My Church, Or Yours?

It is no secret that I believe in the absolute auhority and sufficiency of the Bible as the complete rule of faith for living a life that pleases God (2 Pet 1:3-4). It is also becoming increasingly clear how many people who profess to be Christians do not believe that for themselves. One area where this stands out is the current trends and view of the church. It seems church is becoming what we want it to be. The "traditional" church is irrelevant and needs revamping. So it is out with the old, in with the new. What is alarming is that the "new" really is not as new as some would like to believe. The challenge to "biblical" worship began in the Garden of Eden with the question: "Did God really say...?" So far there had not been a challenge to God's authority. It is also important to note that even in an unfallen state, Adam and Eve still had to be told by God what their lives were all about. So when it comes to the church it seems God needs to be brought up to date. His Word is not enough or trustworthy enough to quide us here. Even though Jesus said that God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, the emphasis on worship according to truth gets left out. We make church what we think it ought to be as it meets our current felt needs. We want to go to a church where we feel good when we leave. So it would seem we need God's guidance even more than our first parents did in the Garden. Since the authority of the Bible is under attack even by those who profess to be Christians, by what authority then can we build upon? By what foundation can we build our lives, our homes, and our churches? So is church what we make of it, or has God explained how He plans to make it? When He said: "I will build my church," did He have any ideas how He would do that or leave that up to us to figure out? Do we do church our way or does He have a better way?