Conditional Church

 

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."

John 6: 37 

There used to be a running joke among a few of my Christian friends of those who would stop at nothing to ensure that you were in "Gods house" on Sunday morning.  You may have run into a few like them.  The believer who asks which service you were in...because he didn't see you.  These busy bodies always amused me with their Sunday church or else attitude.  However, there were times where I'd notice that one of them came up missing on a Sunday morning as well.  Funny thing, when I would inquire where they were they would suddenly get defensive.  I guess what's good for a few isn't for everyone.  What this post is about is compulsion, and how we Christians use it to our advantage.  We can, and have, compelled others in the faith to attend churches, give tithes and to serve in the church as well.  Now, you don't need to be a bible scholar to understand that this practice of compulsion is dead wrong.  For I do not recall God compelling anyone to believe in Him.  I do not recall Jesus compelling anyone to follow Him.  The apostle Paul also warns us to never do anything under compulsion {2 Corinthians 9:7}.  Now, in context, Paul was speaking to giving, but you get the idea.  Using compulsion to coerce someone into a church service or study is far off the beaten path of Gods intentions.  There is a reason by which He created us with the freedom to make our own choices.  I do not believe that God desired robots who would blindly follow Him, but believers who would desire to know Him.  Yes, we can be one with the Father if we are forced to, but what good is that?  For once you are forced into something, you eventually began looking for a way out.  Is it any wonder why so many are leaving the mainstream churches in our country?  

"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Fathers hand.  I and the Father are one." 

John 10: 29 NKJV 

I have a pretty good idea as to why there has been a exodus from our churches.  It starts with the cookie cutter theology which we have been teaching for so long.  In the eyes of the church, if we need something, we pray.  God would never deny His own children, right?  Well, the funny thing about that is that too many people get caught up on that hamster wheel of prayer and come away disappointed.  I was one of them.  Too many believers today are shunning the traditional trappings of organized church to look for something more personal.  Be it a closer relationship with Jesus or a more personal relation to another religion, people desire that personal connection.  Sadly, that personal connection is difficult to find in a large congregation.  So, what does the church do to stem the flow of people leaving the traditional church?  Well, for one they try to jazz it up with more modern music, flashy buildings and sermons aimed at the difficulties of life.  Nice try.  I have rarely seen a struggling church turn to seeking to know more about Jesus.  I have rarely seen a church that is losing members pause and say "Let's find out the truth of what Paul was saying."  What was Paul telling us?  Paul was proclaiming to us the truth of Christ Jesus.  It was Paul who speaks to the knowing of Christ in us {Galatians 2:20}.  It is Jesus who is important, not the church.  The fact is, we are the church of Christ Jesus, with Him at the head.  Then again, you don't hear that message from the pulpit too much either.

~Scott~