What Is The Church?

What is the church?

Below is a post I made last year when yet another Pastor had a moral failure and it’s news spread fast. Today as I learned about Hillsong’s founder Brian Houston and the scandal that is unfolding, my heart is broken AGAIN. Why? I write about this quite a bit in my book The Process of a Leader that came out in January but I want to talk briefly about what the church and what it isn’t. When we as church-going Christians get it wrong we can accidentally feed into the very system being created to platform unhealthy ministers.

The church is not a place where a celebrity pastor is to be worshiped or a worship leader is to be praised. Encouraged, yes! Worshiped and given icon status? No.

The church is not a place where perfect people gather on Sundays to affirm that they’re in the right group happy that only they were included. (Don’t assume that either) The church isn’t a place where Christians go to celebrate that they are not like that other church - the one doing it wrong.

The church is not a dystopian subculture where we hide our problems or believe we have none.

The church is not a group of Republicans gathered to stand against a political party. Some of you may need to read that again. If that one hurt it may be because you spend more time watching Fox News than you do in God’s Word.

The church is not “preachers in sneakers” or a place where any man is elevated above the other. It’s not a place for selfies or self-anything.

The church, the real church of Jesus Christ, is a group of people who are overjoyed that they are forgiven of their sins, past, present and future. They are so grateful that Jesus was willing to forgive them and give them right standing with Father God again. This gratitude displays itself in humility.

The church is a group of individuals who know that they are being gradually formed into the image of their older brother Jesus who left His throne in heaven to save us. They do this by allowing the Holy Spirit to teach them to die to self and to prefer others above themselves. (Phill 2) They realize that like Paul said “I am nothing” and “Christ be glorified” They don’t elevate a name or a brand to be of equal status with the Lord.

The church is a group of Jesus followers who believe that Jesus really can save and restore any person whether it’s a religious, cynical zealot or a murderer on death row. The real church knows that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. All are welcome. All are loved. All are invited to join God‘s family. All are invited to leave their regrets behind, ask hard questions, and grow together in their faith.

The real church does not push aside or push out its members who begin to question their faith or how to apply it. Rather, they open the Word together and decide that only the Bible is the truest truth and know that it is able to give us the answer to the question at hand. They also know that when the answer is not explicit in the Bible, we assume that our brother or sister has a relationship with the Holy Spirit of God who is guiding them in their own faith journey. The church gives grace for people to grow because they are also the family of God. They don’t talk down to a brother or sister who is struggling but rather wraps their arms around them, loves them and listens. They say like Jesus “You’re forgiven. No one is here to accuse you or throw stones. But go and sin no more” The church knows that Jesus loves us enough to invite us into a better way to live when we’re making destructive life choices.

The real church is passionate about living according to God‘s Word because they believe it is the infallible truth, the written words of God. They believe that even if something is hard or uncomfortable to do, if it is in God’s word and reflects the ways of God‘s heart, that it is the right thing to do and they know they will be judged one day at the judgment seat of Christ. The real church knows that true judgment is not in the court of public opinion now but rather in the courts of heaven ... then. The church is a group of people who stand in truth and walk in love.

I love THE CHURCH. I get to “work” in the “Church” We don’t always get it right. But we’re trying. We’re trying because Jesus is worthy and people are God’s prized posession. This is why we grapple with two things: First, being “all things to all people in order to reach some” ... welcoming every person ... GRACE

A good example of this would be a pastor friend of mine who told me recently they had to put ash trays/containers out front of their church doors bc so many addicts were getting saved and coming to Recovery Nights!

Second, being true - true to God’s Word, never changing its message or meaning based on cultural demands or even a church member’s feelings ... TRUTH

I love THE CHURCH because of what I get to see each and every day is a group of people who support each other with meals and prayers when their brother or sister is hurting. The church is statistically proven to be the first to respond to tragedies, the most generous in giving their money to people in need across the globe whether it’s a hurricane or landslide or tornado... Who shows up? Christians from around the world with food and water and supplies on semi trucks! Where did it come from? Christians who gave. That’s why I LOVE the church! In our foster care classes, what type of people do we meet the most? Christians. Christians from area churches who realized that foster care is one of the most basic ways we can be Christlike and turn the tide of a hurting world, stopping a cycle of hurt “turning the hearts of the children to the Father.”

So do you have questions that you can’t seem to get answered? Do you have fears that maybe you got it all wrong? Do you have regrets from decisions you’ve made? Do you wonder about the future and what it holds? Do you notice the moving goal posts of what is considered right and wrong in culture? Then I invite you to join the church. I don’t even invite you to join my church. I mean yes, I would love for you to come. But my prayer is not so much that you would join my church but that you would join THE church. THE church is global. It’s everlasting. It’s not a fad or movement that will one day fade. We’re learning what it means to follow Jesus’ example until the day we meet Him in the air. I hope you’ll join ... THE CHURCH and find what we found - JESUS to be all you’ve every wanted! A man can never replace your relationship with God. If you’re struggling because a pastor at a church that you love or attend or even followed online has had a moral failure, don’t give up. Put your hope in Christ! It is JESUS CHRIST our eyes are fixed on for we know that JESUS will come back for a bride that is in love with Him. It is JESUS who we worship. It is JESUS who we live for. Man will fail us but Jesus will not. We will not ignore the gift that is the church - that Jesus gave us (Eph 4) but rather, treat it with care and patience knowing that apart from God’s grace, we too would fall and fall quick. We need the Bridegroom, a relationship with Jesus that is far deeper than any relationship we have with our pastor or church but we also need the church to confront us in love when we’ve gone astray. We need that friend to pray for us, prophesy life to us and hold us to God’s Word. We need both Christ and His church but we certainly don’t need celebrity pastors. Is it wrong to have a crowd? No. Jesus had crowds. Crowds don’t equal compromise. Crowds may follow the life of a man or woman of God purring God’s best in a life of integrity and crowds may not. It doesn’t matter. What matters is faithfulness. Jesus will say to us “Well done good and faithful steward” not “well done good and successful steward.” Let’s take our eyes of success and return to sonship.

#Sonship #TheProcessofaLeader #TheChurch #Church