Tuesday, May 3, 2011

I Like Church...

OK, so in all fairness I stole this title from my Pastor Ross Parsley, but I can’t help it, it just reflects something that is completely true in my life: I like Church.

Now I have been in my share of churches in my life for many reasons.  One being that during my younger years my dad moved us from church to church for his own personal reasons so I can tell you that I have experienced church in many different presentations for say...  I have seen it all, well maybe not all, but I have seen a lot of the good, the bad and the ugly of churches.

Now to be honest, before being directed by God to join ONE Chapel, the "likeness" factor of church had diminished considerably.  This by no means is saying that I loved Jesus any less, on the contrary, he was the one that helped me keep my sanity during difficult times, but the "likeness" was not completely there.  And it was not a very good season.  

But now things are completely different.  I am in a community of believers that really live for truth and love.  I see so many different backgrounds, ages, and so many other things that humanly could cause barriers between us but  we have all decided to let Jesus be the real bond that keeps us together.  We are putting him as our foundation and letting him drive what we are and what we must represent in this community.  

Just as the bible says in Ephesians 4:5-6

4 There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

It’s all about ONE, and I truly believe that we are all striving to be that; to be ONE in Christ.  Now I know that ONE Chapel is not perfect, but it is a place where I know I can be loved, I can grow spiritually and I can find a family to share life with.

And you can see this all over the place.  It’s in main services, it’s in connect groups, it’s in days of service, in days of physical labor and pretty much on every occasion, Christ is bonding us each day even stronger.  I can even see it in my children, without even asking them or pushing them to be part of serving, they are eager every Sunday to help with anything they can do, from picking up trash, to tearing down, they are all into it.  And this is not me pushing them to act; this is Jesus coming alive in them with a spirit of service towards others.  I tell you this is priceless, to not only know that my wife and I like church, but to know that my kiddos are loving this Journey without having to push them towards it, makes me be even more grateful to God.

In the same way God is creating a great family environment in connect groups.  I have not been to all connect groups but the ones that I have been able to be a part of are simply amazing.  People are seeking God, seeking friendships, sharing life, food, stories and building relationships that will last a lifetime.  I am so grateful for the family that Jesus is forming in our own connect group, “Creating Bonds”.  You can already see the results of the relationships that are being built.  Folks are living life together, helping each other and sharing the great things that Jesus is doing in ONE Chapel with others.  God is truly doing great things in these groups.

I can just tell you one thing: if you have not found a place to call home, come to ONE Chapel (www.onechapel.com ) and see what Jesus is doing in his church, I know that you will also find a place that you can call home and that Jesus will do great things in your life.  We will be waiting for you.  J

Erik