On my daily drive back to my parents house I pass by one of those churches that has the big flashy electronic signs. You know, the one’s that make you think you’re about to get pulled over by the police. I usually try to avoid reading most church signs because if we’re being real here they’re usually so ridiculously cheesy but this time I just so happened to be stuck at the red light that’s right by the sign. So as it was changing in big red letters it flashed…
“We are the alpha church! You want to be here!”
Church is a sore topic for most people in my generation…or for just people. But when we have churches trying to seduce people into their buildings like we’re choosing a sorority or fraternity I guess I can easily understand why.
I’ve really struggled with the concept of church since being home from training camp. And I’ve really struggled with anger towards how we in the western culture do church. Like so much that I’ve pretty much only been halfheartedly going since being back home.
Before sitting down to write this blog post I messaged a bunch of people, believers and non believers, from all walks of life asking them what the first thing they thought of when I said the word church was. Here’s some of the answers I got:
“A white pointy building with a steeple”
“A building”
“Fake smiles and hugs”
“Sunday mornings”
“Someone standing in front of a large group of people”
“A show”
I got countless and countless responses like this and the more responses I got the more my heart broke. The more I’ve listened to people’s stories and the more I’ve watched my friends and loved ones drift away from the church the more I’m beginning to sense that we as the believers of the Church are no longer confident in where we stand in the eyes of our Father.
Because why would you want to help spread the kingdom of God if you’re not even sure you’re apart of it.
There is something that settles a person’s heart in such a dramatic and life altering way when we can stand in the presence of God and have confidence that He loves us, that He accepts us, and that He really does want us. And when you finally gain that confidence as a believer it changes everything.
I’ve been so angry and so upset because the church is so unhealthy. I’ve been so pissed off at my fellow believers for not understanding or even wanting to understand. But I’m finally understanding what it really means to love as Christ did in the midst of unhealthiness.
When you love someone, you want them to be healthy and functional. But when you really love someone, you love them whether they are healthy and functional or not.
So dear reader, If you’re reading this and you’ve been hurt by the church – I just want to speak for us and tell you that I am so sorry.
Because right now we’re a little unhealthy, we’re a little dysfunctional and we’re a little messed up. But I believe we as the church are on the rise.
You see, I’m one of the people who’s tasted and seen all that the Lord has to offer us. I’ve been around a group of individuals from all different types of backgrounds and beliefs. I’ve stood in a circle with people I don’t know under a dark pavilion worshiping into odd hours of the night. I watched people come and huddle around someone in their time of brokenness and pain. I’ve seen what church is supposed to look like. And I can honestly tell you that it actually does exist.
Because there are people like you out there who want more. Who are in search of more than we’ve been offered. There are people like me and you who want less of the stuff of God and more of the God Himself.
But it’s hard. It takes hard work. It takes commitment to the process, the very long process of undoing bad habits. It takes patience to work with people to help them gain the confidence to say “I am a child of God!” and have them actually believe it. It takes losing all expectations and embarking on a journey full of grace.
I’m 10 days from launch. And I promise to share it all with you – the highs and the lows of going out and being the church. Because I want you to know my dear reader. I want you to see that church exists in each of our day to day interactions with each other. I want you to see what can happen if you choose to wholeheartedly step into this crazy, wild, outlandish thing called church. I want you to be apart of the uprising.
So here’s to stopping with all the words and starting with the actions.
Here’s to being the church.
