“There’s too much greed, hypocrisy and confusion.”
“It doesn’t feel like home.”
“My questions go ignored.”
“I don’t have enough time for church.”
These complaints along with many others are reasons people use to leave their church home and never return. They may voice their concerns to fellow believers and see them not taken seriously. If it’s not about your specific congregation, the church you attend, participate in ministries and pay tithes at, why take it personal?
Ephesians 1:23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Well, it is personal, very personal.
The greed is you in your Sunday’s best encouraging generous offerings from newcomers who may not be able to make ends meet. The hypocrisy is your body not following what you so passionately preach. The confusion is your mouth rattling off scripture from memory with a smile on your face but with no explanation for its application. The judgement is your eyes and ears zoomed in on the mistakes of others as they ignore personal mishaps. All of these actions fitting together to form a dirty look, a finger pointed and a shove out of the door. Think of it as dying cells, broken limbs, lack and sickness in the body.
You may feel confused or offended as you struggle to recall a time where you’ve done any of those things. But when I said take it personal, I meant it. They need an ear to listen, an explanation offered and a desire for change.
Ephesians 2:19-22 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.We are the church.
Take it personal.
