Churchgoers of a Feather

These guys just know they belong together.

What kind of church do we attend? Can a church be pictured as a person, with character and personality? One with godly traits, as well as flaws needing correction? I think so, at least from the way Jesus, in Revelation, addressed the seven churches of Asia. As, "to the angel of ..." and, "I know your deeds...." There would seem to be a unified spirit in some sense, at work in each. Of course, it could be argued that his remarks were meant for the churches of each given city, overall. But in our day with the wide range of choices available and many so different from one another, perhaps it would better apply to individual churches.

People gravitate to a place of worship compatible with the Spirit in them, or that they are being drawn towards. Though it may be difficult to find a church we agree with in everything, most of us will not sit for twenty years in a place where we are hearing preaching that consistently goes against what we believe. We do, just humanly speaking, like to have our convictions reinforced by others, especially those we respect, and dislike having them contradicted. As my mother used to lecture us regarding friends, "birds of a feather..." I think we can learn something, not everything, about a person, based upon where he or she regularly attends church. What sort of church is it?

Then there is the whole question of the angels who are being addressed by Jesus. Pastors and elders come and go, however it seems from this as well as similar passages in Daniel that angels are given long term spiritual oversight in countries, cities and churches, battling in the heavenly realm against the enemy who attacks the people of God. That is their job, which we don't have complete understanding of. Our job, which is always a better place to focus, if we discern a fault, in an otherwise sound church, is to pray earnestly and to be salt and light, speaking out where appropriate, volunteering where needed and to pray more.