My latest read was Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with the Family of God by Joshua Harris. Most people know him for I Kissed Dating Goodbye. It is not a very long book, and I would recommend it. I think my view of the church personally has been undergoing a lot of “renovation” lately. I appreciated his heart for and excitement about God’s people. Joshua seeks to help people realize unhealthy views of the church and understand God’s plan and purpose for His people. He definitely challenges the consumer mindset that many Christians have had in looking for a local body. Many will go to and from local churches based on very selfish and prideful attitudes. They don’t seek to serve, they seek to be served.
God has been challenging me in even greater ways to realize that we shouldn’t just “go to church” - we as Christ’s followers are the church. We don’t just take part in a Sunday event, we live as the church all week long. We don’t just worship one day a week, we are called to be “living sacrifices” all week long. We are constant worshippers of something or someone. I want that to be Christ above all else. I guess this might be where I disagreed with him some. He has a chapter called “rescuing Sunday”. He spends a lot of time talking about how to prepare for Sunday and get the most out of meeting together. Now, don’t get me wrong, I definitely think there is something very significant to getting together on Sundays. This is a sweet time of celebration that is unlike any other time of the week. We get to enjoy and celebrate Christ together like we cannot do as a group every day. We get to spend special time in music and in the word together. These things should be a tremendous blessing and encouragement. However, I always find it odd when I read or hear someone calling people to prepare in a different way for Sunday than any other day of the week as a worshipper. For example, he (and I have heard others) says to not watch tv on Saturday nights. He also calls you to limit anything distracting on Sunday mornings. I understand to a certain extent what he is saying, but should we ever spend time watching something that we cannot worship God in and through? Why can’t we enjoy relaxation unto God on a Saturday night and still be prepared to enjoy gathering on Sunday together? I feel that whenever something is an idol to us - it needs to go - no matter what day of the week it is. If it’s not an idol and we truly enjoy it unto God - should there be a time we don’t do it? He had a few other thoughts along those lines that I’m not sure I would agree with, but I think I can understand his heart behind what he says.
Well, I’d be happy to hear any comments or criticism. I hope this didn’t sound too critical. I totally appreciate the ministry of Josh Harris and feel that this kind of book is great for anyone of any background to read. We need to be challenged in our view of the church, and I’m glad he is joining the battle!
1 comment:
good book - we read this a few years ago for church.
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