in temples … and small churches meeting in homes (1 Corinthians 16:19). His church though… is much BIGGER than your local church. We have brothers and sisters in Christ in other churches in our own city, across the States, in other countries. God’s people TOGETHER make up His church!

I will be honest in saying I didn’t spend time seeking out the “when” and the “why”.  Some of that has already been answered, some of that detail I just didn’t feel I needed to pursue for me to feel like I had an answer to my initial question. But one thing I do know, His Church is important! It’s important for us to be in community with other believers and we’re important to Him! Ephesians 5:22-23 tells us the church is His bride! He loves His people! He created us for community!

Take note friends… what God loves, the enemy hates. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith”. The enemy would like nothing more than to destroy what God has created! The first place he will go is your church leadership. I am a Pastor’s daughter, I know this to be true. I beg you to pray for your church, pray for your leaders and elders… and stay alert!

Church looks different for me now. I don’t go to the same building that I used to. It still hurts. I’m still working through a lot of grief. But I do have hope in trusting that God can take even this, something the enemy meant for evil, and use it for His good and His glory. Let us be a community of believers, filled with His Spirit, living in community with a unifying connection in Christ! Friends, let’s be HIS church!!

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” – Ephesians 1:18-21

Hey friends, Ellen here:) I want to express my gratitude to my sister and guest author, Jen for the time, study and prayer she has put into this blog post. We’ve had many conversations surrounding this question as a family. I asked Jen to write this post because she has had so much insight to offer us and because I knew the conversations we were having, would be valuable to you as well. May the wisdom Jen has learned in her pain and healing be transferred to you all. There are many churches that are doing wonderful things for the glory of God, we hope you are there. And cannot urge you enough to pray for the leaders of your church. Also, if you’ve experienced hurt from in the walls of your church, we know and feel your pain. May you know, that was not God’s intent for church and we pray for your healing as well. May this hope for His church that Jen has shared, go with you. “Let us be a community of believers, filled with His Spirit, living in community with a unifying connection in Christ! Friends, let’s be HIS church!!” There is SO much more in the Bible that could be included here, another rabbit trail so to say;) I think Jen did a wonderful job for the sake of a blog post. But, let us know if you’d like to hear more!

devotion, Uncategorized

Protection in the Storm

by eavangrollLeave a Comment on Protection in the Storm
Photo by Egor Kamelev on Pexels.com

2 Samuel 22:2 He sang, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my savior. My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.”

It had been a beautiful, clear July day. My three kids and I were visiting old friends two hours away from home. The clear skies kept us comfortable the first hour of the drive back but that changed with the dark, angry clouds up ahead. They were a true indication for what we would be in for. The rain started and the wind picked up. At this point, Scott, my husband, called to report about the weather we could be driving into. Soon after, the rain turned to a torrential downpour and the wind became fierce, his report was accurate. * That was problem number one. * My hands gripped the steering wheel, my face was as close to the windshield as possible, and my heart was pounding in panic. I said a silent prayer hoping the kids couldn’t see how scared I was. No longer able to see the road, I followed the cars ahead of me and pulled off to the side of the highway. Who was I kidding? There was no hiding my fear at this point, I couldn’t even find the big red triangle button for the flashers! * Problem number 2. * With a shaky hand I eventually found it and pressed it. Whimpers from the backseat forced me to look back. I knew my kids needed me to keep it together, to be their calm. “It’s going to be okay; Jesus will take care of us.” I assured them and myself. If only what I knew, would connect with my heart, then I could calm my internal anxieties. Instead, I felt the same as my car at that moment, in the 70 mph winds, barely enough to be considered a safe place. I wanted to be comfortable again, I wanted to be back where I was, cruising down the highway on a beautiful day. Comfortable. I wanted my kids and myself to be comfortable.  Rrrrr, rrrrr, rrrrr, tornado warnings blasted on the radio, * problem number 3. * We were everything BUT comfortable. We were uncomfortable and trapped. Whimpers turned into cries of fear. I shut my eyes, took a deep breath and prayed out loud for what seemed like, well, foooreeever. Soon after, I noticed a slight let up in the rain. I took my chances and very cautiously made my escape from the side of the road. About 15 miles of snail speed with flashers flashing and hands gripping, and we were in the clear. 30 more minutes and we’d be home. The rest of the way home, our conversation was centered on how God protects us. That He is always with us and will never leave us. We talked about the fact that He was in the car with us and as we prayed and called out to Him, we found comfort knowing He was there and that we could trust Him.

I wonder how often we focus on the discomfort of our situations rather than trusting. We focus on the problem rather than the protection. I couldn’t see a foot in front of me due to the torrential downpour, but I also couldn’t see His protection due to my discomfort. It’s like our comfortability blinds us of the protection that is at hand. This is a human reaction though, we all do it. I later learned about about King David and a song he wrote about God’s protection. I’m sure it’s no surprise I couldn’t fall asleep that night. My adrenaline and anxiety were ready to party. So, I did what I often do when my mind doesn’t cooperate, and I can’t sleep. I shuffled my way out to the living room, plopped my body into the chair and opened up my Bible to a random page.

2 Samuel 22:2 He sang, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my savior. My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.”

Why do we face storms in life that feel so crazy uncomfortable?! As I read about David I started to gain some clarity. David was weak too. In fact, He had been in near death situations, he had been hiding in a cave. And I realized that through the experiences of calling out to God. When we feel like we are stuck and there is nothing we can do. The times when we are on our knees in desperation, it is in those times that God strengthens us in our humility. When our fortress becomes God and we put our trust in Him, that is when the storm is around us but not in us. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is Good.” Taste? The word taste here means perceive or understand. I don’t know about you, but for me, if I really want to understand something, if I really want to grasp the concept, I need to experience it. When I experience the storm, then I can see that the Lord is good. Now that I’ve been through the storm, I’ve learned, I’ve grown. I’m sure I won’t struggle to find those darn flashers the next time I need them:) In the moment we feel desperate for it to end. We feel anxious to be relieved but God knows so much more than we do. As God takes us through the storm or allows the storm to happen, He protects us in it and He also protects us from the unforeseeable future. While God is protecting us, He is also strengthening us. It’s ok if you don’t see it while you’re in it. David didn’t, Jonah didn’t, Joseph didn’t, I most certainly didn’t. You don’t see the rainbow until after the storm. you don’t see the bud until after the fight through the hard ground and you don’t see the baby until after the birth. First you taste and then you see that the Lord is good. Trust in His mighty protection.

I can’t tell you how many times in my life I look back and then see His protection in it. In His timing, the people he placed in my path, the unanswered prayers. I’m learning to see the protection rather than the problem even when I’m in the storm. Learning was the key word. I’ll admit, I’m not entirely there. But, I do know that I have a safe place in the storm. I have a fortress to run to and a Savior to look to. His protection is greater than my problems.