Quote:
Originally Posted by coalsoffire
I realize I have a lot to learn in this return to Christianity and to Christ. I put the two things together. I suspect they are not separable, as there is both a head and a body.
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My thought is that if you return to Christ (i.e. to the recognition/awareness that God exists, and in love He sent His Son Jesus) then you are automatically in Christianity. You are automatically part of the group of Christians here on earth. So yes, the two are together; they are not separable.
If you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ you will find yourself exactly where you belong. You will find yourself walking along the south road out of Jerusalem and a voice will tell you to run up to that chariot and an Ethiopian eunuch will be there reading the scroll of Isaiah, confused. You'll have a marvelous conversation. Etc. Yes, you'll make mistakes, but the mistakes will be small, and God will cover them, and if you repent you'll learn from them.
If you focus on the head, everything else (inc. the collective experience) will surely follow. But if you focus on the collective as a way to get to the head, you will end up someplace funny. You will find yourself in some organizational setting and they will be talking about something that bothers you, and you look around and realize God is nowhere in sight.
So stick with Christ and you'll do fine. He has plans for you, and those plans surely involve fellowship. But that fellowship may surprise you. Remember that story where Jesus said, "Go into the city and you'll see a man walking around with a pitcher of water. Follow him." (Luke 22). Weird, huh? That's the way God is. Let yourself be surprised. Just let go and follow God.
Conversely, I have found that when I'm among people who have
the plan,
the organization,
the teachings,
the doctrines, everything spelled out to a 't'; I have little room to spiritually breathe. I love the mystery of following Christ. "The Spirit moves where it wills; and you hear the sound of it but don't know where it comes from or where it goes, so it is with everyone who is born from above." The way home is to find that Spirit today, and hold on, wherever it is going.