Politics brings out the good, the bad, and the ugly in people doesn't it? Don't worry, this isn't a political post. I don't like to go there. This is an observation that birthed out of the crazitown that is this election year. It seems the public, or shall I say the media, likes to talk a lot about the way the Christian will vote and this year is no exception. Will they stay the course on the conservative train or, gasp, pull to the left?
Two thousand sixteen ushered in a dark horse. This dark horse has sent the world, and the church, spiraling. As I sit back and watch it all unfold, I wonder if we have become a churched society instead of a saved one.
It's no surprise that most of my friends attend church on Sunday morning. I live in the middle of the Bible belt. Churches are found on almost every corner. When we first moved here, I thought everything was closed on Sundays because literally no one was on the roads or in stores. They were all at church. While I love this and love that people are attending church, I wonder if it is more of a habit or societal norm rather than a desire for relationship.
Here's the deal: many that claim to be of the church and in the church are supporting someone who goes to far beyond what Jesus wanted the church to stand for. This person is so far away from Truth that it absolutely blows my mind. These are pastors, church leaders, dedicated church goers, and the like supporting something that goes against the very thing Jesus stood for. Verse after verse tells of a very different view than the one these church leaders and church goers are supporting. Of course this got my mind spinning. Are we more of a churched group rather than a saved one?
Let me explain. There's a BIG difference between knowing and believing. A pastor I know used to say something to the extent of, it's only about twelve inches from the head to the heart but it's a long way to travel; a long way from knowing to believing. I can recite countless Scripture I have memorized. In the same way, I can post fancy meme's proclaiming my adoration of the Lord and awesome quotes that will rock your soul. This doesn't mean I believe. I can go through the motions of attending church every Sunday and go to Bible study like a good Christian girl gaining tons of knowledge to fill my brain but it never reaches my heart. Is this an epidemic in our churches? Are we sending ourselves into a tailspin of knowledge without belief? If so, we are going to crash and crash hard.
We live in a country where we equate the United States with Christianity as if you are born into it. It's like a box to be checked on your voter registration card. Caucasian? Check. Female? Check. Christian? Check. We are lost because we aren't making a connection between the head and the heart. We have the knowledge in abundance but it gets lost somewhere as it travels the short distance in those twelve inches and never reaches the heart. If it did, we would see a transformation. We would see people surrendering to a life like Christ's daily instead of a life lived in routine or in a state of, "that's what I am supposed to do." The truths of Scripture would be welded on our souls so ferociously that the world, our country, would look much different than it does today.
Church, religion, is not a societal norm or birthright. It's not something we do to fill our Sunday mornings. We don't get into Heaven by going to confession enough times or saying the right prayer. Church is Christ. Church is loving like Jesus did. Church is sacrifice because we have a deep desire to give of ourselves because He first gave to us. Church is beyond the motions. It's a relationship with a Savior that fills every void like nothing else can. Maybe if we made church more about a relationship with Jesus and less about an identification, we would be in less of a mess. It's time to stop being churched and start being saved.
"Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,…" 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
To the unbeliever:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
To the Church:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Two thousand sixteen ushered in a dark horse. This dark horse has sent the world, and the church, spiraling. As I sit back and watch it all unfold, I wonder if we have become a churched society instead of a saved one.
It's no surprise that most of my friends attend church on Sunday morning. I live in the middle of the Bible belt. Churches are found on almost every corner. When we first moved here, I thought everything was closed on Sundays because literally no one was on the roads or in stores. They were all at church. While I love this and love that people are attending church, I wonder if it is more of a habit or societal norm rather than a desire for relationship.
Here's the deal: many that claim to be of the church and in the church are supporting someone who goes to far beyond what Jesus wanted the church to stand for. This person is so far away from Truth that it absolutely blows my mind. These are pastors, church leaders, dedicated church goers, and the like supporting something that goes against the very thing Jesus stood for. Verse after verse tells of a very different view than the one these church leaders and church goers are supporting. Of course this got my mind spinning. Are we more of a churched group rather than a saved one?
Let me explain. There's a BIG difference between knowing and believing. A pastor I know used to say something to the extent of, it's only about twelve inches from the head to the heart but it's a long way to travel; a long way from knowing to believing. I can recite countless Scripture I have memorized. In the same way, I can post fancy meme's proclaiming my adoration of the Lord and awesome quotes that will rock your soul. This doesn't mean I believe. I can go through the motions of attending church every Sunday and go to Bible study like a good Christian girl gaining tons of knowledge to fill my brain but it never reaches my heart. Is this an epidemic in our churches? Are we sending ourselves into a tailspin of knowledge without belief? If so, we are going to crash and crash hard.
We live in a country where we equate the United States with Christianity as if you are born into it. It's like a box to be checked on your voter registration card. Caucasian? Check. Female? Check. Christian? Check. We are lost because we aren't making a connection between the head and the heart. We have the knowledge in abundance but it gets lost somewhere as it travels the short distance in those twelve inches and never reaches the heart. If it did, we would see a transformation. We would see people surrendering to a life like Christ's daily instead of a life lived in routine or in a state of, "that's what I am supposed to do." The truths of Scripture would be welded on our souls so ferociously that the world, our country, would look much different than it does today.
Church, religion, is not a societal norm or birthright. It's not something we do to fill our Sunday mornings. We don't get into Heaven by going to confession enough times or saying the right prayer. Church is Christ. Church is loving like Jesus did. Church is sacrifice because we have a deep desire to give of ourselves because He first gave to us. Church is beyond the motions. It's a relationship with a Savior that fills every void like nothing else can. Maybe if we made church more about a relationship with Jesus and less about an identification, we would be in less of a mess. It's time to stop being churched and start being saved.
"Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,…" 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
To the unbeliever:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
To the Church:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
Love & Blessings,
Meg
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