The above billboard sums up a conversation I had with a church member this week.
They pointed to the St Paul's debacle and the Church's failure to do what everyone else saw as right. They railed at the 'fact' that the Church is more taken up with money than people, consistently missing the opportunity to act in a Christian manners doing the right thing and predominantly appearing to be bankers (I don't think that was meant to be a euphemism!) and financial types.
"I love God," they cried, "But I don't want anything to do with Church! I'm more concerned about me and heaven than being alongside a bunch of hypocrites, and worse still, being one of them!"
Now I don't know about you but I can remember when I thought, spoke and even acted like this lovely person. I didn't want to be part of any denomination I just wanted to follow Jesus and His teachings. I wanted to keep myself 'clean' and avoid the religious people. The problem was as I progressed further along this path (and I did for quite some time - about eighteen months) I found myself being more and more of a hypocrite in the way that what I said married up to who I was, and was becoming.
Then, one day it struck me that if I was someone who believed in Jesus and looked to His sacrifice on the cross to bring me and God back together then I too was 'Church'. This didn't mean that I bought into the hierarchy or applauded the excesses, weakness and errors or politely coughed and looked away when hypocrisy was on display, it meant that I couldn't live in isolation from other Christians and where two or more of us were together, we were Church. In fact even when I was on my own, being a bit Trinitarian, there were four of us and so Church was to be found in me alone. Not only that but because of this, wheresoever I went, basilaea, the Kingdom of God was to be found too.
I was to be the lampstand that was placed in the centre of things so that all might see by the light of Christ (Matt5 // Lk 8 & 15). I was to be part of the body that did the task it was called to do that the whole body might be fit and well and work as it should (1 Cor 12).
I'm sorry to say this but once you take Christ's hand and accept His offer of life then you are part of Church and if the institutional body that bears his name is getting it wrong, then we stand and speak out, we make our stand and seek to restore those in error (GENTLY!).
Christianity is not about condemning anyone but is about coming alongside, affirming, supporting and leading them to better things.
How we doing?
5 comments:
Excellent post! I denied God, let alone Church for over 25 years. It took a major trauma to someone else to bring me back to both.
I firmly believe that if God loves us, he'll always bring us back into his light - we just need to stand closer to the flame.
Well, this is your point of view.
My point of view: I believe in God, I read the Bible, I like to study, I am always trying to be more spiritual.
But I don't like churches. I don´t like. The best of sincere people and my friends and parents are in those terrible churches. I am afraid of them.
I don't like churches.
They are so false, so rude, they want that we give them all our money to help the poor, every time, every time. I am tired.
They need people poor to do these things. People rich are menace.
I hate churches. But I still love God, love angels, Ets and people from another world that don´t need our money.
I only hate churches, material chat, everybody we need to buy.
There isn't any free book, nothing. Only money, money, money.
Vic Sophie
Thanks for the comments. I have to say that having tried to be a Christian without church I found I struggled and failed badly. What I ended up with was a philosophy that picked the bits I wanted and ignored the things that affected the way I lived. Then I found a church where people came alongside and helped me see the duplicity in my views and showed me what was important and consistent.
Where I am we aren't obsessed with money and live as friends, becoming a family, which is what being Church is all about.
I'm praying for you and your journey and understand your views - love is the answer and being human we get it wrong but we continue and slowly get better at it.
Pax
No one will hurt you like a Christian will - they will stalk you calling it friendship evangelism, rip your heart out to feed their will to power, and then refuse the reconciliation which Christ commands, whilst getting ordained themselves.
Tom Paine
If you are so worried about giving your money to "the Church" and them taking advantage of it, then I guess you gave it to the wrong entity. We are to give unto "God" not people. Let it go...put your faith in the Lord and leave the judging to Him. Keep giving and don't stop. God sees all and He will reward each person according to what they have done. Talking about "you"!
Post a Comment