Caleb: Firsthand knowledge is best

It has been a while since my last post and I do apologize to those (if any) who are following these bloggings.

 

Between the new puppy and the litter of kittens I am fostering at the moment, I have had some very hectic mornings.  I thought I would stop today to share about something I was reading yesterday, which I find very valuable at least in looking back.

 

I was reading a character study of Caleb in The Life Application Bible.  Caleb was among the men chosen to go into the promise land and see it prior to the Israelites attempting to enter.  They found that it was “flowing with milk and honey” and Caleb along with one lone compatriot called on Israel to enter and take the land.  The majority of the party however, did not.  They were afraid of the “giants” who lived there.

 

What really struck me was the author’s comments about how various people came to their fear.  The party who entered the land came by it first hand from seeing the people.  Israel however, came to their fear secondhand by believing what the majority of those reporting said. 

 

As I pondered this, I was reminded how much of what I have practiced in my life has been based on my own indoctrination of what others believed...what I got secondhand.  When I decided to be a Christian at age 10, I did so not out of education or encouragement, but as a result of my own curiosity and study…I came to this decision firsthand.  That’s why I have clung to my faith even after some who would share it rejected me.

 

After becoming a Christian and sharing this with my family, I was encouraged to join the church and my indoctrination began.  I don’t believe religious education is a bad thing, but I do believe that in most respects it is handled as a means to teach our beliefs rather than help people discover their own.   Out of a desire to learn and grow, I don’t think this thought ever crossed my mind more than once or twice.  Most of what I learned in the church came as a result of someone else’s understanding of God (secondhand) and not my own study or experience. When I felt I was in disagreement with the majority about something I usually found myself “corrected” as a result of asking people for advice or reading material and getting the one side they wanted me to believe.

 

My challenge to you is to obtain your belief firsthand, do not rely on someone else’s experience and belief to guide you.  Otherwise you will wander in the desert for 40 years like the Israelites or in the wilderness for 22 as I did.

 

The Body of Christ

I really had not made the connection until this morning, which shows how well my brain is functioning at 6 am, but…

 

This week in Reconciling Journey the meditations have been on The Body of Christ aka the church.  A couple of days ago it asked the question “What are your expectations of the church?” which I mentioned yesterday.  Today it was on how we are all still part of the body whether we are present or not.  We are part of the body even if we chose to not be in a particular congregation for whatever reason.  It has certainly reminded me why I crave to be part of a congregation, but still leaves me wandering if I am in the right one.

 

Once I told people why I was not at church they were eager to know more about the situation, which was both annoying and relieving at the same time.  And some offered to help, but I am still somewhat stuck on my expectation that the church would have cared to find out what was going on with me prior to me finally breaking down and telling them.  Four months is a long time to be away and no one show any concern and I wander if I had not said something if they would have just let me disappear into oblivion.

 

Today’s meditation was on what decision we make when the church has let us down.  We have a few options and I am still wavering on mine.

 

How to pick a church

I am really not sure of this myself.  I always thought the idea was to find the one that most matched your philisophical/theological views and provided you an opportunity to use your spiritual gifts

 

In this respect I think I have a good church, though I am now uncertain if I wish to continue to be a member.  I am praying that I will know how to deal with “church” and what reasonable expectations I should have.

 

One expectation I have always had and assumed was reasonable was that my church care whether or not I was there.  Or better yet that they seemed genuinely concerned about your spiritual well-being.  If they are concerned for your well-being, then I would think they would notice your absense and attempt to find out what is going on.

 

I am not sure if this a reasonable expectation or not, but it is one I have always had.  I cannot say I have ever found a church where this really seemed true and I am not sure if it is because I have usually been on staff or because churches just don’t care about the average person.  The “lost”, the sick, the elderly, sure, but the avg person who is healthy and working and has a relationship with the Creator?

 

This is where I am at the moment.  I want to be part of a body where I can use my gifts and talents, but I am not sure if I am in the right one at the moment and I am not sure if I can bear to go back until I do.