So many people that I have talked to from all over the world while here in Australia have turned their back on religion because they’ve been hurt by the church.
What is the church doing wrong?
Why are we, the body, allowing it to turn people away?
It is a saddening feeling to know that so many are out searching and are lost because man has destroyed that which God designed to do the opposite. I even hear similar things among fellow racers, whom receive little to no help from their own congregations. Do not get me wrong I am fully aware that churches have bills, salaries, and other budgets that require funding, and if the body cannot fulfill those obligations then it cannot function properly.
It is such a frustrating thing. The church should be the community and not the authority. The church should be a place for refuge and growth, not politics and condemnation.
I had the opportunity to hear a speaker a few months ago, his name was Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo. He said that when you draw a line in the sand, and put people on the other side, Jesus will be on their side of that line. These lines that we are drawing are divisional and dangerous to what the church was created for.
Am I saying we should stand for nothing?
Absolutely not, take Daniel for instance he refused to change his diet when he was imprisoned by the Babylonians and God actually strengthened him and the other Israelites. I was in my parents Sunday school class a few week ago when they were discussing this exact topic. My dads words were this, “If we do not draw lines in the sand then we have nothing to stand for,” he went on to say “once we draw these lines in the sand we should then put them to the test to see what Christ has to say about them.”
But I think we are getting these lines confused. The line my father was discussing and the line that Daniel drew in the sand are not lines that cast others aside for not doing as they do or believing how they believe. We as Christians should absolutely stand for something and then continually test what we stand for with what Jesus has to say.
To often we draw these lines and rally behind them by placing others on the opposing team. The church is called to love not divide. We should be meeting people where they are at and bringing them in rather than turning them away. From that point we can grow in relationship with one another and with God, and as we do so the creator will mold our lines as we grow together in his image.
How do we fix the brokenness and begin bringing the lost home?
This is a question for every church and every Christian. As I have been writing this I have been reflecting on how blessed I have been to have the church community that I have had. It is part of why my heart breaks for all those I have talked to that are lost because their church caused them to turn from God. If you read this and feel the same way I do about your community of believers, know that it does not exclude us from taking part in the healing process. If we are not going to be a part of the solution then we are going to become a part of the problem.
I would like to ask for prayers of healing in the hearts of those hurting. That God would open their eyes to the true authority, which is himself. Week two in Australia is off to a great start!
