The head of the church (Jesus Christ), works like it’s supposed to.
The body of Christ (us) needs some work.
Everybody has a story. When it comes to church life, you can always find somebody who has a story about “some Christian”, who did them wrong, which resulted in them leaving a/the church, in search of greener pastures.
You know, I have to admit that I get a little ticked off (righteously indignant), when I listen to folks go on and on, about how the church is full of “hypocrites” and how we Christians are going to “bust hell wide open”. But you really wanna get me riled up? Let me hear CHRISTIANS trying to justify walking away from fellowship, accountability, Christian service and corporate worship, cuz somebody in the church offended them. That really gets me going.
Now, I’ve been hurt by church members. You know what? I’ve hurt some too, so I can talk from both sides. I suspect most of us can, but we choose to focus on the specks of others, rather than the logs in us. We’ve forgotten that “family”, whether it be our natural family, or our family in Christ, can and will hurt us, due to close proximity. There is no perfect church, and if there was one, it would cease to be perfect the moment we entered the doors.
Too many of us have never matured to the point where we don’t evaluate just about everything, based on what we can get out of it. It’s always about us. Never mind that ministries in many urban churches across the US suffer, because of the lack of bodies available to serve. Never mind that there are folks who depend on us, because of what we bring to the spiritual table. We will walk away from all that, because somebody didn’t speak to us, or respond the way we felt they should have, or because we didn’t get chosen to serve on some darn committee. Insert whatever reason you like, but it all boils down to this: We have not developed a servant’s spirit. We come to God, with our hands out, instead of up. Jesus was a servant. The King of Glory served mankind, and He got nailed to a cross. There’s a lesson in that. First off, we will NEVER suffer (the crucifixion, the rejection, the mocking) as He did. Secondly, Christ knew His fate. Yet, He chose to serve a bunch of folks who would flake out on Him, when it counted the most.
We know our fate, in Christ. Life on earth is a journey, to a final destination. Jesus promised us a lot of things, and one of those things is tribulation (John 16:33). The church is full of broken people, in need of healing. We must develop the supernatual ability to look beyond the faults of others, and see the big picture. Notice I didn’t say look past faults and see needs. Cuz sometimes it’s hard to see the needs of an ugly actin’ person. But, I can choose to look higher than ground level. It ain’t about my feelings, all the time. When people hurt my feelings, I run (like a man on fire) to the throne of grace, and ask for help and a fresh perspective. I used to wonder what makes some people able to withstand the trials that come with serving in the church, while others jump ship when other people don’t act right.
Yes, I know some people who have experienced some serious blows, from other church members. But the answer is still the same: You gotta give it over to the Lord and think correctly about it. Cuz if you don’t, you’ll become bitter and totally ineffective in ministry. Or, you’ll just walk away.
I owe God. I can’t repay Him. Jesus paid it all, and I’m thankful. I’m not going to let ANYONE keep me from serving the Lord, because I will never forget the debt that was paid, for me. That’s my motivation. I’m the hands and feet of Christ. I gotta touch people, and walk in boldness and authority. So, I will gather my hurts, and allow the Lord to cleanse them, and apply the comforting salve of the Holy Ghost. I will apply the “band-aid” of forgiveness, and keep pressin’.
Do likewise.
A Nappy Girl
I love your point of view on this. Many of us (Christians) seem to have very thin skin when it comes to dealing with other people. And, as someone who has been offended and done my share of offending, it comes down to this: I serve God. And God requires that I minister to His people. And I know that He will give me what I need to be able to do that. Period.
Truly we need to pray for those that offend us. I do that a lot (and hope people are doing that for me) and it makes a HUGE difference. It’s really, really hard to stay mad at someone whose life you are sowing into. Who is part of your prayer life. And, as you pray for other people, you will feel God move within you (and hopefully within that other person) to bring resolution and, if not that, then at least peace.
And so it goes….
Sonya,
I posted this out of the frustration of hearing so much “anti-church” talk, because of hurt feelings. It’s like “Man up!”, you know?
I mean how are you ever going to serve the Lord and minister to people, without having your feelings hurt?
Thanks for the comments…:)
Amen! I know plenty of people who have been burnt by the church. I’m one of them. If I walked away from every situation where I got burnt and threw everyone in it in the same basket, I’d have no friends, no family, no church. People make mistakes and we’re called to forgiveness.
Great thoughts.
You go, girl. I was thinking this very thing just yesterday. In fact, our church just lost its pastor and on Wednesday we had an excellent study on the commands of God to the church–how we should treat each other. We so often react with a ME attitude instead of dying to self as we are commanded to do. It “ain’t” easy!