Don’t look for a perfect church, but for a church where imperfect people are trusted to hear God, listened to and not just lectured.
When church replaced the awe of God for the sound of a sermon, it became more about lecture than about life. Since “talk is cheap,” why does church focus on sermon illustrations instead of on living demonstrations of the risen Jesus?
When a church meets to let Christ be active in people’s lives, the most amazing miracles begin to happen. Everyday people meetinng in an environment where they’re free to hear and obey God’s Spirit demonstrate that interactive, Spirit-led participation is much more powerful than mere lecture learning.
Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” — not “the directions, the religion, and the lecture.” For God to show us His glory, we need to get our religion, our control, & our sins out of His way. (“Quench not the Spirit.”) Here’s a challenge: The next time you go to church, don’t passively quench the Spirit, but listen to God and do whatever He prompts you to do.
Titles separate people. A title puts one above another and opens the door for comparison, control, intimidation, and inequality. The expression “pastoral leadership” isn’t in the Bible, but the words “led by the Spirit” are.
I believe that Christ followers are called to seek truth and love, not political advantage. When the desire for political correctness replaces the desire for moral correctness the concept of ethics becomes meaningless. However, the determination to be kind enriches people’s lives much more than the determination to be in control does.
Both weeds and vegetables grow in a human heart. If you don’t discern the difference and remove the weeds, you’ll be a mess.
