Journeying Into Theology - Pt.1

This mini series is something i've been wanting to write about for a while now. It's a ongoing journey that's been happening in the background, and I want to write about it not just so I can document it and reflect on how I've grown and wrestled with it, but also so people can be more aware of it.

This is a journey i've been on that I haven't fully figured out and don't have all the answers to, and I think that's totally normal, God often takes us on journeys that take some time, and although I feel inclined to only write about it when i've completed the journey and have some sort of lesson to share, but this time I decided that i'll write as I go, so there will be many open-ended questions I have not answered. You could say this series is a walk through my thought process as I journey on.

It all started in the summer of 2012, I had just graduated from high school and within two months I would be in a completely new area with unfamiliar faces and places; turning the page to a new chapter of my life of independence and growth.

Heading into university, we were always always told to prioritize finding a fellowship and a church, to find a strong consistent community where we would be supported in our spiritual walks. I did just that, and I found myself at the Guelph Asian Christian Fellowship, and I've been ever so thankful for the brothers and sisters i've met there that have encouraged and challenged me in my faith.

On the other hand, It wasn't as easy when looking for a church, I remember spending most of my first year church hopping, I went to a different church every sunday. To anyone who is going through a similar transition, I would suggest that you hop slowly from church to church. One weekend is not enough to fully understand and grasp what the church is like, you don't get to see or experience the community, you don't know the church's vision and focus. If I were to go through that process all over again, I would have stayed at a church for at least three to four weeks at a time before checking out the next. By the end of first year, there were two churches I was deciding between.

I can still remember juggling the pros and cons between the churches, from the service times, to the distance, to the atmosphere, to the experiences. One was very comfortable (physically and spiritually), it had an earlier service time (which meant I would have more of my Sunday afterwards), and it was closer to home/residence. The other was "uncomfortable" (I remember not liking how the pastor seemed to be yelling at me, but on top of that, I found the messages very challenging and convicting which made it "uncomfortable"), it had a later start time and it was much further. Thinking back now, I think there's much more I could have considered when picking a church, but that can be a completely different post.

It was in first year where I had learnt that growth happens the most when you're placed in uncomfortable situations, and so as I headed into second year, I decided to pick the "uncomfortable" option, at Harvest Bible Chapel Waterloo Region. And to be clear, by no means am I saying the other church was a bad one, this is just how I decided back then.

Before I continue, i'll clear up the whole pastor yelling issue. I remember attending service when I was church-hopping and feeling like I was being yelled at during the message; he was intimidating, but later on I realized that he wasn't yelling at us, but he was yelling because he was passionate for proclaiming scripture and truly wanted the congregation to fully understand and know what God was trying to tell us in his Word.

My experience at Harvest for the past two years has been a fruitful one. I thoroughly enjoy the biblical exposition, I was blown away by how the pastor read, preached and taught from the Word of God, going through scripture verse by verse. We're currently reading through Genesis, we just went through chapter 26 today, and we started the series last last September in 2013. It goes to show how in-depth and thorough the exposition is. I've even seen myself applying different methods to studying the bible myself, from understanding the importance of numbers (ie. 7 is the number of completion), or the significance of understanding context as well as the hebrew origins of words to better comprehend the passage.

Although I grew tremendously at Harvest, but as someone who grew up the church, I have always had the mentality of "listen and take notes on the sermon, do whatever the pastor says because he/she is right". I took in information like a sponge, automatically absorbing it and applying it. Looking back now, I think one thing I lacked and I think potentially many of us lack is critical thinking.

I learnt that it can be dangerous to just take in whatever you hear without filtering or testing it with scripture. Yes, when you decide on a church, you should have faith that the preacher has been educated and knows what he's doing, but it's also good to think through the message and be aware of anything that may sound a bit off or odd when compared to what you know or believe.

A personal example is that I know that at my Harvest, they do not believe in women in ministry after analyzing what scripture says. From my understanding, they believe that women should not serve in a leadership position unless it was with children or with a women's small group. For myself, I came from a home church with women in ministry as pastors and deacons and something went off in my head when I heard that. I struggled with discerning my own stance on this subject matter, but i'll touch on this subject a bit more in the next part.

Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform to the patterns of the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of your mind so that we are able to test and approve what God's will is - his good pleasing and perfect will.

1 John 4:1 warns us to test the spirits to see if they are from God as many false prophets have come from the world.

Before havoc breaks loose, I want to make it clear that I am not calling Harvest a church with false prophets and I'm not saying that women in ministry is right or wrong. 1 John 4 continues to say that the spirit of God is in those who acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, which I believe Harvest does.

The main message I want to convey is that as followers of Christ we are to test what we hear, to practice critical thinking, so that we are not just blindly listening, accepting and following everything that may be said. God has given us scripture, the fundamental truth to read and understand. I hope that the Spirit would give us all the wisdom to understand his Word properly and accurately!