One of my biggest regrets (and biggest discoveries) in this journey of faith we have embarked on, is the futility of arguing ones point from scripture.

One of the original reasons we headed out in the more Organic / Simple church path was that we felt it was more Biblical then the more traditional forms of church we had been practicing. Because of this belief I have wound up arguing my corner literally hundreds of times and also listening to and reading different views of what people believe about church and gathering from the Bible.

Now people who know me would agree that I am stubborn and argumentative when it comes to what I believe. But listening to others views I find truth in what they share and can see the rationale to some of the conclusions. I have come to believe that we cannot be black and white when it comes to stating and claiming what the Bible lays out in regards to Christians getting together, and when we push for just one interpretation and one assumption we are being very blinkered to other parts of scripture.

I think we can wind up using the Bible in the same way we use our car owners manual for our car, trying to come up with a list of 10 steps to true new testament church and avoid the reality that the new testament Books are history of early Christians making pragmatic decisions for the situations they were in, sometimes getting it right, sometimes getting it wrong, but trying to live for Christ.

We too need to have a significant dose of pragmatism in how we do Church and be the Church. What is the best way I and my family can Love God with all our heart and Love others as ourselves in the society and culture we live in? How can I best be mutually submitted to other believers? How best can I encourage and be encouraged.

If we do not have a healthy dose of pragmatism, we will waste our lives away arguing over what the Bible says we should do until Jesus comes and we discover that we never got around to doing anything at all.

House Church Simple Church Emergent