{"id":175732,"date":"2012-05-07T14:48:19","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T14:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/andygill.s145273.gridserver.com\/?p=175732"},"modified":"2012-05-07T14:48:19","modified_gmt":"2012-05-07T14:48:19","slug":"if-this-isnt-it-then-what-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/andygill\/if-this-isnt-it-then-what-is\/","title":{"rendered":"If this isn’t it, then what is?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I recently heard, \u201cFrustration is a spiritual gift\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to that, I must say, thank you God\u2026 for this gift.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve been struggling more then I expected\u2026 again I want this blog to be as authentic and real as I can make it. I\u2019ve been dealing struggling with doubt more then I care to admit.<\/p>\n

As many of you who have been following my journey, I\u2019ve asked, struggled, and battled with doubt<\/a> and unanswered questions.<\/p>\n

Though the main question that has been on my mind most recently is:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If this isn\u2019t it then what is?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If the sum of church is NOT, get together on sunday listen to a speaker, sing a few songs, repeat doxology then go home, then what is?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been different now that I\u2019ve just about completely stopped attending church<\/del> sunday morning program. It\u2019s been kinda awkward too. That is, attempting to be the church rather then just attending the \u201cchurch\u201d.<\/p>\n

I mean essentially what I\u2019m asking is how do you do church without a building or program?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We see Jesus placing himself with the marginalized, the hated, and despised\u2026 The prostitutes, the tax collectors, the leopar\u2019s, the homeless, the blind, the lame, the poor\u2026 THE OUTCAST essentially.<\/p>\n

Jesus went to the missions field he didn\u2019t create a missions field and invite people to it\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He didn\u2019t bring the marginalized to Him. He went to where the marginalized were. He stepped out of the comfortable and into our world filled with pain and hurt, and embraced us despite the discomfort\u2026. this was not<\/strong> a one week missions trip, or a child he gave 40 bucks a month to\u2026<\/p>\n

This was His life.<\/p>\n

His calling.<\/p>\n

Jesus gave up everything<\/em>, to serve others. Should he not expect the same from us? That we give everything up to serve him?<\/p>\n

I mean the radical part about Christianity that has seemed to have gone missing has been how Jesus and the apostles completely<\/em> lost sight of themselves and gained sight of others. Loving them unconditionally. Sometimes I feel like church is more about us then it is about God and that we\u2019ve, if I may, \u201ccoddled\u201d our congregations so much that we\u2019ve deceived them into believing it\u2019s all about them\u2026 (another reason i quit, I just couldn\u2019t do that anymore let alone get paid to do that\u2026)<\/p>\n

You guys say, \u201cI need this type of personality on stage, this type of music, I want you to disciple my kids, lead my neighbors to the lord, feed me, and i\u2019ll pay you to do it, and if I don\u2019t like the way you do it, I\u2019ll find another church who will do it my way\u2026\u201d that\u2019s weird\u2026 \u2013 Francis Chan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019ve been asking myself over and over again this past week, \u201cWhy is it that modern day Christians look so drastically different from Christians 2,000 years ago?\u201d And whats killed me even more so then this question is when I turn it around and ask myself, \u201cWhy does MY LIFE<\/em> look so different then that of what the apostles, disciples, and followers of Jesus looked like 2,000 years ago?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

So then, the question still remains, if not this, then what?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently heard, \u201cFrustration is a spiritual gift\u2026\u201d In response to that, I must say, thank you God\u2026 for this gift. But I\u2019ve been struggling more then I expected\u2026 again I want this blog to be as authentic and real as I can make it. I\u2019ve been dealing struggling with doubt more then I care […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2493,"featured_media":652517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,14],"tags":[475,31],"class_list":["post-175732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian","category-life","tag-church","tag-doubts"],"yoast_head":"\nIf this isn't it, then what is?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I recently heard, "Frustration is a spiritual gift..." In response to that, I must say, thank you God... for this gift. 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