Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Went to Wednesday Night Church Tonight...
I imagine there's a lot of you out there that, like me and my wife, are uncomfortable with a Christian service on Sunday. But most churches also have a wednesday night function that is very informal where you have a meal and then break into groups.
For example...
The church where we went tonight had separate groups for men and women. I thought they did a fantastic job with their program. It follows a workbook and video series and, for the guys, it's all about how to be a man. Simple, straightforward. And then there was a discussion time. When it's "just the guys" then it's easy to open up and talk about struggles. There's a lot of wisdom in such a format.
An added bonus tonight was making friends with an Iraqi. Funnily enough, my wife made friends with his wife in a separate group. We figured this out on the car ride home. I love Iraqis. They're all about family and friends and helping out--they're absolutely wonderful.
CAVEAT:
This church thing is just something I'm doing. I don't advocate this as a model for other Messianics. Messianics should ideally be attending Messianic synagogues. If you attend church long enough then you'll assimilate--this is inevitable. I'm taking a terrible risk with my family by attending a Christian church. I will ATTEMPT to redouble my efforts at leading a Jewish household. And I will continue to encourage the Messianic community to cultivate a strong, foundational theory for Messianic halacha. Some have said that my attempts are just so much beating of a dead horse but I strongly disagree. Yeshua has given me a calling and vision for Messianic halacha. I want to assist the movement in this most crucial of areas. It is the area of greatest promise and also the area of greatest risk.
In the mean time, I'm going to enjoy fellowshipping with my Christian brothers and sisters. They are my family and I love them so very much. And I'll look forward to the day when I can be restored to the local Messianic community.
Shalom,
Peter
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I'm sorry the "beating on a dead horse" statement was offensive. I absolutely agree with you that a discussion of the foundational principles, the organization of and the systematic application of biblical law is a critical discussion. I simply felt that that particular conversation was no longer moving the issue forward and was beginning to verge toward ad hominem abusive. I feel that if we cannot debate without taking on the mocking tone I saw in that room, then we have one of two options, we move away from that particular subject or we move away from that conversation. The subject is far to important to drop. The conversation, on the other hand, I felt I needed to walk away from after pointing out that the opponent was NOT the boogie man, and was NOT an idiot. He's an intelligent and passionate man with whom I disagree. As a warrior, I may choose to fight and beat - even destroy - my enemy. However, I know better than to disrespect his abilities. That's how we got beat in Viet Nam. That's how the British lost to the Colonials.
ReplyDeleteI love you brother and I respect what you're trying to do here.
Cajun,
DeleteIt's all good. We're brothers. That's means we're going to disagree from time to time, maybe even have a few fights. Heaven knows I've fought my earthly brother--actual fighting mind you. But, at the end of it, we're always still brothers. : )
The important thing is that we respect each other.
Actually, you might want to consider that your very presence in the church you are attending is "being" the change you want to see in the church. The vast, vast majority of disciples of Jesus Christ are not in the Hebrew Roots movement or the Messianic Jewish movement, but in the Christian church. It's been that way for the better part of 2,000 years or virtually for the entire lifespan of Christianity. You may be doing a disservice to generations upon generations of Christians who have faithfully served the Master by your assuming that attending a church puts you at risk.
ReplyDeleteCertainly attend worship where ever you will, but consider that most of the faithful are in the church, including the Iraqi couple you mentioned.
I'm sure you'll disagree with me on this, but I think it is possible for we Gentiles who are attached to a certain "Jewish" perspective to reconcile with the larger body of our brothers and sisters in the Messiah.
And of course, I even wrote something about it as Part 1 and Part 2 of a series called "Journey to Reconciliation."
The irony of it all is that you may be exactly where God wants you to be, Peter.