The Church Lately

I have been considering the church lately. I wonder why so many people find reasons to avoid it and simply drop out. I know that we struggle with our natures that tend to resist the spiritual side of life. Yet, God continues to pierce my heart telling me that there is more to it than just that.

I am reading a book titled: “Quitting Church.” It seems that there are many millions Americans who are opting out of church yet they chose to continue their own private time with God. They read their Bible, pray, even share their faith. Yet, they have given up on the church. Why?

These people see the lack of God in most churches. So many churches are dysfunctional. People are tired of church fights and church scandals. People are weary of clergy who are too controlling and demanding. It would appear that many churches have made the Bible irrelevant to many believers. There are hurting and struggling individuals who need the care, grace and compassion of God’s people but who end up getting judged, criticized and ignored.

All of this begs the questions: “Is this so? And if it is so, what should concerned followers of Jesus do about it?”

As a pastor I have felt firsthand the jabs of those within the church who demand their own way. I have experienced the heartache of being attacked and criticized for trying to walk the journey God has me on, when others do not understand and feel threatened by it. I wonder where we were lead astray. Why has the will of US overrun the will of God?

Perhaps we have become followers of a Christian culture that has grown within our society more than we have been followers of Jesus. We have so many books, so many different Bibles, so many Christian knick knacks that we have become disoriented to stepping in the footsteps of the One showed us that the way to live was to die.

I know the power of the grace and love of God. I have experienced his presence and his burden for his children. I have seen some of his children serve him so that those who are struggling might see his love in them. For all the misdirected things that are happening in the church there are others who are truly working to make a difference. They are the faithful followers of Jesus.

Church, let us fix our eyes on Jesus and not the Christian culture around us. Let us imitate the life, the heart and spirit of Jesus. Jesus only displayed anger at the religious elite who made converts who became “twice as much the sons of hell as they were.” Jesus displayed compassion, care and kindness to those who needed God the most: the prostitutes, drunks, lepers and outcasts of his world. Should we not do the same? Then those looking at his church will say, “Now that’s the Jesus I could follow!”