I'm not sure if it was leftover hurts from when I was a teenager, or confusion over the purpose of the church. It doesn't really matter because I did everything I could to stay out of it. Throughout college I don't really think I attended even one service on my own accord. I loved the Lord, or I felt what I thought was love, but I did not love his bride, the church.
Then I met this handsome guy. Oh the things we do for handsome guys when we are in college!
Church was important to him...very important. So I went. And I only went because of him.
For years into our marriage I continued to fight the idea of church. I would go, but it was always with my heels dug firmly in the ground. When we had children I knew that it was important for them to have a foundation in the Word and I knew church would play an important role in that so we continued to go, but I still was not all that pleased about it.
You see, I thought that the church was there to take care of the believers. So I felt like churches let me down. I was hurt and angry and very judgmental of the church.
But then as the years went on the Lord started to teach me about the church and what it was and what it was called to do. I learned that the church is made up of people, imperfect, sinful people. Because of this the church will never be able to fill the needs and hurts that I was looking for it to fill, but God could. So I started to allow Him access to areas of my life that I had duct-taped over just to hold it together.
The next thing the Lord taught me was that the church was there for more than just to take care of the believers. The church is there to glorify Him! And when the church does this in unity, it is the most powerful tool we have to spread the love of Jesus and His Word with the world.
John 17: 22-23
"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one- I in them and you in me-so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
And in the book of Isaiah we learn that "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and the malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday." 58:9b-10
God showed me that you can't truly have a heart for the lost unless you have a heart for His church! Church is more than just a place to learn a few things or get meals while you are sick. Church is a weapon and a tool!
I am learning every day more and more about the purpose of the church and God's calling on our lives as believers. But I can tell you that my thoughts about the church have changed. Sometimes it is easy to feel judged and to then become judgmental ourselves about things that are not of Kingdom importance. Sometimes it is easier to just stay home as opposed to getting everyone out the door to attend a church function.
Hear me clearly..."Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
Your battle is not against the lady that you don't like sitting two pews in front of you. It's not against the teacher that you disagree with. And it is not against the pastor that you find nap worthy. No, it's against the enemy and he wants nothing more than to destroy the bride of Christ, Jesus' church.
See this for what it is, a battle. If we will unite in Christ and in His love the world will know who has sent us! If we put away our pointing fingers and malicious talk and instead throw ourselves into serving the poor and the oppressed, our light will make the night become like noon!
The Lord loves His Church...and we need to decide, do we want to be a part of building it up or tearing it down?
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