Mystic Journey 2.0

Most Believers from a traditional church background feel guilty if they aren’t attending some kind of church meeting, even if it’s a ‘house church’ meeting. In fact, most of the current House Church movement is based on the tradition that Believers must have some form of meetings. If you aren’t already aware of this issue, some of these questions are probably in your mind:

But don’t we need regular fellowship?
Shouldn’t we be committed to a local fellowship?
Don’t our institutions keep us from error?
So are traditional congregations wrong?
Then meeting in homes is the answer?
Aren’t you just reacting out of hurt?
But don’t our children need church activities?
Aren’t you giving people an excuse to sit home and do nothing?
Isn’t this view of church divisive?
For answers to these questions, see: LifeStream.org

Here is Wayne Jacobson’s answer to 2 of those questions:

Don’t we need regular fellowship?
I wouldn’t say we need it. If we were in a place where we couldn’t find other believers, Jesus certainly would be able to take care of us. Thus, I’d phrase that a bit differently: Will people who are growing to know the Living God also desire real and meaningful connections with other believers? Absolutely! The call to the kingdom is not a call to isolation. Every person I’ve ever met who is thriving in the life of Jesus has a desire to share authentic fellowship with other believers. They realize that whatever they know of God’s life is just in part, and only the fullest revelation of him is in the church.

But sometimes that kind of fellowship is not easy to find. Periodically on this journey we may go through times when we can’t seem to find any other believers who share our hunger. That’s especially true for those who find that conforming to the expectations of the religious institutions around them diminishes their relationship with Jesus. They may find themselves excluded by believers with whom they’ve shared close friendship. But no one going through that looks on that time as a treat. It is incredibly painful and they will look for other hungry believers to share the journey with.

My favorite expression of body life is where a local group of people chooses to walk together for a bit of the journey by cultivating close friendships and learning how to listen to God together.

Shouldn’t we be committed to a local fellowship?
That has been said so often today, that most of us assume it is in the Bible somewhere. I haven’t found it yet. Many of us have been led to believe that we can’t possibly survive without the ‘covering of the body’ and will either fall into error or backslide into sin. But doesn’t that happen inside our local congregations as well?

I know many people who live outside those structures and find not only an ever-deepening relationship with God, but also connections with other believers that run far deeper than they found in the institution. I haven’t lost any of my passion for Jesus or my affection for his church. If anything those have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Scripture does encourage us to be devoted to one another not committed to an institution. Jesus indicated that whenever two or three people get together focused on him, they would experience the vitality of church life.

Is it helpful to regularly participate in a local expression of that reality? Of course. But we make a huge mistake when we assume that fellowship takes place just because we attend the same event together, even regularly, or because we belong to the same organization. Fellowship happens where people share the journey of knowing Jesus together. It consists of open, honest sharing, genuine concern about each other’s spiritual well being and encouragement for people to follow Jesus however he leads them.

The previous excerpt is also in the Appendix of ‘So You Don t Want to Go to Church Anymore’ by Jake Colsen, which will surely answer your questions about what the REAL Body of Christ is supposed to look like, as it did mine. Reading the book helped confirm to me what I already knew. I’d rather just do what we have done before - gather at a local restaurant, or have a cookout at someone’s home. No teaching; no meeting; no pretenses - just loving relationship with each other.

Synopsis:What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That’s Jake’s dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him, and whose way of living challenges everything Jake had previously known. ‘So You Don t Want to Go to Church Anymore’ is Jake’s compelling journal that chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake’s world upside-down. With his help, Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through brutal circumstances and comes out on the other side in the joy and freedom he always dreamed was possible. If you’re tired of just going through the motions of Christianity and want to mine the depths of what it really means to live deeply in Christ, you’ll find Jake’s story will give you hope for your own. This book probes the difficult questions and offers some far-reaching answers. It just might turn your world upside-down as well!

Reviews: This is an exceptional story that will make you laugh, cry and be in awe of the love that Father has for all his children! It will challenge you to rethink what church is all about!- Chris, Student, East Tennessee State University –Lifestream.org

I left my church after 12 years and felt I needed to be in a church until I read your book and discovered it was not about going TO church but BEING the church. And that is to be done everywhere I go and in everything I do. I am now fellowshipping in a small group and feel at home. This book will definitely inspire you to be the church and not just go to church. - Ronda, Mother and care-giver, Canby, Oregon –Lifestream.org

Get ‘So You Don t Want to Go To Church Anymore’ TODAY!