"Church" as it should be...

I feel like I've blogged about my church a lot lately, but somehow, I keep having these thoughts that are spurred on by that venue. Take this morning, for instance. Every so often Pastor Peter has an "altar call" (I know, many of you simply cringe when hearing those words :) But the thing that's so refreshing is that people don't bow their heads. They don't close their eyes, "praying" for those who may come forward when really we're all just dying to peek ;) Rather, we're told to keep our eyes open, to look around, to SEE who's coming forward. "Why?" you may ask. Because faith isn't simply a private thing; it's also a community thing. Sure, it's probably scarier for the person coming forward...but it's also way more rewarding. Because it doesn't just stop there. Once people come up, Pastor Peter calls on us, the "church" to also come forward and surround them, committing ourselves to walking with them on this new journey. By going forward to surround them, one is committing to exchange phone #'s, get together for coffee, email, etc... and walk with this person as they begin to discover who Jesus is!
I don't know if my period's coming or what, but I sat there this morning and teared up as I watched 30+ people, the "church", surround the 5 people who had gone up front. This sense of immense joy filled me as I saw a beautiful example of what I believe the church really should be...

"People confuse RELIGION (Morality) with GOD...and walk away from them both."

Religion vs. Gospel

"We prefer religion over the Gospel because if we follow all the rules, we then think we have a 'claim' on God. We think we have earned certain 'rights'..."

Are we followers of a religion, or of Jesus? My pastor posed this question to us this morning...here's a few "telltale signs"...

1. If you follow religion, you trust morality; if you follow the Gospel, you trust Jesus.
2. If you follow religion, there are good and bad people; if you follow the Gospel, we're all bad people.
3. If you follow religion, love is based on obedience; if you follow the Gospel, obedience is a result of love.
4. If you follow religion, one's goal is to get "gifts" (knowledge, understanding, etc...); if you follow the Gospel, you know that God is the gift!
5. If you follow religion, it ends in pride and despair; if you follow the Gospel, it ends in humility and joy.