Sunday, June 28, 2009

CHURCH

The truth is, a lot of people are bitter toward the church today. Some of their offenses have come because they have viewed the church as legalistic, having a religious spirit, Pharisaical, full of condemnation. Sometimes there has been a lack of love. But the church isn’t perfect because you and I aren’t perfect. On the other hand, there are plenty of times when God’s fingerprints are all over the church – as it reaches out … as it shows compassion … as it cares for people – and then, one moment later, someone does or says something stupid and insensitive that rocks us back to reality. It is then that the church becomes exactly what she is … a gathering of imperfect, broken people in desperate need of mutual healing.

That’s why, as followers of Christ, we have to be so careful to keep our focus on GOD and His love and His peace and His hope and His mission. Today, too many churches hold in contempt the very people Jesus would be most compassionate toward. Religion so often ends up putting rules and regulations ahead of loving people.

Jesus came to LOWER the entry bar, not RAISE it. He is the ultimate ‘come as you are’ Savior. Anything we do to unduly raise the bar sabotages the work He came to do. I guess I’m saying that I’m committed to keeping 'unscripturally high-bar Christianity' OUT of the church I’m called to help lead. We work hard to keep the bar where JESUS put it – not higher – not lower. We make every effort to avoid presenting cultural values, traditions, and extra-Biblical rules and regulations as if they’re on par with Scripture. They’re not.

And here is the coolest thing of all with what God is doing in the church today -- especially if you're already a believer. YOU, believer, get the most exciting job of all in the Kingdom. YOU get to be the one standing there with arms wide open, welcoming the hurting in here. That’s the best job on the list. We're the ones who get to stand up front and say:

Hey you – with the shriveled hand, come in here.
You with the prison sentence – come here.
You who struggle with your sexual identity – come here.
You – in bed last night with someone who wasn’t your spouse – come on in.
We love you – we want to help you, not condemn you – because Jesus calls people to the front that religion pushes to the back.'

And I challenge my church - KFA - that THAT would describe us every day.

And be blessed.

1 comment:

Dr Phil said...

A few years ago, I preached a series patterned after the Jeff Foxworthy comedy, "You Might Be A Redneck If...", titled "You Might Be A Hypocrite If..." It actually was pretty well received. I also wanted to let you know I appreciated the emotion, the zeal, of your sermon this morning.