Church…what comes to mind when you hear this word? I have heard many stories of people who have been hurt by the church, while others have been saved. From what I have gathered there are many opinions on the topic of church. Some people go every week, others go only for holidays, and others believe it is not necessary to go at all.
“Anyone who is to find Christ must first find the church. How could anyone know where Christ is and what faith is in him unless he knew where his believers are?”-Martin Luther
The topic of church has been especially on my mind since being in Burgas, Bulgaria. We are at a local church here that has an amazing heart for the Lord. They are the only local church in their area and are barely surviving off of their tithes each month. No international church is supporting them, though they are in desperate needs for funds.
This really made me reflect. Here is a community that is happy to simply have a church, while back in America people have a Goldilocks experience, finding a church that fits “juuusssst right”. Even after finding their pick of church, it seems that people are rarely fully satisfied with their church entity. Why instead of finding our faults in the church, we admire the numerous opportunities surrounding us to be spiritually fed? We were just discussing today with the pastor how there are not really Christian organizations apart from the local churches. Our discussions continue to open our eyes to just how blessed we are for all the Christian avenues we have back in the states.
So why get caught up with denominational issues, with disagreements over petty issues and look at the bigger picture? We need to start praising God for the enormous community of churches surrounding us that are far from being limited with resources. We also need to make sure we are utilizing what God has blessed us with our churches and all that they provide; never forgetting just how rare it is for us to be able to do so.
Please do not think that I believe going to church makes you a Christian, I know of many circumstances in which people don’t take their faith further than a checklist. But along with this, I also know just how important it is for us as believers to be plugged in. I’m not ignoring the fact that there will undoubtedly be issues within the church, for though it is created with holy intentions by the spirit, it is ran by flesh. But should the fact that we cannot fully extract the flesh from our daily motions stop us from investing in what the Lord intended for us? Let us challenge each other to make it a point to meet as a body of Christ to grow together, pray together, praise together, essentially do life together as one body.
“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:12
If you or your church would like to help this local church in Burgas, they are a great church to support.The pastor’s name is Simeon and the way you could support him is through his organization called Hope for the Balkans. It's a church planting movement that teaches people to make disciples, along with providing seminars. His website for the organization is http://hopeforthebalkans.org/ .Please go check it out and even if you do not feel led to financially help them, please keep them in your prayers. Pray that resources continue to come and bless them so that they may continue growing physically and spiritually, blessing the community surrounding them.
