Sharon chimed in, “What if that person were gifted with a strong desire and ability to pray for others, but hated being in crowds, or was bed-ridden? Wouldn’t she be faithful in praying for others, even if she didn’t go to church? Or suppose someone went to church every week but didn’t participate except to just sit there? Is that faithfulness?” At this there were nods from everyone else!
Abbey looked around her and began to wonder if anyone in this “Women’s Bible Study” was even Christian! They seem to be saying that a person could not even go to church and be as faithful as someone like herself who went every week! She looked around and said, “But the Bible says we shouldn’t ‘forsake our own assembling together,’ and that obviously means we have to go to church.”
Sally piped up again and said, “I think that verse also says we should ‘stimulate one another to love and good deeds’ and that we should encourage each other. Like the point of it is that we need to be encouraging and building one another up—you know? It’s not really focusing on ‘church.’ I sort of thought doing that constitutes ‘gathering together’ because it seems like we can do those things without necessarily being in a church building—even the gathering together. I mean, how many people constitute ‘gathering together’? Isn’t more than one a gathering somehow? And what’s the point of gathering together if you don’t do the encouraging part? Like if you just sit there and go through the motions but don’t really interact with anyone in the rest of your life?”
Abbey looked at her saying nothing. “She sure talks a lot for someone who just became a believer a couple years ago!” She said, “Well, I don’t know about you all, but Jesus said, “Whosoever loves me keeps my commandments!’ and going to church is clearly a commandment.”
Sally marshaled her courage and pressed on, “But isn’t that what we’re saying? That church, like the building and all, isn’t necessarily what Jesus was focusing on? Is that the only way to ‘gather together’? Is that the only way to be faithful?”
Abbey was now convinced. Sally may not be saved. And if she is, she is really back-slidden. And come to think of it, she misses a lot of church too. She said she wanted to spend time at home after working all week. “Well,” thought Abbey, “She wouldn’t have to work all week if she followed God more. They want the house and cars and career and all, and they cut God out to get it!” She looked at Sally, then Karen. Finally she said, “I don’t know about you. But I know God wants us at church. But we’re not talking about that right now. We’re talking about being conformed to our former lusts. It just seems to me that non-believers don’t go to church. And if we don’t go either, then we are conformed to our former lusts. Besides that, you go to almost any church and you find the things that make a Christian a “Christian”: Music, Bible study, Sunday church service, Youth group, and what not. If you don’t do those things, or some of them, how can you call yourself a Christian? You’re just a wolf in sheep’s clothes!”
Abbey looked around with a set jaw. She knew it was hard to hear, but she felt good about speaking God’s will regardless of the consequences. And after all, “All things worked for good for those that love God and are called according to His purposes.”
Luanne sat quietly throughout the discussion. When the meeting finally closed she walked to her car thinking about her life. She didn’t like to go to church. She’d never liked it. She’d gone for years and hated the triviality of it. They talked around the Bible, and around people’s lives. Finally, she quit going. She never quit believing.
Luanne sat in her car looking at the church parking lot waiting for Karen. She’d come to this Bible study originally because her neighbor Joan said it was geared to younger women like herself. And after meeting Karen, she thought it would be worthwhile. Most of them were younger. Some seemed in their late thirties. And this Bible study was on her block. It only met at the church once in a while. She didn’t attend the church, but Karen had said that didn’t matter. She was welcome.
A bird flew over and cast a fleeting shadow over Luanne’s eyes. She glanced up and caught a glimpse of robin feathers. Her mind wandered off, exploring the idea of robins. She vaguely recalled something about the birds of the field having from God all they needed to survive. It was funny how people and animals reflect one another so often. She remembered Abbey’s phrase, “a wolf in sheep’s clothes.” It was another similarity between people and animals. She sat and thought. “Busy as a bee. Angry as a hornet. He’s a bull in a china shop. He’s a dog. She’s a bitch. Make him the goat. Swim like a fish.” “People and animals,” she murmured to herself.
As Luanne sat ruminating, Karen came up to the passenger window. Deep in her musings, Luanne didn’t notice her until she knocked softly. Luanne turned with a start, and then relaxed at Karen’s smiling face. She leaned over and unlocked the door.
Karen got in and said, “Hey Luanne, thanks for waiting. I needed to check in at the office for a moment.”
Luanne nodded the explanation away. She didn’t mind. It had given her a chance to enjoy the day. She began to start the car, then stopped just as she grasped the key. Turning, she asked Karen, “What did you think of Bible study today?”
Karen looked at her with an impish smile. Luanne knew what was coming and smiled herself in anticipation. Karen said, “Maybe you should tell me what you thought.”
Luanne mock grimaced at her. Since she had met her, Karen was always making Luanne put her thoughts together into coherent ideas on her own. She said it was because she needed to know for herself what she thought, and by saying things out loud, we are forced to think about them. Luanne was silent a moment, collecting her thoughts. Then she said, “It sounded to me like Abbey didn’t think any of us were Christians. She was snapping at each of us.” The slightest trace of frustration flashed momentarily across her face.
Karen looked at her closely, pursing her lips. Then she asked, “Do you really think that’s true?”
Luanne looked out the windshield. A bird had landed on the fence a few yards away. She saw that it was pecking at something in its claw, tearing pieces of it off, one at a time, reducing it bit by bit. She turned back to Karen and said, “I guess I don’t really think she believes that. She’s always making pronouncements about how Christians ought to be and what they ought to do. It’s like she feels she needs to guide everyone into her experiences for them to be valid. I think she goes overboard sometimes.”
Karen smiled at her and nodded. It was a sign that she wanted Luanne to continue on her own before giving her opinion. Karen was always expecting her to come up with things on her own. Only when she’d voiced her thoughts would Karen offer her own. Even then Luanne seldom knew how to respond to them. Karen sometimes agreed, sometimes disagreed, but never required Luanne to agree with her. She just seemed to put another point of view forward for consideration. It was not that Karen didn’t know what she thought. She seemed to almost always have a good point of view. But she didn’t force it on others. She let them hear it, and decide on their own. It was totally opposite of Abbey.
Luanne continued, “I think maybe she likes Christianity to be in a neat little box. You do these things, you’re a believer. You do those things, you’re not. She has her purposes and ends that she wants from others. And they are always her ways.”
Karen asked, “And you? What do you think of that position?”
Luanne answered, “I don’t see how that can work. If Christianity were that cut and dried, we’d all do the same things and get along just fine. But we are all unique. And we all do different things. It seems to me the most important point is figuring out how to utilize everyone rather than trying to work them into some set program. I think we ought to get rid of church the way it is. It doesn’t even try to identify or utilize people’s unique talents. And people like Abbey seem to be limiting God on how he makes and uses people.”
Karen looked at her, thinking. Then she said, “That sounds good. Let me ask though,