SoulThirst

Wanted to respond to what I've been reading on a few xangas, and also on just some of the murmerings that have gone around CCMC.

What is a church?
I mean, really, what is the church to you?
I suppose for some of you, the answer is a number of things:
- a place to learn about God
- a place to be with friends
- a place to meet friends
- a place to meet a "certain someone"
- a place to go where you get out of the house & away from family
And no, I'm not saying I agree with all of those "definitions" or reasons for going... I'm saying that, if I was to ask around, I'd probably find at least one person who'd say one of those.

And that's precisely the point: there's a lot of diversity, and diversity doesn't seem to fit with unity. But as I've been learning, it's not an either-or mentality.

To those of you who've been at CCMC for a while, and those of you who are there genuinely to seek God:
I thank God for people like you, who care about our church. I'm also encouraged to see the desire to seek God with committed hearts. And at the same time, I want to remind you (as much as it is a reminder to myself) that your faith, your desire for God are both gifts from God. Let me ask this question: these things that frustrate you, upset you, disturb you: are they causing you to pray more about it, or are they causing to talk more/complain more about it?

If what you desire is the good of the church and these observations are from God, then God will move your heart to pray. But if it's all just talk, wishful-thinking, and negative attitudes... then there needs to be some hard self-thinking. I know many of you, deep down, really do love our group & want to see it continue to grow. In the growing process, there'll be a lot of stuff that's messy, a lot that looks wrong... it's ok; those thing will change, & people will change. Having been in youth groups for a long time, here are some of the realities of youth groups:
- there'll always be people there who don't "fit in"
- there'll always be people who go for "wrong reasons"
- there'll always be people who don't know what is proper behavior/etiquette/attitudes for "church"
How do I know that?
Because if the church is really doing what Jesus told it to do- go out and bring the sinners, sick, and rejected people into our community and introduce them to Him- then there'll always be people in those categories. There's a name for people in the Bible who were big on motives for worshipping, how people behaved at church, and how devoted people were to Jesus- they were called Pharisees. Somehow, I doubt that the tax collectors, lepers, and prostitutes really "fit in" anywhere... I don't think they necessarily came to Jesus for "the right reasons," and their behavior was certainly not what we would call "godly." But Jesus hung around them; I need to learn to hang around people like that in our own community. People will come for the wrong reasons- that's ok, at least they come; I'd rather have them come here for wrong reasons than for them to go out somewhere else for the same reasons.

I always found it funny how people talk about "this youth group...." or "our church..." or "Christians...", as if those three "groups" have bodies, minds, and souls of their own. A "church" does not exist as a separate entity. The church is just what we call each one of you individuals- yes, you reading this right now, when you gather with other people. CCMCers, there is no "CCMC Youth Group" unless there was you as a part of that group. Therefore, if the "group" is a certain way, it's not "the group's" fault- it's easy to pin the guilt onto a nonexistent "group" identity (no such thing). It boils down to a question of "am I contributing to this group's health or to its sickness?" What I said earlier... when there are issues and sin in our group... does the realization move you to pray... or just to talk, to complain? Prayer is life-giving; talk/gossip/complaints, honestly, will suck the life out of a group. For every minute of complaining, there needs to be 5 minutes of giving thanks, 5 minutes of praying for yourself, and 5 minutes of praying for whatever you are complaining about (that's not an exact formula, by the way)... what I mean is, complaining is ok sometimes; we all need to vent & get stuff off our chest. But it is never a good thing to complain & then leave it there. Once we've vented, once we've expressed our anger, frustration, & hurt- we ought to move forward from that point.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.


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To those of you who are new to our church, to our community:
Maybe you've only come once or twice, maybe you've only been here for 3 months or less. But we're glad you're here (and if I haven't personally said hi to you, please come say hi to me; it's not that I don't want to, but that I'm shortsighted like that :P). Our community is not perfect, and I know it can be hard to find a place to fit. But I believe that to be a part of a community, effort must be on both sides. Forgive us when we don't extend welcome and acceptance to you. But my encouragement to you is to not give up on trying.

posted by Andy Chang @ 2:22 PM