“Homie, come get it right
Show you what the clique like
Say ayo!
Come and kick it with the team
The party's over here
Let me show you what I mean”
There was a discussion on the football field one Sunday a few weeks ago, with regard to that week’s episode of The Cover’s Culturevate. Sometimes, I really don’t like to chime in; I would much prefer sit back and listen as the conversation unfolds. Christian (it’s funny how his name fits the topic, lol) and Flexy were discussing Castel’s response to whether a Christian rapper needs to be attending church to be a Christian rapper. The conversation stirred up some thoughts, so I figured I should share.
Now some people do not agree that one needs to be attending a church to be a Christian or believer. They believe that it solely depends on your belief and the condition of your heart. Whilst there is a lot of truth to that, I would like to draw your attention to a scripture in Hebrews chapter 10 (verse 25 to be exact) – “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another….” Given this scripture, attending a church may not be a requirement for being a Christian or believer, but it is definitely a requirement in the life of a Christian or believer.
I think this is a requirement because we (as people in general) grow the most when we come together. While I was attending church in New York, we would be debating a topic before church started; during church (depending on the type of teaching), we would discuss the topic being presented; and after church, we would go over and dissect the teaching. It was those interactions, shared experiences and breakdowns that stimulated so much growth in each of us. Who was flipping pages to find references, who was googling and who was playing devil’s advocate (LOL) – yes, you can stay at home, read your own Bible and watch a sermon on YouTube, but that in itself is limited. Here’s why:
Think of it in terms of a sport. A guy can go out on the football field every day and practice his route running and catching. He is sharping his skillset daily and it does add to him as an athlete; however, if you put a defender in front of him on game day, it becomes an entirely different scenario. Practice with the team is so much more important because it simulates the actual situations that you will face on a game day. Practicing with the team shows you your weak points, strong points and gives you an opportunity to adjust your game plan – things you could never learn training alone.
To apply this to the before mentioned, it is easy to read the Bible by yourself. In fact, in any area of life, it is easy to acquire knowledge by yourself. However, it will be so much more beneficial to get together in a group setting with likeminded individuals to bounce those ideas off them; to hear different interpretations of the same text that you read; to learn different approaches to the same issues that you faced. That’s why the podcasts from The Cover SXM are so important, as well as groups like Zi Link Up. They give likeminded individuals the opportunity to get together and share ideas, experiences and knowledge – none of which would be as easy to truly obtain on your own.
*Cues Ayo by Andy Mineo*
