Church Hopper

1Co 1:12-13

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

One of you says "I am a Baptist; and I am Pentecostal; and I am a Christian.
Is Christ divided? Was the Baptist church crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Pentecost?

Do you see what Paul is saying? There is no church that can lay claim to you. You do not "belong" to any of them if you belong to Christ.

I heard a "sermon" Sunday that bothered me a lot. The idea was that you needed to be in the same church every Sunday, maybe even in the same pew.

I believe that causes spiritual stagnation. Every preacher, every church, has their own message. I don't mean it's a different gospel, but they have a little different slant on what they preach and how they preach it. Some churches have spectacular differences.

I said differences, not contentions and not heresies.

If you want to grow in Christ, take of everything He has for you, not just what one person or ministry has laid out for you.

So here is my heresy: If you're hungry and not finding satisfaction, go looking for what you need. Don't just run all over the place, but pray and listen for an answer. If the answer seems a little out of bounds, trust God rather than man.

"Church hopping" is a derogatory term used by pastors and others who are afraid of those who won't stay under their teaching for whatever reason. They don't want to lose control and they don't want to lose "numbers."

Only God can truly grow a church - if that's even desirable. One on one fellowship, with guidance if and when it's needed, is a truer form of Christianity than sitting in the (same) pew in the (same) church, staring at the back of the (same) person's head in front of you every Sunday.

Get up. Get your Spirit involved. Take the journey seriously. Listen for everything God wants you to know.