I hate church…
Ok…here’s the deal.
my frustration level with the institution that is called the church is at an all-time high!
i just can’t believe that Jesus came to earth and died for what we call “church.” I think Jesus would be very sad at the condition of the church, especially the westernized, individualized version we have in america.
when i look around the “church world” or the “christian” landscape, all i see is hypocritical, judgmental, self-promoting people. we live in a church culture that may have started out with the best of intent, but we have slowly and consistently fallen into an organization that only creates the worst of outcomes.
instead of being about relationship and care and love…most “churches” have become institutions of fear and guilt! we guilt people into acting a certain way. in fact, most “churches” actually reward people for “proper” behavior and will beat the crap out of those who display “bad” behavior.
we have become an institution that rails against sinners. we are doing our best to keep the sinners out! we are extremely vocal about what is acceptable. we are constantly at war with our culture. we are constantly reminding everyone around us how they don’t measure up, how they don’t fit in, how they are less than perfect!
what the hell are we doing!!!!!!??????!!!!!!
how can we read the gospels and blow right past the fact that we are acting JUST like the religious leaders of Jesus day!? How can we be so blind to the massive log in our own eyes, but instead focus with such laser-like hatred on everyone else’s splinters!?
instead of BEING the Church, we have traded that in to build man-made institutions called church. this is where we live by the religious rules and duties put on us by our modern day “teachers of the law.”
but it feels so good doesn’t it? it feels good to judge. why? because it feeds our souls! it’s much easier to point out all the crap that is in someone else’s life than it is to deal with mine!!! after all, if i deal with my own soul, i might have to die to MYself and take up MY cross and actually FOLLOW Christ. and that’s just not as fun and keeping all the sinners out! i mean, i’d much rather drag an adulteress out into the middle of the town square and stone her to death, wouldn’t you?!
i’m just really tired of the institution of church. i’m really tired of all the hate, the back biting, the judging, the gossip, the fake friendships, the sin pointing.
i want to BE the church! i want to be around people who will LIVE in the LOVE of God, and allow that love to kill our flesh every day. I want to be in real relationships where i don’t judge you and you don’t judge me with some arbitrary, man-made, religious law. i want to know that i would die for you and you would die for me….and that we would both die to follow Christ!!!!!!
it’s getting harder, and harder to say that i am a christian and even harder to say that i am a pastor of a church. where is the real church?! not the man-made institution! the real thing!
I know, right?
word!
I once heard someone say, “If the devil can’t make you quit being a Christian all together, then his next trick is to get you to compromise.” I know I struggle with this every day. I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to lead me in a direction that requires me to sacrifice pride, time, or money because it’s too “costly”. So I sit back and look at all the others around me who are not doing anything and somehow I’m not so bad after all. I think I’ve been like a frog sitting in a pot of water, and now the heat is being turned up and I’m realizing I’m being cooked. And you know what? THANK GOD! I would rather be “unchurched, uncool, and freakish”. My heart is so heavy for the state of things right now in the church. People are at an all time level of hopelessness and despair, and we are still doing the old “church routine”. God is going to move one way or another, I want to be going His way and be apart of it. Let’s take our frustration back to Him, ask Him to lead us in His direction, ask Him to pour out His annointing on us, and create an atmosphere where He will show up and change things. If we are going to be a city on a hill, we have to SHINE! I don’t think it’s going to be another workshop, or book, or sermon that stirs the heart of His people, rather “not by might, not by power, but by MY spirit says the Lord!” I want to see Acts being lived out during my time here on Earth. I’ve been raised in church hearing about it, I want to experience it! People loving one another (for real), no one having lack in our midst, healings, restoration, hope, captives being set free! You know that is the desire of His heart, it was His idea (we know that from Luke), so if we prepare our hearts and an atmosphere of humililty, He will work among us and do what He has called us to do for His glory! If you feel anything in your heart agreeing with what Israel has said, please spend some time on your face before the Lord! “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and seek my face…I will hear them and heal their land.” Amen
I hated “church” since I was 14… younger than that, probably, but it was where we had all of our entire universe centered. I can’t fault my parents for trying to keep us “spirit-filled” but they didn’t realize the spirit that was pouring in… hypocrisy, self-righteousness, egoism, JUDGEmental behavior, to name a few… and you’re right, when we didn’t breathe the right way, we were called out. Hell hath no satisfaction like a guilt trip… can the deacons pack your bags?
The more we were beaten down to believe we weren’t good enough, the more we believed it, and eventually, we realized that being bad was kinda fun, and we were never gonna be good enough anyway… right? Let the party begin, I’m here!
Thanks to actual Jesus followers, after 20 years of the same old party, it feels so good to walk into the sunbeam of the Spirit, and lay all of those travel bags at His feet.
To me, the old party made me carry all the weight, all the luggage, and all the blame. Successes were SWEET, but empty when followed by a shot of failure.
It takes a Church (capital C) that leads like Jesus to help the unchurched, and yes the OVERchurched to realize that this process is really incredibly simple: (thanks to Is for clarity)
love God
love others (no matter what!!!)
serve everyone
Now, I wake up every day and ask my new Boss… “What can I do for You today?” The key is to listen for the reply… it is a whisper of a thought, but its always there. And, there is no greater pleasure than obedience.
As a group, all we can do is be strong in this simplicity, lift the weak, and build the body one at a time.
Let’s show the world how its done! And, if they don’t agree and join us, let’s knock the dust off of our heels and move on.
Nicely written! I feel the same way and sadly it has caused me not to step foot in to a church service for many years.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
Katie: i know it is hurtful when people IN church let you down and don’t behave the way Christ would. But i encourage you to keep looking for a group of people that are living in the love of God. remember, the Church didn’t hurt you…people IN church hurt you. My, prayer is that you can find a place to fit in with others who are really trying to live out this journey with each other. when it works, it is awesome- still messy- but awesome! good luck!
“To forbid what God allows is legalism and questions whether the Scriptures themselves are sufficient to guide Christians toward holy living. Adding a rule or prohibition to the Scriptures is Pharisaical in that it raises the standard for Christian living above what the Bible teaches”
To go “above and beyond” is fine for ones self…but to require it of others, and worse yet, to condemn and castigate others who do not uphold YOUR standard is dangerous ground, if you ask me. When I hear someone say “Well, he’s not living very Christian-like” (or when I find myself thinking the same thing) I think about the above quote, and the wisdom found in Colossians 2:16-23. Don’t get me wrong, I think accountability amongst fellow believers is important, but we gotta keep it on track and remember we are to hold one another accountable to God’s plan, not to a Church doctrine or our own beliefs.