This article really jumped at me today as I was casually scrolling through facebook. I was particularly struck by the sections on 'the mission and message of their churches was vague'. Now with all the recent talk about missional communities and being in the middle of Love Beyond, I am reminded that the Church exists more than just a community of people who gather and spend time together, laughing and enjoying each other's company. The Church
It's crazy how Church has become, more like comfort and entertainment than barracks to equip soldiers for warfare. Great benefits will draw people to join the army but if that is all it is about then the army will never be able to fight a war. That is exactly what is happening in the spiritual landscape in today's age where Truth is substituted for whatever is appealing and convenient.
To be honest, if I didn't know better, if I were a non-believer and my impression of what Christianity is all about is what I see in so many other places and in so many other people, I would probably become an atheist too.
We have neglected what the Church was commissioned to do, spending more time singing songs with upbeat music hyping ourselves up, listening to sermons about how much God loves us and about hope and about fluffy beautiful love. We have become less of a spiritual force and more of a commercial organisation. No wonder people are skeptical.
Where is the power of the Church?
And when people find that all that feel good sermons don't translate to real life, they become disillusioned. They fail to realise that Christianity never preached a wonderful life but instead clearly stated that Christians will be persecuted, they will suffer, they will die. That the Bible doesn't speak of a God who gives you everything you want and makes you rich and happy but of us denying ourselves, surrendering our lives to God and to be content in every circumstance.
The state of the Church today honestly scares me. Yes, I'm truly thankful and glad to see that there still are a good many Christians who understand and fight for the truth. Unfortunately if I had to make a guess, I would think that majority of Christians don't really know Christ. And Christianity without Christ is just a philosophy which has similarities but ultimately is not the Truth.
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Also, another interesting post about Bono of U2. The comments are interesting too, with some discussion on moving beyond the four walls of the Church, until the glen dude comes in of course then it degrades into what happens to youtube videos on Christianity. Not that I think he is all wrong and the Christians are all correct but somehow all these conflicts online just don't end well meh.
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