Is it even possible to have a relationship with God without going to church? You bet! Been there, doing that! There are literally multitudes of millennials (and even a few wacky boomers like myself) who claim to believe in and want a relationship with God but hate church because they don’t trust organized religion. After all the scandals, irrelevance, and just plain old garden variety ineffectiveness, it’s understandable. But we can’t say we believe in God and not have a structured way to relate to Him (via prayer, devotion, charitable works, etc). JUST THE WORD is a one hour scripture workshop/seminar that provides structure for people who want to know how to relate to God without the middleman, the organized church. However, we’re not talking about external structure. We’re not talking about rules, regulations, rigamarole, and mind-numbing ritual. We’re talking about INNER structure. We’re talking about comprehension, conviction, contextual application, and real, relevant, lasting change. And all that comes from Just the Word. So, how do you have a relationship with God without going to church? Go to a Just the Word Scripture Workshop/Seminar instead.
Tag Archives: church
Divine Surprise
We can’t ‘reach people with the word’ or ‘build a life-transforming bible study or faith community’ by targeting people who are consciously seeking God and His word. Why not? Because divine encounter always, ALWAYS happens when we’re not looking for it. Not ONE of the people Jesus called as disciples were looking for him and finally found him. He went looking for and found them. That’s why he said, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit…” (Jn 15:16) Conviction and conversion happen in the moment of divine surprise, when God pops up and into our daily lives totally out of the blue.
When people who are fighting their way through life ask the existential question (how do I fix my life?) the gospel response (the word) is always a divine surprise! An unexpected message, often from an unlikely source. It’s something they’ve never seriously considered or heard (even quite that way) before.
I’m looking for the seats at Just the Word to be filled by people who were ‘taken by surprise! Divine surprise!’ Because as soon as people make up their minds what they’re looking for and form an inner picture of it, what they choose to satisfy that desire is almost certainly not going to measure up to the idea of it. The idea is just that, idealized and perfect. The reality is almost always less than that.
RELIGION is built on and by people looking for church and A CHURCH. Jesus’ church is built on and by people not looking for church (or A CHURCH). And Just the Word will be built on and by people taken by divine surprise.