Thoughts On Starting A Church....
A new Christian fellowship sprang up almost three years ago, ten miles from Navasota out in the hills of Grimes County. And now it has resurfaced in downtown Navasota, at the Corner Cafe. Another band of Christians hanging their shingle in a world that prefers spectator sports and TV evangelists. What possesses people to keep trying to invent a more perfect church?
The members of the "Home Fellowship" would do well to consider that question. They will, I hope and believe conclude that it is God that possesses them and has directed them to this time and place. But this fledgling church is preceded by numerous other recently organized churches that seem to eventually fill most of the vacant buildings in downtown Navasota. Why so many churches? What is the motivating factor in this constant emergence of spin off and splinter gatherings?
Any member of any of these fellowships needs to ask this question. A Christian must always practice discernment when choosing his path and his church family. A church started for the wrong reasons is doomed. One started without God's empowerment is just a clanging symbol. Many of us are far better off to stay the course in our current church membership, no matter how lackluster it may seem, rather than begin a project out of frustration, disillusionment or personal issues.
Henry the VIII started a church so he could evade the church's regulations concerning divorce. The Catholic Church would not and could not sanction his desire for a divorce, so he fashioned the Church of England, the mother of our present day Episcopal Church. The problem was that even though the new church was glad to join the Reformation, it was still less than sympathetic with Henry's personal agenda. Heads rolled, and whatever good Henry might have done leading his country in standing against the wrongs within the Catholic Church, his own anger and meanness and proclivity for divorce undermined the authenticity of its replacement.
Over the centuries many men and some women have felt the need to break away and establish a new paradigm in faith and worship. Many have been misguided and some downright fraudulent. Our world is full of counterfeits that sound and feel good. They are all doomed and a waste of time. God will judge every heart. And we can and should judge spiritual authenticity to some degree, and were taught by Jesus to judge a tree by the fruit that it bears. Jesus saw an undeniable connection between a church and the love that holds it together. Active love, not passive tolerance. A real Christian church won't have to roll heads to prevail. It won't have to rewrite its moral code to accommodate the popular agenda. A real church will just do what Jesus commanded, without hesitation, and His followers can easily recognize that in today's world. A true church of Jesus Christ will place itself under His authority, use His Word as the living Divine Revelation for life, with no addendum, and be seen teaching from that Word, and ultimately baptizing in His name, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, taking care of widows and orphans, and other such things and consistently doing all of this with a loving and forgiving spirit.
So every man and woman must test every new church with this standard. If the Holy Spirit has led the new fellowship to this solution, then it will have the power to hold itself together and do great things to the Glory of God. If not, it will be in vain, and limited in its appeal and effectiveness. In order for this effort to have a chance, members must all yield to God and His pleasure. They must leave the issues and the pain of the past in the past. Those are life lessons to prepare our hearts for service. They have taught us humility, discernment, forgiveness, and many other things, so that now we are ready for the work at hand. Not unlike the First Century church, true churches have always had to overcome obstacles and face sobering odds. They have had to put their fears and negativity behind, so they could be focused on the wonders of God's Will.
Almost four hundred years ago, my ancestor Robert Cushman , acting on behalf of his church, chartered a couple of ships to bring some of the very first Europeans to this continent. He was a deacon of what we know today as the Plymouth Brethren, an illegal religious sect of "Separatists" seeking asylum in the New World. With God's help, Deacon Cushman and another fellow found a way to legally transport his fellowship out of persecution and into safety by indenturing the flock to a trading company. They traded their homes and relative freedom for servitude in a unknown wilderness. The Brethren would become fishermen and trappers, and carve out a living thousands of miles from civilization, so they might avoid torture or imprisonment and worship God as they saw fit. Cushman was often derided because of this compromise, and many of the flock never liked the arrangement. But in his mind he was saving the remnants of the church and their very lives. Like the children of Israel, the Pilgrims did not embark without some controversy. What is important is that regardless of their personal issues, they dove into sea and surrendered themselves to God's Will.
That is what God's people look like. They act in unison, take risks together, sacrifice their security, and go through the door opened for them by their Master. Sometimes the costs can be great. Those who wish to serve the true and living God find out that it is no picnic. Half of the pilgrims at Plymouth were dead in less than a year, from exposure and disease. Early on, Deacon Cushman's ship nearly sank and he and his party had to turn back, a serendipidous calamity that might have saved his life. The passengers of the Mayflower sailed on into staggering tragedy and legendary history. The next year Deacon Cushman brought his son Thomas to the colony, and preached the first sermon on American soil, only to fall victim to pirates on the way back to England. He never saw his son again. But God had a plan, and that son was adopted by Governor Bradford and became the ruling Elder at Plymouth for many years, not to mention a lifelong inspiration for each of his descendants. So here I am today, seeing that history just repeats itself, and knowing what kinds of challenges this little church in the hills may face. Yet loving every God ordained minute of it!
I have no desire to throw our fortunes to the winds, but I do follow this axiom. Whenever you want to see real Christians in action, look for a handful of people stepping out of their comfort zones. People sharing, giving themselves, their time and resources away. People stepping out of themselves, their own selfish desires, acting out of their known character. That is how and when Christ can step in, live through them, win souls, move his people to safety, and start a church or even a country. You never know what God has in store. But there is an ancient affinity between God's people and moving down the road, crossing the water, or whatever mountain that lays in our path. We all come from stock that has endured horrible persecution, ruthless kings, ravages of the elements, pirates on the high seas, and perhaps a harmful church experience or two. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we must press on, and gain the prize.
Because He Lives, Russ
