Church.
What thoughts or pent-up emotions are the first to enter
your head when you hear the word? I’m curious. I think it’s an all too common
occurrence that a person’s initial reaction to church is a negative one. (I was going to say that this was most
common with young people, however I know far too many believing adults that
struggle with the same thing.)
If I’m being honest, which is something I strive to be on this blog, I have struggled with church quite a bit at different points in my life. I have felt like I wasn’t good enough to be part of the Church, I have felt rejected by the Church, I have felt lied to by the Church, and I have felt offended by the Church over the course of my 19 year involvement with it.
Now, before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I
have also been immensely blessed by the church bodies I have been part of over
the years. I would not be where I am without the teaching, support, and love I
have received there. So, if I have ever gone to church with you, know that I am
not accusing you. You’re great. I will always consider you my family.
I believe that there are some issues with the modern day
church in America and there are of course things that could be done
differently, but my reason for writing this post is that I do not believe that the negative feelings often associated with
church are the fault of the Church.
They are the heart-breaking result of sin and spiritual warfare and a lack of
grace given.
The church is run by flawed people. People who struggle with
pride, hypocrisy, gossip, pornography, envy, homosexuality, and doubt. But
guess what! The Church, the Bride of Christ, is also designed to be the hope of
Christ on Earth. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived a sinless life and died
for humanity to pay the penalty for our sins. He suffered in our place and
saved us because He loves us. He then defeated death by rising from the dead
and He is coming back by the way! (Insert a Hallelujah or a toe-touch or
whatever you do to celebrate the greatest news your ears will ever hear) Until
He returns though, are we who are still chilling here left with no hope on the
Earth? Absolutely not. That’s why Christ instituted the Church. We are His
body. This means we are supposed to be a community and a family of believers
acting as the hands and feet of Jesus to the rest of the world until He comes
back for us. When the world seems black and discouraging with all of its chaos
and hurt, there is still the Church. There is not only the hope of Heaven and
of Christ’s return, but there is hope right
here and right now on this
planet.
SO, how come people like me sometimes feel so offended by
this so-called “hope on earth”? It sure doesn’t seem hopeful a lot of the time with all of its hypocrisy and
judgment.
I asked a number of you guys what pops into your mind first
when you think of church. The overwhelming majority of you believers I asked
answered: “Family” or “Community”
I think that answers the question right there. I, like most
of you, view the church as my family. It is my support system and the group of
people I am closest to and most encouraged by. This means that when I feel the
church has wronged me in some way, the offense is worse. My own family did it
to me. The hurt is deeper because it feels like betrayal. Odds are that if you
have consistently attended a church for any extended period of time, you may
have experienced this feeling however severely and you know what I’m talking
about. Unfortunately, this will continue to happen because the church is made
up of sinners. It’s out of our control.
What we can control though is how we respond when our Biblical community
offends us. I suggest a combination of forgiveness and grace. I wish this
is something I had been told years ago when I first remember feeling hurt by my
church. I have seen several believers leave the church and then turn their back
on a God they once trusted in, and I am just thankful that, by the grace of
God, I was never allowed to take it to that extreme. We should forgive the
offender and realize they need grace too. It’s simple and it’s crucial.
Hear this: When you are upset by the church and respond by
distancing yourself from it or becoming bitter, you are purposefully separating
yourself from the greatest hope Christ left us on Earth. You are only hurting
yourself, and separation from hope is a terrible place to live. You will be
living in bitterness instead of community.
I understand all of this now, and I am able to move on when
the Church makes mistakes. I will never leave “Church” as a whole because that
is a dark place to be. If you are reading this and your church offended you
maybe years ago or maybe just last Sunday, take a moment to pray about it and
see if perhaps forgiveness is your next step. If a Church fails you, remember
that it is not God who failed you. I don’t want you to make the mistake of
distancing yourself from a body of believers who is the Bride of Christ. Give
church a chance. And plenty of second chances after that. Like a friend of mine
said, “a lot of us love Jesus, but hate the church.” Don’t let that be you. The
best remedy I know for hate is forgiveness. Choose to live in grace and not
bitterness because church is a gift and it truly is the hope of God on this
earth.
Thanks for reading.
*Cue “Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend
Collective Experiment, Campfire album*
Natalie
P.S. If you want to talk about church or your experiences
with it, contact me. I’d really love to hear, no matter your religious views.
And if you want to get plugged into a church but don’t know how, I’d love to
encourage you in that as well.
Food for thought:
Most common answers when I asked what words people associate with
church…
Believers said: Community, family, and service
Non-believers said: Judgment, contradiction, and obligation
