So I kinda went off the grid for a little while... it wasn't that I had "writer's block" or anything, actually I have TONS of things I've been thinking about blogging... but it was more like I took a "writer's break"..is that even a thing? I don't know but I had to take one. I guess what caused my blogging and social media absence was based on deep discouragement and frustration over things that I was reading coming from the "Christian Community", not just people all over the world but people I have known forever, people who I have looked up to and admired, and frankly a whole lot of people that should know better. Truth is Truth and when people decide to change who God is or who He calls us to be in order to become super popular with ya know..."all the lost people out there who need Jesus"..... I get irritated. I get frustrated. I get sad. And even though I had a lot of things on my mind and heart to write about, I didn't want to write them out of frustration or anger.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with being angry or frustrated with the twisting of the Truth, God wants us to be grieved over the same things that grieve His heart. There is a place for anger within a Child of God...a holy anger against the things that mock God and lead people astray.
This is not a "fun" or "feel good" post, but since I have no real genre to my writing, you basically get whatever is on my heart at the time, and I have a feeling that I am not the only Child of God that is dealing with these frustrations and discouragements within the "Christian Community". I am not trying to demean "all Christians" or seem to be "against" Church in general....BUT, There IS the Beautiful Body of Christ that is moving and functioning as one vessel completely in love with their Creator and this BODY is unified in Christ all over the world. AND THEN there is a whole lot of people claiming to be the Body of Christ but are nothing more than hopefuls for the Kingdom but unwilling to lay down their lives to get it. God calls this: Sheep and the Goats. Righteous and Unrighteous. And there is a steep price for both...One will pay now, and One will pay later.
A new friend of mine made a comment about how frustrating it is to see more and more churches going "Hollywood" and I couldn't agree with her more. Why do we feel the need to "sell" Jesus to people? He IS already everything they need, why do we have to make Him Bigger and Better and more Fun and Popular... does He really need that much help to appeal to the broken, the captives, the hopeless, the lost? And yes here's a rant....WHAT IS WITH ALL THE SMOKE AND LIGHTS?????
I believe God wants us to be relevant to the World around us but I do not believe God is okay with us going to "whatever" length we need to "give people what they want....so they'll come to Jesus and give Him a chance"...hey, people need Jesus period. It's our job to show people Jesus and it's His job to give them an experience. I think we've gotten confused along the way and the "church" is looking more and more like the world everyday and less and less like the real Jesus.
There are a lot of sheep out there, and there are a lot of wolves. And it IS our responsibility to not blindly follow anyone who claims to know something about God. It IS our responsibility to KNOW God and His Truth for ourselves. We must recognize the flat out lies and all the MANY half-truths being taught and lived out in our "Christian" world today. Start holding each other accountable and most of all, start holding yourself accountable for the things you believe, you practice, and you share with others. Being a Child of God is a very serious thing. I'm talking to the Believer that "gets it" right now and wants to really understand what it means to "live for Christ". It's not easy, it's the hardest thing you will ever do...because it is so much bigger than you. But it is sooooo worth it. So even though this is not a "fun" topic or a very "uplifting" post... be encouraged my Brothers and Sisters in Christ... there are others that are grieving along with you over the state of the "church" today and know that the real BODY OF CHRIST is everywhere, strong, and functioning as it was designed.... Loving the Creator and DAILY striving to be the Child of God He's calling us all to be.
So what are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do in the face of this chaotic and clearly misguided time within our "Christian Community around the World"? .... I have been praying and pondering over this looming question for several weeks now, and the answer is the same one I had moments after I asked the first time.... the answer: keep speaking Truth.
We are only as close to God as we choose to be, we are only as knowledgeable about His Word and His Character as we choose to be, we are only as clueless or wise about what His desires are for His Children as we choose to be. He has ALREADY given us everything we need to know and He has already told us to seek Him in ALL things and to know Him well. It's OUR choice what we do with that. It's OUR choice what we allow ourselves to believe. And it's OUR choice whether we will walk obediently or disobediently. SO... all I can do is daily strive to know Him more (this is not some cute saying but a lot of determination to make Him the MOST important part of my day, everyday). I MUST rightly divide the TRUTH in scripture and in EVERYTHING I hear and allow myself to believe. I MUST make sure that as I pass on TRUTH to those around me, that it IS actual Godly, Biblical TRUTH. I have a responsibility First as a Child of God to LIVE out what I believe, trust what I believe in, and know 100% that what I believe is absolute Truth. Secondly as a leader in the Body of Christ, in worship, in my women's ministry, in all of the people that I have the opportunity to speak into their life and any amount of influence that I may have... I must make sure that I am at ALL times...not sharing Darby's opinion but sharing God's opinion....because His opinion is all that matters in this life. BIG RESPONSIBILITY we have as Believers, to make sure WE aren't getting in the way of someone finding Jesus and truly understanding what it means to FOLLOW HIM.
I am still saddened by the things I read and see and hear, coming from fellow "Christians"....and that's okay because I know that it grieves my Heavenly Father's heart so much more. But I am determined now more than ever that I must continue to hold myself accountable to always SEEK the Truth, always SPEAK the Truth, and NEVER be intimidated or afraid to SHARE the Truth with whomever or wherever it is needed. This means that yes I will disagree with other leaders, pastors, teachers, brothers and sisters... oh well. God's Truth should always be our number one priority in the Body of Christ... and if it isn't...God tells us what to do in those circumstances as well... some people would be surprised to see what God says about that. But please, don't just take my word for it...look it up for yourselves! How about we all start doing a little more seeking God for ourselves and a little less using christian facebook quotes as our foundation of faith?
It's not easy....but you are not alone. Stay strong sweet friends, we are in this journey together!
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