I have to be honest I know I have not posted in a while and trust me I have a backlog of items to post, but this just could not wait. I have had many encounters in ministry and being raised in the church. From being in full time ministry for almost a full decade to being raised in church and doing ministry for 20 years. In my opinion church has gone soft. Political correctness hit and now the church has become to afraid to stand or speak out against what we believe and don’t agree with. Now, immediately I know some of you are already thinking this is all about running around like a bull in a china shop forcing our opinion on people and being some loud mouth everyone is going to hell type. But already you would be wrong. We are in need of the church to stand and take its spot as it was meant to be the Bride of Christ. I recently had a conversation with a young minister who asked me my thoughts on the church today. My answer was this, I look at the church today as Madonna from the early 90’s promiscuous and an eclectic and crazy mixture of trends with no substance. We have allowed the church to be whored out to appease the political nature of our society. We have lost the days where church leaders stood with vision, passion and resolve to lead Gods people in the direction He has called that body of believers to go. To be honest I believe whole heartedly its because church leaders have been burned and burned out leaving them with no will to fight, focus or fun left in them. We become people pleasing machines that are so consumed with making everyone feel good that we forget that we arent called to make people feel anything, we are called to equip and release people. Some of you would already say that is not the case because we are called to make people feel loved and accepted just as Jesus did. And to you I would say your right, but heres the problem, we equate love as this feeling or emotion that people have or get from being around us. But, its not our emotions are fickle and can be played on by a commercial. How many times have you cried at a dumb commercial on TV or movie. Our emotions or what makes us feel loved changes from person to person, 5 love languages ring a bell. But, heres the deal so many times we are dealing with people that just want to be loved and accepted and not get better, they are fine where they are at. So we have compromised to a church culture that doesn’t challenge us or change us, but accepts us for who we are without any effort to help us become who God created and purposed us to be. Because we have allowed this for so long we have now cultivated a church that is broken, complacent and dying. When the sick come to the Dr. the Dr. does not tell them its OK I know your sick and leave them be. This is the state of the church now, sick people don’t just stay sick they die. How much blood is on the hands of church leaders because they failed to act or just let people die because they were too scared to call them out and say this is really what you need. Now that I think about it how many malpractice suites would be given to church leaders if they were considered spiritual Dr.’s. And when I say call them out Im not talking about calling people out based on your opinion or pet peeves. Unfortunately and sadly enough there are church leaders who are all about manipulation and their will before Gods. What we need is a church where it abides by the standard of the Word of God and holds its believers to the standard of Gods word. Not this hey maybe next time but heres a trophy for trying type. And listen no ones perfect people are all at different levels of spiritual development and its hard to feed everyone, but that doesn’t mean we stop dealing with the real issues and start dealing with passive ideologies loosely based on Gods Word. We need to stand, we need to call out the ones who know better so we can redefine what a Christian is and what the church is, hospital where people who are in need get there needs met. You don’t go in for a bullet wound and come out with free liposuction because thats what you want. Its time we as church leaders preach the Word stop making excuses and apologies for it and allow it to change peoples lives. We are to be slaves to Christ not friends with opinions. Gods Word said it so we do it. I think a lot of people what to take the Word and just preach abundant life, forgiveness, mercy and grace. But at some point grace and mercy becomes debilitating. We cant overlook where people are truly are and just say grace or mercy. We have to be real with them enough to say I love you enough to bring correction and teaching to help you get better. But, American pride has spiraled out of control and now we live in a society that says do what you want anytime you want. We are called to live by the Word not the world. As a church we need to hold Christians accountable and love people who aren’t Christians. But I think we have got it backwards where we are loving the church and overlooking its sin and condemning the World. Jesus got pissed and turned tables where, the temple. Its time a holy anger and passion for righteousness over takes us and we start to clean the House of God from all the compromise and fear that has made itself at home. We love the broken the hurting and the lost, with a measure of grace and mercy that is dripping from every encounter. But, when someone makes the decision to follow Jesus its not a game its all or nothing. I cant help but think the age of accountability. We look at children and when they hit the age where they recognize right and wrong they become accountable for their actions. Why is it not that same way in the church where at a certain spiritual age or understanding they are held accountable to our actions. But, most again out of fear or uncomfortablitiy would quickly jump up and say who am I to tell them they are doing wrong. Well if its in accordance to Gods Word, aka they are going against what Gods Word says then wouldn’t it be our love for people that would say hey dont do that. But, I guess thats a hugely different definition of what Love is because apparently for most churches our love is a fake smile and quick handshake and not ever getting deeper than the surface and building a relationship that is as the Bible calls it “Iron”. One of the definitions of justice is moral rightness. Our morality as believers and church leaders is defined by the Word and we must raise up the Bride of Christ as a figure of true justice and love those who are on the streets.
