littlelaughalot
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Everything's rosy...or is it?
Received an interesting comment last night, or should I say this morning, which really challenged me. Unfortunately I can't respond personally to the individual as they did not leave their name but just left "anonymous" instead!.....and I quote...
"i do not think that it is appropriate for you to be discussing these things for anyone and everyone to read. i too feel opposition from people when i try to follow God's plan for my life but i discuss it with certain people i trust-not the whole world. you are giving your church a bad name"You know... I love this blogging business. I don't do it very regularly (unlike my dear hubby...headphonaught...)
Jesus was an amazing guy when He was on this earth. Jesus saw things for the way they really were. He wasn't afraid to say what He felt, even if to some it could cause offense. He wasn't afraid to let the people see that He didn't particularly see eye to eye with some of the things the Pharisees said or did. Jesus wasn't afraid to let people know when it was wrong to treat a place of worship as a market stall and selling place. He made it quite clear that this was not acceptable. Jesus saw things as they really were.......Jesus was keeping it real!
I was thinking about these Pharisees, the folks that Jesus should have really got on with.....well should He have? Yet He hung around with ordinary folks, unbelievers, sinners, the lepers and the sick.What could He have been thinking?...what would people think? Well, these people had something that was real....something that the Pharisees didn't have...and that was an encounter with Jesus. These people saw the amazing miracles Jesus performed, they saw the love that He had for them, they saw the love that He had for His Father. But they also saw the outrage when Jesus upturned the tables in that holy place,... they heard Him when he told the Pharisees what they were doing wrong. Here they were standing in front of the Messiah, the Son of God and they didn't even recognise Him...they didn't know Him....they hadn't even encountered Him.
The worst thing the "church" can do today is to let folks out there think that it is perfect! Far from it. It wasn't even when Jesus came amongst them...even then they weren't perfect...now that's something.
I got to thinking too about how the bible really doesn't hide the fact that there was a lot of issues and problems surrounding the church...why, if you have a look at Revelations and to the letters to the churches...you can see there a clear picture of some of the shameful things that were going on. Why would God want us to read this.....won't it put people off "church"?....or worse off of God?
I love my church. I love all the people in my church. I appreciate that as a church we are all at different stages in our faith, and sometimes we just expect everyone to be on our wavelength....and I'm guilty of that just as I'm sure many others are too....but there is nowhere else I would rather be than in church worshipping God with like-minded people. But there's the thing..."people"......we are all human...and believe it or not, the church is full of humans...and sometimes we humans can be...dare I say it....wrong sometimes...hurtful sometimes....lacking in faith sometimes! Do I shock anyone by saying that! I shouldn't think so.
This is real life....we are not perfect. We are sinners saved by His amazing grace....but we are certainly not perfect. And you know something...I am glad about that....because if the "church" comes over to people as being faultless and perfect, if the "church" make out that everything's all rosy so as not to put folks off....then it will do just that...and I'll tell you why,....there are people out there whose lives are broken,.....who lives are far from perfect, and the church will be the last place they will ever come if in their mind we have made them believe that we the "church" never make mistakes, never have a disagreement, never SIN...they will never step inside the door. How can a broken person ever feel comfortable and feel acceptance from such a place. No...that is nonsense.
I love my church...as I've said already...I love my brothers and sisters in Christ,...and if you were to look back at all my posts you would see good times and bad times...you would see real emotions and feelings from a real person... and from a person who is encountering Jesus more and more each day. Maybe that is why the imperfections seem more annoying now, because I am realising more and more just how imperfect we are as people, as Christians and as a church.
People aren't perfect, and I don't think that will be a shock to anyone....and neither is the workplace, or your neighbourhood, or your family, or your Church! Does anyone actually think it is. Am I shocking someone out their with this gobsmacking news. I don't think so. I think people would respect the "church" more if they knew we are just as susceptible to failing just as much as everyone else. My church is no different to anyone other out there.
I don't want to be afraid of telling my experience..otherwise what's the point of even blogging. What's the point of trying to witness, if it's fake or if it's only talking about the good times and giving an unrealistic view of the Christian life and experience. I want to be like Jesus...and keep it real! But there is one thing that I really want to say and that is this. I am not perfect, my family, friends and Church are not perfect....I don't put my church down, but with comments like that...the comment I refered too....well that's not going to particulary encourage anyone either when comments are free and accessible for the "whole world" as you put it to read. Never once will I put my Lord down. Never once will I find fault with Him. We are the ones who let Him down. God is perfect......we are a work in progress...and so is the Church....why?....because the people are the "church".
So thank you for your opinion, even although you felt somehow that you had to hide your identity .....you got me passionate about something and that's always good. I thank Jesus for being the radical man that He was, and for being the wonderful Saviour that He is.
