What Kind Of Church Do You Want To Go To?

The message this morning was simple and very direct to the point. The sermon in church today centered around how there are 2 kinds of churches:

1. A church that only asks for the forgiveness of God, but does not really seek a relationship with God. Stemming from Isaiah 4:1 (mentioned below) -
   
   
   1 In that day seven women
   will take hold of one man
   and say, "We will eat our own food
   and provide our own clothes;
   only let us be called by your name.
   Take away our disgrace!"
   
   This church does not really love the Lord, this church is of a people that just wants the name "Christian" for God to take away disgrace. A church that doesn't really care about the Lord, of following the Lord's commands or wanting the Lord's provision. This is not a true relationship with God.
   
   The sad truth is that many churches these days and many personalities just want a church that preaches what they want to hear. Nothing of striving for perfection or being holy like the Lord but just that God is there to forgive our sins. Although the latter part be true, we should also strive to do what God wants us to do.
   
   
2. The 2nd church wants to glorify God and make a meaningful relationship.

The speaker really connected with me because sometimes I fall into the trap as well. We all want to be forgiven for our sins like the people who seeks the first church. But God's forgiveness isn't the end of our relationship with God.

A friend of mine once said what's to stop me from shooting anybody after I become a Christian? God will forgive me anyway. Now I had a difficult time arguing that fact at first, but I did manage to say that if forgiveness is the only thing God requires of us then we are quite pitiful.

As it is, we are already quite blessed that God is willing to forgive us and is just waiting for us to ask for forgiveness, but that forgiveness doesn't give us the right to abuse the Lord. It more than anything else, should bind us with God.

The path of Christianity is to have intimacy with God in such a way that we aim to please God and love God. I know it's not easy, sometimes I treat God like the ATM, just asking for one thing after another and then begging for forgiveness when I make mistakes.

When we have a relationship with the Lord, we should let Him be the Lord of our lives. That's the only way for the relationship to work. We should love the Lord and obey Him. Not just make him a laundry person to cleanse us when we make mistakes.