THE MISUSE OF CHURCH
Sometimes I’m floored by how stupid… I mean uninformed… people can sometimes be. Stupid isn’t edifying so we probably shouldn’t use that word but sometimes the truth (factual, unarguable evidence) isn’t pretty no matter how you package it. Now that I’ve already ticked a few of you off… let’s get started! I’m sure I’ll tick off both sides of the aisle so read on…
Non-Christians – The occasional and inconsistent use of church by many people who profess to be atheists, scientologists or other random non-Jesus following religions makes absolutely no sense to me. Many of these people (some are my friends) wouldn’t be caught dead in a traditional church service (well, they might be…literally) and would go out of their way to tell you how stupid your religion and your belief in God is. These same people often seek the services of pastors, priests and the church for weddings, funerals, counseling, hand-outs and other random stuff. That makes no sense to me. The fact that churches embrace this nonsense (probably with ministry intentions) is also quite confusing. What makes it even more interesting is when a non-believer goes into a church and expects to be catered to, and rules are subsequently changed just to accommodate their needs. I recently read about a lesbian being denied communion at her mom’s funeral service. She was well aware of Catholic practices and the meaning of communion. Instead of making a big fuss that you were denied communion, why not honor your mom’s Catholic values by following the stinking rules if this day is supposedly so valuable to you? Why would you even have a funeral at a church if you don’t want to respect its values? Why would you want to take communion if you don’t even believe in the purpose and biblical teachings behind it? It makes no sense to me. That’s just utter disrespect and unfortunately Christian leaders will fall prey to this kind of stuff and not stand behind a guy that was respecting the position, the church and the God he serves in the name of love. Hate the sin, not the sinner. If the person doesn’t think homosexuality is a sin then they don’t agree with Christian faith and have no business taking communion. End of story. Agree to disagree but that still doesn’t give you the freedom to dictate the rules of a church. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God but true repentance precedes communion as we reconcile with God. Marriage falls under this area too. Marriage is a covenant before God in holy matrimony between a man and a woman. If you don’t believe that, if you don’t believe in God, if you don’t believe in church values (and intend to practice them) then please take your happy butts to the justice of the peace or some country club to complete the formality of marriage for tax purposes or whatever other reason.
Christians – The church is not intended to be a country club. This isn’t the place to put on your Sunday best and pretend to be righteous and plaster yourself with a big dose of fake. It’s meant for real people who serve a real God with real passion. The corporate concept is biblical but intended to unify through discipleship, training and experiencing the power of God together through the worship (musical, teaching, serving…etc). There is major opportunity for the Holy Spirit to move in corporate worship during musical praise but so often we just sing songs instead of passionately and purposefully praising Him with the lyrics we sing. Non-believers that are “checking it out” notice that fakeness or lack of passion and usually check out because they aren’t interested. Granted, many believers are very young in their faith and don’t have much depth; but often, it’s because the churches are never getting past the “church 101” phase. Step it up, church. For those who truly believe… start showing it with your actions in all areas and especially corporate worship. Be consistent.
There are many different denominations with the “Christian” label but they are not all the same. Some have similar doctrine with different dogma, some have skewed doctrine and some have sound doctrine but just don’t follow it. I don’t agree with all denominations (or at least portions of them) but the common denominator is belief that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior – and that I can agree with. You’ll have to study for yourself and never depend just on what you’ve been taught or have perceived because men are flawed and make mistakes in interpretation. One thing I believe is not flawed is the inspired Word of God (BIBLE). Don’t get tripped up on translation mistakes, but look to the roots of the Bible for clarity coupled with historical findings confirmed even by non-believers. It will make even more sense and will come to life when you’ve given your life to Christ and have open communication (prayer) with Him on a regular basis.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”. I believe that. If you don’t believe that… at least appreciate all of the “nice things” we do because of the belief system we have that you don’t agree with. No need to argue.