Losing the Church

"This again is a great contradiction: though He was a Jew, His followers were not Jews."

                                                                    ~ Voltaire

There is much ado within the ranks of the American Church nowadays. 

It seems a recent report states what local pastors have known for years, Americans are simply abandoning the Church.
We are not abandoning faith mind you; but millions upon millions are leaving the Church.

Well, why is that?

The answer or answers, are relatively simple.
But in short, we've allowed the psychology of the world to infiltrate the Body of Christ unchecked and unhindered becoming adopted as our theology and practice.

Don't believe it?
Think for a moment of how a generation of liberal churchmen have attempted to change the Biblical Standard of morality and what we as deem important today within the Body of Christ.

The American Society's idols are some of the 'beautiful' people of the world, with philanthropy and good causes associated with their names; everything from the polar bears to global warming can be supported through their foundations.

The current generation doesn't need more good causes to support, such as the church; what they need is the truth of God to fill the hole that is in their hearts.

Yet, our 'idols' are a miserable group of people; as evidenced by the fact that many of them can only function through drugs, alcohol, addictions to sex, fame, or money and the many of their culture who commit suicide or purposefully overdose on an annual basis. 

What it means practically is that they are not fulfilled, they are not happy and their wealth has made them targets for a plethora of other problems we normally do not think about.

Why in the world would Christians want their ministers to imitate and emulate such people? 
Yet, the ministries which are deemed 'successful' manipulate media, have publication machines and are led by ministers who are generally weak in their theology but strong in self-help pep talks as well as toothpaste and glamour shots.

It makes absolutely no sense for Churches to adopt the values of the Kingdom of the World while the Kingdom of God begs to be accepted in our hearts.
The truth of the matter is the fact that God's Kingdom on Earth through and within us brings a great reversal; prosperous saints and mega churches for God's glory are very, very rare.

And while I do not begrudge them, I still must question the sanity in attempting to pastor thousands upon thousands of people, such as we find in 'mega churches'.
Can they even be pastored?

But I digress.

I pray the day soon comes when the men and women in the pew learn that it is more faithful to fulfill your individual calling as a child of God or a church, than it is to try and be something that you were never intended to become.

Jesus said that He came to give us life and life abundantly.

It seems the Body of Christ has forgotten that it is in losing our lives in Christ, and giving our lives to others in the name of Christ, is how we live more abundantly.

Sadly, not only are so many Christians not willing to lose their lives in the lost and hurting; many aren't even willing to lose their lives with their own church members.

The simple truth is that people are leaving the Church, if they came at all, because so many Christians do not treat one another very well at all.
If this is not true, why does nearly every person, minister or parishioner, have a horror story as to how badly they have been treated by other Christians?

Now, that's not always the case, but it is part of it; therefore, if we cannot treat one another in a manner that glorifies Christ at all times, we should not expect people to stay because their conscience will not allow them to worship alongside another.

It seems that modern Christians also have no concept of what it means to be a part of the Kingdom of God while still on earth.
Jesus indirectly described what the Kingdom was/is through His stories; but by the time He was on the Cross, He'd failed the expectations of nearly everyone He had known.

In the same manner, when a congregation does not understand what the purpose of the Church

is, pastors often get crucified because the church isn't growing, or isn't taking in enough money or not enough people are coming to Bible Study or whatever.
But the Church does not exist to perform duties as a religious business; as such, it should not be compared to similar models.

Friend, the purpose of the church is not to grow; the purpose is to help the child of God grow within the Body of Christ; within the Kingdom of God.
If a church member cannot understand the difference, they can be taught; if a church leader does not understand the difference, they should be removed because it is a case of the blind leading the blind.

Most people don't understand the Kingdom of God because they don't know what it means.
The 20th Century saw the fall of most of the remaining secular Kingdoms on earth; save Saudi Arabia and Great Britain.
Today, we have churches full of people who read of the Kingdom of God in Scripture and only have faint images of a by-gone era.
The only conception that remains is that of power.

With God's Kingdom, while He is all-powerful, His Kingdom is fueled by another type of power.
God's power through us is His love.

Love, true Godly love, is a different kind of power; as such, anybody, absolutely anybody is welcome to join His Kingdom.
The reason is a person is far more important than any label; labels divide and we have become so good at dividing that we've divided and split so much that soon we'll reduce ourselves down to congregations of one. 

When we love as Christ loved, it can be misconstrued as 'interest' or 'flirting' when it is actually concern and care for another as Jesus would; for this reason, I know of many who have abandoned the Church because they were accused and thought of in terms of immorality when they were just trying to serve.

Being a Child of God and trying to live for Him as if His Kingdom was already established on earth, that means that I am called to a different, more powerful type of love towards others.
I am called to love the abortionist as well as the woman who has ended her child's life; I am called to love the promiscuous man dying of AIDS as well as the infant who was wrongly infected; I am called to love the lumber barons who wish to rape the West Virginia hills and forests, the outsiders destroying the New River Gorge and to honor the government who no longer allows me to drive on the beaches of the Oregon Inlet.

You see, if a person cannot love and honor those whom we disagree with in order to show them a small piece of what the grace of God is and can do; then, that person has not yet understood the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus' love transcends all things and cuts across all lines and distinctions we make here on earth.
His love has absolutely nothing to do with our merit; but it has everything to do with God's rich grace.

Jesus is the King of His Kingdom and every Christian within it.
As such, we would do well to remember that on Earth, Jesus consistently refused coercive

power, even though there were some who wished Him to do so.
Despite this, as the centuries have passed, many of His followers have chosen 'Caesar's Way' over that of Jesus', and we still feel the ripples today as the new, modern movement with the Church is to adopt the styles of the world.

Why would we do that? The world has failed.
If people wanted to be in the world, they would not have darkened the Church door; but people have and they do not need another place like the world.
They need a place like the Kingdom with men and women who emulate the King.

Whenever the Church uses the world's tools, it will grow ineffectual.
Today, we are ineffectual; but it doesn't have to be that way forever. 
Decide now that it changes and the change begins with you.

Remember, how do they know we are His disciples?
If we love one another.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.