OHHH KAAAYY!!! It has been some time from when I said I would finish the book of Job…but yeah, I’ve read through it, and read some sermons on the book itself. I wouldn’t say that I’ve completely done an in depth, thorough study, (I’m no Johnny Mac man!) But I’m excited to write on what I’ve gleaned from the book. I want this to be as clear as possible so I will probably go through the book again once more quickly and take notes this time 🙂 But I’ve been working on it! So I guess this is my summer goal to get out a good summary of Job.
That and also finish listening to the Resolved conference sermons on Jesus. Awesome stuff really!

But first, I wanted to address some things about church and why it’s so important for me to go. Why a post on the church? Well for the summer, all of the college and young adult Bible studies that are a part of Grace Community Church are now coming together for a “Super Study” and our topic this summer is the importance of the church. I’m really interested because it will deal with things like church membership and church discipline which I never experienced before and I really don’t know much about. (I think the latter one I’m glad I’ve never had to experience!!)

We had the awesome Steve Lawson speak to us, I’ve only heard him from recorded sermons so it was really powerful to hear him speak at our Bible study yesterday. His whole sermon was great, he spoke on Acts 2: 42-47. If you want to see how the first church looked like all those hundreds of years ago, look there. That is what every single Christ centered church should be like.
Anyway, Dr. Lawson talked about a time he was part of a question and answer panel, and someone asked the question, “why do some Christians not experience spiritual growth as they should?” He said that the first thing that came to his mind was first, are these believers a part of a church? If they aren’t, it is no wonder that they aren’t growing when they should be.

I thought about that for a while… and it helped me in a little bit of a different way. I have a church, and I have a great fellowship and wonderful friends from there who I know I can talk to about anything, who selflessly inquire how I’ve been doing expecting to hear a real answer from me and not just a “fine thanks and how are you?”
It wasn’t always like that though… and for some time I’ve been struggling with my feelings for my old home church. Admittedly, they haven’t been the nicest of feelings I have to say, but because of yesterday… I think I’ve reconciled in my heart with those feelings, especially because I realize at the root of those feelings was my own sin and my own pride and selfishness.

I realize that my own lukewarmness when I was growing up was because I did not care to involve myself in the church more than I was asked to. Or more than I felt obliged to. I also didn’t realize the necessity of reading the Bible at an earlier age and that it took a good amount of pleading with me from my older sis to even get me to grudgingly open it. I didn’t seek out accountability partners who could consistently check me and ask about what sins I was struggling with, how my devotions were going. I also slept through the sermons at church (no not once or twice…all the time, every time) so I never submitted myself to the thunder and power of Biblical teaching. I was never awake, so how could I have been convicted by anything?

Thank God that He pulled me out of my immaturity. You know I realize that not everyone was like me, some people just got it! They understood the things that I understand now. I realize that a lot of people grew spiritually a lot faster than I did, and dude that’s just fine. That’s awesome. I’m just thankful that I am where I am now, and that I realize that my spiritual growth isn’t a yay I love God and now I’m just going to sit back and let Him work in my life and I won’t do anything yay! (it wasn’t really like that…) but yeah. It’s so important to be involved in a church. And not just any church, a church like the Acts 2 church. Dr. Lawson made a great analogy. The church is like a barbecue pit. The church members are like the coals…they are on fire for Jesus! But if one of those coals rolls away from the pit and is separated…that coal is going to lose its fire and become cold. Never try to grow spiritually by yourself. You’ll burn out so fast 😦