I'd like to take a quick moment and discuss something rather briefly...
I've written in the past about the "Church of Your Choice" phenomenon that is going on in our current culture and how it is so dangerous to a person's soul. That being said, there is something else that is somewhat similar happening that is equally as dangerous.
That is, namely, the idea that people feel they are entitled to place wanted ads, if you will, for churches as if they were going to interview the leadership, the ministers, look over the directories and even as much as look at the budget of a congregation before gracing the church with their presence.
It goes something like this, "Wanted: Church in our area to call our home. The church must have a vibrant youth program, worship that is in line with what I prefer, racially mixed, open to newcomers, a thriving benevolence fund, etc." Now, don't get me wrong, all of those are things that a church MUST embody (except the second one) but the attitude behind statements such as this is completely anti-Biblical. Remember, a great deal of Christianity is focused on matters of the heart, even so much so that sometimes the standing of the heart supersedes the mistakes of the body (cf. 1 John 1:7-9, Proverbs 3:5, 4:23, Romans 12:2, Matthew 5:8, etc.).
Brethren, family, friends and strangers let me speak bluntly for just a moment. We have to stop treating the church of Jesus Christ like it is our employee only there to make us feel like we are pleasing God and reaping the spiritual profit of faithfulness. The church is here to help, absolutely, but only in as much as it is here to teach and encourage the world to follow Christ, outside of any and all personal motivators. When you became a Christian through baptism, you gave up your entire being, so your criteria no longer matter. What matters is God's commands.
I've written in the past about the "Church of Your Choice" phenomenon that is going on in our current culture and how it is so dangerous to a person's soul. That being said, there is something else that is somewhat similar happening that is equally as dangerous.
That is, namely, the idea that people feel they are entitled to place wanted ads, if you will, for churches as if they were going to interview the leadership, the ministers, look over the directories and even as much as look at the budget of a congregation before gracing the church with their presence.
It goes something like this, "Wanted: Church in our area to call our home. The church must have a vibrant youth program, worship that is in line with what I prefer, racially mixed, open to newcomers, a thriving benevolence fund, etc." Now, don't get me wrong, all of those are things that a church MUST embody (except the second one) but the attitude behind statements such as this is completely anti-Biblical. Remember, a great deal of Christianity is focused on matters of the heart, even so much so that sometimes the standing of the heart supersedes the mistakes of the body (cf. 1 John 1:7-9, Proverbs 3:5, 4:23, Romans 12:2, Matthew 5:8, etc.).
Brethren, family, friends and strangers let me speak bluntly for just a moment. We have to stop treating the church of Jesus Christ like it is our employee only there to make us feel like we are pleasing God and reaping the spiritual profit of faithfulness. The church is here to help, absolutely, but only in as much as it is here to teach and encourage the world to follow Christ, outside of any and all personal motivators. When you became a Christian through baptism, you gave up your entire being, so your criteria no longer matter. What matters is God's commands.
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