Elevation
With the recent developments at KWCAC, the question of "What is a church?" is becoming more and more of a thought in the forefront of my mind.
Do I go to church because my friends do?
Who am I going to church for?
What is the purpose of going to church?...
I've been evaluating and reevaluating my purpose and reason for going to the church I do. Church is suppose to be a place where I can meet God. It is truly that simple. If I'm not meeting God where I am, then A. I need to examine myself and see if there's anything hindering me from meeting with God B. I need to experience different churches.
I opted for option B as I find myself obligated to go to the church I was going to. So I went to Elevation this past Sunday.
At first, the whole setting and just the people felt foreign. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm here to meet God, so forget about all my own inhibitions. The worship wasn't what I was familiar with but soon after, that no longer matters. I also realized that the songs we sang were never about us, but about God's character and who He was. That I found was interesting. The message was extremely relevant and applicable I thought. It seems like it has been a while since I've listened to a message that challenged me more in my heart than in my mind. Though one could argue that more theology would have made it better, it was what I needed to hear that day. After the message was the discussion groups. They're a bit awkward at first as the whole concept was quite foreign to me. It's hard to be open with a bunch of strangers as well. But I enjoyed it because it helped me feel more part of the church just because of the more intimate setting.
Anyway, the message was about anger, based on the Sermons on the Mount. The one thing I found really intriguing was that sometimes a better question to ask ourselves when we're thinking about our careers and path is "What makes us angry?" We can use what angers us on behalf of others to help them, to increase the peace in the world. Curious thought. Petty anger is anger that is focused on ourselves, but when that anger is directed, channeled in other ways, it can actually help people.
Anger can drive us or break us. What will it be?
Do I go to church because my friends do?
Who am I going to church for?
What is the purpose of going to church?...
I've been evaluating and reevaluating my purpose and reason for going to the church I do. Church is suppose to be a place where I can meet God. It is truly that simple. If I'm not meeting God where I am, then A. I need to examine myself and see if there's anything hindering me from meeting with God B. I need to experience different churches.
I opted for option B as I find myself obligated to go to the church I was going to. So I went to Elevation this past Sunday.
At first, the whole setting and just the people felt foreign. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm here to meet God, so forget about all my own inhibitions. The worship wasn't what I was familiar with but soon after, that no longer matters. I also realized that the songs we sang were never about us, but about God's character and who He was. That I found was interesting. The message was extremely relevant and applicable I thought. It seems like it has been a while since I've listened to a message that challenged me more in my heart than in my mind. Though one could argue that more theology would have made it better, it was what I needed to hear that day. After the message was the discussion groups. They're a bit awkward at first as the whole concept was quite foreign to me. It's hard to be open with a bunch of strangers as well. But I enjoyed it because it helped me feel more part of the church just because of the more intimate setting.
Anyway, the message was about anger, based on the Sermons on the Mount. The one thing I found really intriguing was that sometimes a better question to ask ourselves when we're thinking about our careers and path is "What makes us angry?" We can use what angers us on behalf of others to help them, to increase the peace in the world. Curious thought. Petty anger is anger that is focused on ourselves, but when that anger is directed, channeled in other ways, it can actually help people.
Anger can drive us or break us. What will it be?
But yeah, I am glad you enjoyed your first experience in Elevation =)