Church and the World

Church and the World


I will talk about the church and the image of the church and the attitude of the people who attend church.  What I really want to go into is how this image and our attitude have hurt the church and how we, as representatives of God, have sabotaged how the church is perceived.  I would also like to purpose an alternative, as you knew I would.

First, it is the word Church itself.  Nothing wrong with that but I think, in today's world, the word Church has a bad name.  Not for people who go but for those that do not.  And, it has some connotations that are negative, or maybe not negative, but connotations that are not what they should be.

When you say Church to non-believers, they conjure up a set of rules and a belief in something that may not be there.  It means a place that is too be avoided.  A place where people will try to talk to you about things you would rather not talk about.  It is the belief that the people in the church will always try to convert you and they all feel they are superior to you and are always in judgement of you.  People who go to church are different and something that cannot be related to or talked to without a lecture on how you should live and how you should be changing your life.  That what you are doing is wrong and what you choose to do in life is not the right way to do things.

People who do not go to church are seen as inferior by those that do.  They are treated like they are less important than those who do go to church.  The attitude of those that go to church is one of superiority and not related to every day life and the people who live it.

When I say that, it is immediately rejected.  We are the children of God.  We do not look down upon anyone.  It is the other guy, not me. That is what we try to tell ourselves.  That is how we see ourselves. We wouldn't do that. We are good and kind and want the best for everyone.  We believe in something and it is so powerful, we have to make sure everyone else believes in it too.  It is God's will.

Jesus never said that. God never intended it that way.

God loves everyone.  Everyone.  No matter what their religion or non-religion or good deeds or bad deeds.  Jesus Christ forgave us for out sins.  (I have something further to say about that, but once again, another time.) We can do nothing that will diminish God's love for us.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Understand that.  Nothing we do will change how much God loves us. It is not just 'God's people' he loves.  It is not just the chosen ones. It is not just the ones who follow His path and obey His rules.  It is everyone. He loves the Muslims, the Buddhist, the agnostic and the atheist.  Every one has the love of God.  There is nothing we can do to change that.

So what does this have to do with the Church and the connotations of that word.  It means that we, God's children, do not get to judge, do not get to criticize, do not get to hold ourselves above any other of God's children.  We are all equal in His eyes. We are all forgiven. Every one of us.

All we can do, as Christians, is be an example to the rest of the world. We need to be not only the followers but the image of Jesus Christ. We live by what is right.  Not that we are always right, but we try to live by the principles that God has set forth. That is our only job as Christians.  Do the right thing.  A favorite subject of mine.

But how does this relate to the perceived bad name of the 'church' I am speaking about. Well, that is how we, as Christians, have hurt the image of the church.  We hold ourselves superior and we attempt to impose our will, or what we call God's will, on others.  We try to use the power of God to convert or change those around us.  We think we can influence someone to move closer to God and therefore allow them to walk the path that God has intended.

And, we can. We must. But God wants to tell you that you can do it in a better way.  You do it by being the example. By doing the right thing. By following the life of Christ and trying to be like Him in every way you can.  We live a righteous and just life.  We are not always right, but it is the effort to try to be right that others will see.  That others, outside the church, will perceive.  They will notice those around them that have a meaning and a purpose to their lives.  The will notice that there is somehow something different about you, because you are always trying to do the right thing.

Maybe they will not see what you do as the right thing, but they will notice that you have a plan and an idea about what or how things should be done.  And that plan is God's plan, as much as you can make of it.  You try.

And how does this help the image of the church.  Because we need to stop beating people up with God.  Stop telling them what they are doing is wrong. Stop trying to 'convert' them to your way of thinking.  It puts people off.  It does not represent the words and life of Jesus Christ.  It is your effort, by a man, to show your perceived superiority over those that do not believe as you do.  It is not the work of God, it is the work of the church and of Man.

Stop it.

The way you influence and truly convert people to the ways of Christ is by example.  You live what you believe. You do what is right.  It is not your job or position to criticize or judge or attempt to convert any other person to the ways of God. That is God's decision. That is up to God to lead these people to you and use you as an example of how to live His life and how to be a Christian.  If you live by the life of Christ, then people will notice and they will pay attention.  If you try to force your way of thinking onto others, then they will not listen and they will not pay attention and they will see God as a perpetrator of rules and religious jargon that they cannot live by.  It is too big of a jump to move from living without God to giving their lives completely to God.  Yes, some will follow.  There are people that will get the revelation and move into the body of Christ.  But if you truly want to move people to a better way of life and a vision of what God has intended, then you have to be the example and not the hammer.

To get people into the 'church', do it by living a life that is like Christ. Get them into the body by being the body. Invite them in. Let them see how you live. Let them notice that you are happy and content, no matter what your circumstances. That is does not matter what is happening around you, in your finances, in your marriage, in your life, you always seem to take it in stride.  You always seem to be in control. You are different.

People will notice. People will wonder. People will want to know what it is that you have that allows you to be a good person. And that is key, you have to be a good person. Always, all the time. When people become curious, when they begin to wonder how you do it and they begin to ask, that is when you tell them it is because you follow the teachings of Christ. That it is His power that you allow to flow through and control you. That the only way you can be content is to have Jesus Christ in your life and allow him to guide and help you in all ways.

People will listen.  Maybe not everyone, maybe only one. But that is not what we are about.  We live according God and if others are converted or not converted that is not how we measure our success. We are successful in our lives because we know what God wants and we follow that life.  We are the examples of God's power here on Earth.  We are the children of God.

Some will say it says in the Bible that we will know them by their works. And before I offend every Christian who reads this, I need to say I have some things to say about the Bible and how we interpret what it says. Not to say I do not agree with everything the Bible has to say, I do think there is an issue with how we as Christians interpret the Bible to fit our own needs. But that is a major undertaking for me to explain that and I hope by simply saying those words I do not turn people off from what I, or God, has asked me to say.

Saying we will know them by their works could mean we will know them in how they live their lives. Not by how many people they convert or how many churches they found or how many people they have healed. Those are examples of God but it does not diminish that the number one way we can show God's works is by living the life God has intended for us. That is how we will convert the world to the ways of Jesus Christ.  Not by the flashy miracles, or the big booming church or even the success we might have in life.

We convert people to God by being the example.  We show them that there is a better way of life. We show them that we have a guide and if they follow that guide, they too can be happy.

It is that simple. Because we do not have control over when the miracles happen, or when the sick are healed or when the blessings will come. When we try to make those things happen, it can only lead to failure. We have to live by what is right and if we do that, all the other things will come. Stop putting the results ahead of the efforts.  Do the right thing, live according to Christ and everything else will take care of itself.

Stop beating up the world with God. They don't deserve it. They are the children of God as much as you are. They deserve your love and your respect and your help. Because that is what Jesus was all about. Helping others, whether they deserve it or not in your eyes. God loves them. We should to.