The
institutional church of today has become something God never meant
for it to become, in my estimation. Today's church is a corporation.
Today's church is about programs. Today's church is about
numbers – both those in attendance as well as the
offering. Today's church has become more of a social
circle for the elite than a
spiritual center for
the sinner. In most churches we see there are certain people
in charge. If you ruffle the feathers of the wrong people things can
get bad for you.
It
seems today we must placate the people. The problem is most of the
people attending these so called churches today want to hear
preaching and teaching that tickles their ears and stays off their
toes. We can no longer preach and teach against sin or we
risk losing people.
Political
Correctness has found it's way into the church. We don't want to
offend anyone for fear of them leaving the church. If we
offend Bro. Big Bucks he'll take his money and go elsewhere. We must
not have a service that lasts more than an hour or people will quit
coming. When we do get people in we must entertain them. You know,
give them something to come back for. No wonder the church in is
such a pitiful condition today. Most churches, today, don't have
enough power of God to blow the fuzz off a peanut!
What
ever happened to hating sin, but yet loving the sinner.
We can, and should, hate sin. We must still love
the sinner. We can separate the two. We must not condone sin in
order to appease the people. We must preach and teach God's Word
just like it is to people just like they are. We must do
our part and leave the results to God.
Many
today are leaving the institutional church for these reasons. The
institutional church is literally choking the life out of them,
spiritually speaking. They are leaving the organization for their
own spiritual good.
Is
it all about Jesus or all about the church? That may
sound like an odd question, but think about it. The church, as we
see it today, is an organization. We have so many programs these
days. We have to build this organization. We have to add
to this organization. We get so involved with church programs
that we neglect our relationship with Jesus. I say forget
the programs! Let's get back to the basics! Let's get
back to JESUS!!
How
about you? Has "churchianty" taken over your life? Are you
tired of what passes for church these days? Are you longing for a
real genuine walk with Jesus? A real relationship?
You can have it. Sometimes it may well mean leaving the
institutional church you belong to. It doesn't matter where
we gather with other followers of Jesus. It doesn't even matter when
we gather. The important thing is that we have a real
relationship with Jesus and that we gather with other believers to
share, fellowship and walk together in an honest and joyful journey.
Until
next time, enjoy the journey!
Ray
Amen!
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