RELATIONAL DIFFERENCES
The Community of the Religious is Institutional Relational Related.
The Community of the Redeemed is Family Relational Related.
Family dynamics are built on an entirely different foundation than religious institutional dynamics. The religious dynamic is more of a working together in cooperation as a Means-to-an-End...escape hell and go to heaven. The religious dynamic frowns on individuality and diversity where acceptance is based on performance and compliance and relationship is through lines of hierarchical authority. The family dynamic is simply learning to relate to each other in love, acceptance and forgiveness. In a family diversity is not only allowed, it is cherished. People don't relate to each other through lines of authority, but through functional gifting.
Religion is presses people to conform and perform, success and failures are judged by a standard and praised or condemned...The Community of the Redeemed let's people grow together at their own pace, that have the freedom to disagree without segregation of family members. They share together, victories and failures agreements and disagreements, without judgements or condemnation offering insight and abilities that are helpful, and support each other no matter the circumstance.
The religious community is about self-anothering ones self.
The Community of the Redeemed is about one-anothering each other.
The Community of the Redeemed is learning that preaching, teaching, counseling, serving, hospitality, sharing confessions, praying for needs, admonishing one another, etc., are not things we hire denominated professionals to provide for us, but what members are meant to do for each other. As we live in Jesus together, He passes out gifts among the entire body that each can receive from the Holy Spirit and give to others. There is more 'Church' happening in life living than happens in Sunday-go-meetings because Church is living life and life living is not what happens in segregated denominated buildings during meeting time.
If you've ever experienced genuine spontaneous, fellowship among a group of believers, you don't need me to tell you how spiritually rich it is. The joy of journeying together, of not having put on a pretense, of having people support you in your weakness and affirm you in your gifts is reward enough. And yes, some of that can happen among believers who gather in segregated institutional environments, but only to a certain level and more often than not it is missing altogether.
The important thing is that you recognize family dynamics when you see them and embrace them wholeheartedly. However, we need recognize hurtful, institutional dynamics which have nothing to do with God's kingdom and take our distance from such practices, shamelessly, blamelessly and guilelessly.
As much as Paul encouraged believers to come together in ways that encourage our life in Christ, he also told us to be free to walk away from environments that become destructive to Christ's life within us. If you belong to such a group and sense God quickening your spirit that there is spiritually more and is leading you away from the group, don't accept judgement and condemnation from the group. You will not be leaving the Church the Jesus is building, for to leave the Church is to leave Jesus. God may only be preparing you to find life in Him in a more authentic, rich and full way than ever can be reached belonging to a denominated group than you ever dreamed possible.
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