I’m back to where I was some 3 years ago. But on a more serious season than back then. Well… Still I’m better prepared, better armed. There is nothing to worry about though. Life is doing great. My spiritual growth is coming along nicely and I have never been better, I thank God. He has been faithful. So much growth spiritually.
Now… Around 2015 I told my best friend of my new status. I shared that I am now born again and I’m living a new life in Christ. Up to that point that conversation was good and it was very okay. Up to that point the step I had taken was “approved.” I had not mentioned that I’m no longer attending church where I used to, anymore. By this point, I had taken my time to go to as many branches of this church as possible. I’m not here to fight any establishment. This is my testimony. The reason I was doing this (as per my small wisdom back then) was to try and find that place where my hunger and thirst for God would be genuinely quenched – food for my spiritual growth.
My curiosity levels were over the roof! I even had some time alone with their commentary. I read my ‘church’ manual again… But something wasn’t satisfying me as I wanted. I was getting really hungry. Spiritually hungry. My first heated discussion was over this church switch. At this point, my friend was convinced I was making the greatest mistake of my life. And that’s why and when I decided that my spiritual journey is my personal journey. And I went to exile. But I’m back. That’s not even a discussion or a back and forth I can have now. Its totally unnecessary. Jesus has me and has me good 🙌. Amen!?
Why do you need to change churches and we believe in the same God and read the same Bible?
Common question right? I know… Its almost everyone’s concern immediately after such a transition like I had done. Hold this thought for a moment. The story wouldn’t add up now but once I join the dots over the next few months as I share my spiritual growth, it will be easy to relate.
Recently… We were having a conversation with a concerned parent from my parent’s home. One of those ones from home who “knew” me. Knowing is in past tense. Well I’m still the same good guy they knew and all that. I was on the verge of falling now because I was trying to change churches. By this time they didn’t know I was deep – deep into my new life and spiritual family. No going back. Apparently the belief is; changing churches is veering from norm, its Disobedience to parents in a sense and its contrary to the rule books of good upbringing. I hope you do realise how sensitive this is – A parent – Elders. Hmmm… Navigating through such a conversation isn’t as easy as navigating through the same conversation with a friend. A friend sees like you’re getting lost, lost because of a sense of unconfirmed deception. Whereas the elders could see this as both getting lost, and two; veering from that very upbringing that they all as a community tried to bring you up ‘in the best of ways.’ All this time, I’m thinking to myself. I wish people protected the Word of God, and Jesus Christ the same way they protected the house itself and the doctrines in it. I wish they knew how hard it is for a man to be hungry, seeing all types of food around, few offering, but confused about which table would welcome him, and, if their food will be good for him.
I’ll keep repeating that my change for churches wasn’t a marketing deal that had gone ripe. This is such a skewed mentality. The Word of God started growing inside me and my eyes opened. Yes. Opened. Like nobody came to me and told me come to our church. In fact, I was the one who was confused and desperate to find a place that would feed me spiritually. For a whole year or so I didn’t have a church to go to after my salvation. I had been invited to many, but I didn’t want to know at the time that I was doing it for someone. With that knowledge, I try my best to guide people to make that choice themselves whenever I speak to them and this discussion arises.
1. I try not to point the errors of any establishment. They aren’t errors persay, they are just different beliefs from mine. Whereas everyone has a right to theirs. Subject to direction and revelation. But I now follow what the Bible (Word of God) says, and stopped following what I couldn’t see in the Bible.
2. I never push people towards where to go. I have only guided them with the basics and I share my story. Same way if someone asks me: “which flying school should I go to?” I would tell them to try what I know. Go to Ninety Nines Flying School at Wilson Airport. Or Enlist in the Kenya Air Force. The rest I don’t know. Its not in my place.
I wish we all protected the Word of God and Jesus the same way we protect the house itself and the doctrines in it.
Flash back to the year 2010. Suffering from what I would consider a bad heartbreak, I was binge feeding on Joel Osteen. Motivation was on another level. I think I had crammed the 20 or so sermons I had on my laptop then, and I used to listen to them day and night. There is a very important phrase he used to close his sermons with, more so directed to the people like me watching online or his sermons on tape, and new believers.
“…Find a Bible Based Church…”
What is this now? See at 2010 I wasn’t reading the Bible as much as I needed to. How would I know what this was about? I never understood what a Bible based church was, because as much as I read the bible those few times… It still hadn’t been made clear to me. CRE Knowledge was at work here.
It’s not even about the church – church. It’s about my heart, it was about my personal relationship with God, and where this relationship would be nurtured best. Not with my parents, not with my friends, not with my girlfriend… But years later I would learn that a bible based Church is basically a church that is following the Bible and its teachings. Its a church that is teaching, preaching, praying, working, and performing the great commission among other things as guided by the Bible. But I have grown and one of the verses that really reminds me what the Bible is for, is found in the book of Joshua.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8
It is that simple. Fine, we go* to church every Sunday, or whichever day we do so, what are we feeding on? Is it in the Bible? Is what the people around us doing guided by the Bible? Are we growing spiritually?
I will share the few things I’m learning on my spiritual growth in my next article on a bible based church. Let’s fly…