Traveling to various locations and attending different the mystical christ gives you the variety to gauge some analytical feelings. And I’m not talking here about feelings of carnal criticism. I’m not talking about a judgmental attitude. I’m talking about a mature spiritual discernment of how things are going within the body of Christ from one place to another.
One needs to allow for the culture and personality of people and leadership. Some churches may be more alive than others, some may be more conservative, etc. That’s not what we’re talking about here. There is an atmosphere, a Spirit if you will, that can be quickly sensed in the air, as to whether the church is genuinely joyful or distressed. It’s something like the first three minutes of an interview, or the atmosphere within a low-morale organization.
But real joy or distressed cannot be faked. You can see it in the faces of the people. You can feel it in the voices and greetings of the folks milling around. You can observe it in the discipline and reverence in the sanctuary. You can hear it in the singing. You can experience it in the affection between the members and the pastors. You can sense it in your spirit. You can definitely receive it in the preaching of the preacher.
Let’s examine these attributes more closely.
1) You can see it in the faces and joy of the people:
Reality cannot be faked nor hidden. The genuinely joyful greetings of an excited, Spirit-filled congregation can be sensed by even the most unbelievers. As a matter of fact, I have on many occasions abstained from inviting an unbeliever to church for the very reason that the feeling was never right for such an occasion. I’ve been at conservative churches that unexpectedly turned into ‘heavy metal’ concerts by youth pastors in the absence of the regular pastors. That’s enough to turn any middle aged skeptic away. Different people fit in different styles or formats – all of which is determined by the satisfaction of the members of the congregation.
2) You can feel it in the voices and greetings of the folks milling around:
The genuineness of the people can only come from times spent together and caring for each other. Times really enjoying each other’s company through fellowship, times talking and sharing before and after the Sunday services and in home cells during the week. Times praying together, crying and laughing together in appropriate moments of life. Times of singing and worshiping, helping, planning, suggesting, rebuking when necessary, and praising a lot. This transfers into the voices and greetings of the members, as opposed to a distraught and upset, disinterested or dissatisfied people.
