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Has Christianity Forgotten Its Purpose? Dear Brother Ron I was thinking today, on how, not too many centuries ago, Christians met in silence in the woods to worship without making a sound. They did so out of fear of being killed. Nobody stopped to ask who was or wasn't in order. Nobody stopped to ask who was or wasnt living in open sin. They simply met and worshipped. Has the church, made a business of pointing the finger at others, instead of remembering the actual purpose of the church? Should the church be standing in judgment or be judged? Should the church be running the "laws" or worshipping quietly in spite of the laws? When you think about the history of the church, how do you answer this? Mom Dear Mom The people you are talking about were members of a true "church". The word translated in the Bible as "church" is the Greek word "ekklesia", which is a coming together of people. These people came together and formed a church, even though there was no building or organizational structure. Fast forward two thousand years. We now have churches which are so concerned with budgets, buildings and dogma that the original message of Jesus has gotten lost in the organizational machinery. Churches are so busy trying to win converts, they have lost sight of the message which was so successful in winning the original converts. I am reminded of the story of the adulteress who was brought before Jesus. You can find it at John 8:3-11. If Jesus did not condemn others, who are we to think we are good enough to do so. That would make us better than Jesus. I'm not that good and I'm not that conceited. That goes for churches as well as individuals. Best always Brother Ron