Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - How has the LRC affected your view of "Babylon?"

Cal · 04-09-2012, 07:07 AM

The mindset that "we must arrive at the optimal way to have church" is a mis-aiming.

The LRC equated having the perfect "church life" with satisfying God. But the Bible never puts a perfect church life forth as a goal.

The goals the Bible puts forth are loving one another, holiness, growth, service, testimony. ("The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Tim 1:5.)

The church is simply an environment for these things to be worked out. How that looks has some flexibility. Paul emphasizes two things related to this, (1) everyone has gifts which should be utilized by them and respected by others, and (2) everyone can "prophesy" for the Lord in some way (which is related to 1).

The LRC placed an unhealthy emphasis on "all can prophesy." To the point they believed the Lord could not build his church without the kind of open meetings they employed. As if 15-second, rapid-fire testimonies were the key to everything God wanted. Not to be rude, but that kind of mindset is just Duh.

The bottom line, however, is that the perfect church life is not the goal. Endlessly seeking it, or seeking to define it, as a goal in itself, is a waste of time.

04-09-2012, 07:07 AM	#46
Cal Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA Posts: 4,333	Re: How has the LRC affected your view of "Babylon?" The mindset that "we must arrive at the optimal way to have church" is a mis-aiming. The LRC equated having the perfect "church life" with satisfying God. But the Bible never puts a perfect church life forth as a goal. The goals the Bible puts forth are loving one another, holiness, growth, service, testimony. ("The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Tim 1:5.) The church is simply an environment for these things to be worked out. How that looks has some flexibility. Paul emphasizes two things related to this, (1) everyone has gifts which should be utilized by them and respected by others, and (2) everyone can "prophesy" for the Lord in some way (which is related to 1). The LRC placed an unhealthy emphasis on "all can prophesy." To the point they believed the Lord could not build his church without the kind of open meetings they employed. As if 15-second, rapid-fire testimonies were the key to everything God wanted. Not to be rude, but that kind of mindset is just Duh. The bottom line, however, is that the perfect church life is not the goal. Endlessly seeking it, or seeking to define it, as a goal in itself, is a waste of time.