What Good Is The Modern Church?

I have been wondering for a long while just what good the current church system is.  Now don't get me wrong - I am not new to the faith, I cut my teeth practically on a church pew, so I've been around it for almost my entire soon to be 42 years of life.  While I admit that this christian walk has not been done very well by me, it has not been until recently that I really started questioning just who/what this Christianity thing should really be/look like.  What I am discovering is that we are Americanized christians, NOT Biblical christians. 

Several weeks ago, I attended a graduation and I was "people watching".  Having lived in this town my entire life, I saw many people I knew, many people who attended a local church, but as I was watching people, I saw afresh what God had shown me a couple of years ago.  There is nothing different about the people who call themselves Christians and those who don't claim christianity at all.  This was also the same weekend that the false prophet was claiming the rapture would be taking place by 6 pm on a Saturday night (the exact date eludes me right now, but I'm sure you all remember it - it was all over the news).  Of course, 6 pm came and went and no rapture took place.  But I felt the Lord dropped something into my heart that night as I was people watching.  When the rapture does take place it is going to be a very sad day for most "Christians".  Matthew 7:21-23 says:

 ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

As I have been thinking about this over the past few weeks, it has gripped my heart in such a way that I cannot think about it without grieving.  When/how did the church become nothing more than a social club?  Why is sin condoned in our churches?

I grew up in church and one that was pretty strict as a rule, but rules did not keep sin out of hearts.  Of course, I didn't realize a lot of it until I became an adult.  Shortly after I was married and we moved into our first house, our neighbor and I were talking and he asked me if I was part of the local wife swapping club?  I didn't even understand what he was talking about - that's how naieve I was.  Then he proceeded to tell me names of people in the local First Baptist Church who were part of it, names of prominent buisness people I had known of my entire life!  I was shocked!  That was just the beginning of the unveiling however....  my brother worked for a local farmer who would cuss like a sailor then say he had to get home to study for his Sunday School class.  The local lawyer in town is known to be a crook and also an "upstanding member of the local First Baptist Church".  He and several cohorts (also fine members of same church) steal cattle and one of them is also a Sunday School teacher.  But it isn't just in one church.  The Christian Church has had some members attending for years who are divorced from their spouses because of their affair.  They still attend and act like there is nothing wrong with their affair and, in fact, one even stated that God was okay with her divorce because her husband drank (though he never was abusive to her or their children).  So, let me see if I get this right.... God approves of extramarital affairs but not drinking?  And the local Methodist church had a piano player who lived with her spouse for 2 years before they got married and their current worship leader is living with his girlfriend - no plans to marry as of yet.  And those are just the "biggies" that everyone in town knows and talks about.

But what about the homes of these people who call themselves Christians?  Most of the people that I know who attend church have been attending for years, but what do their lives show for it?  Very seldom do you see a woman or even a young girl dressing modestly.  Marriages and homes are totally dysfunctional but bless God, they attend church so they are Christians.  Is this what Scripture teaches?  In the OT, multiple times God instructed the children of Israel to occupy/overtake a land that He gave them, but He told them to NOT take on the ways of the pagan culture.  But time and time again, His people would convert to the ways of the pagans.  God's anger would be kindled and He would send hard times their way and then in their distress they would repent, turn back to the ways of God and walk in victory again.  But it never lasted long.  They would always begin to conform to the ways of the culture they were living in. Doesn't this sound like the church you attend?  I see nothing that separates the churchgoer from the nonchurchgoer.  In fact, I think some nonchurchgoers are more honest and upright than many of the people I go to church with.

How can someone "get saved" and quit the obvious sins, such as drinking, smoking, partying, but still treat his wife harshly with his words and actions?  How can you "get saved" and nothing about your attitude or work ethic change?  How can you "get saved" and continue to have adulterous relationships?  How can you "get saved" and practice ways to cheat people?  And NEVER feel convicted? 

This may be harsh, but pastors are not preaching or teaching the true Word of God if people's lives are not being changed.  God describes for us what the symptoms of a lukewarm church are in Revelation and He also tells us what He does with those people - he vomits them out of His mouth.  (Read Revelations 3 for yourself and see if you see yourself in it).

Bottom line for me is this - the church in America has become so far removed from what God established and what Christ died for, that I have serious doubts about how staggering the rapture really will be to the world we live in, or maybe I should say to America.  Will we even notice when it happens?  I think the churches are still going to be as full as they are now.  What?  You say that God is a God of grace and mercy?  I believe He is a God of grace and mercy too, but I also believe He is a Holy and a Just God and His Word tells us too many times what He expects out of His children.  After all, the price for our entrance to Heaven was very dear to God - it was the life of His Son, not only His death, but the staggering beating He took, the shame, and the humiliation He endured, all paid so that we could have eternal life in Heaven instead of hell.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so based on Matthew 7, but if I'm wrong, I still get to go to heaven according to the current church's practices.  But if I'm right, then it really will be a sad day when the rapture takes place. 

And lest you think I am just pointing fingers at certain individuals, I am not.  I have been utterly convicted of my American christianity and I long to be a child that God can be proud of and one that will be truly welcomed into His kingdom, hearing Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."  Don't you want to do everything you can to be in that place too and not being told He doesn't even know who you are?  As I have pondered this over the past few weeks, my heart has broken.  No longer can I just sit back and "hope" that my friends and family are "good enough" to get to Heaven.  God's Word is TRUE and we can trust Him to do just what His Word says, and He has already shown us how much he loves us by sending His own Son to pay the price for our sin.  We can show Him how much we love Him by how obedient we are to following His ways.

I pray for you.  I pray for us all.

The Challenge of Change

I found myself in the drive-thru lane at KFC/Taco Bell last night and while sitting there I started to reflect on just exactly what had led me to be there.  Over the past few months I have been seeing a "healthiatry" doctor in an effort to understand just exactly how my body works and to learn what right things to eat that will bring true health back to my body (KFC/Taco Bell is not part of that...lol).  While some changes have been fairly simple, I still find myself bumbling along in regards to so many things.  Primarily - meal planning.  It's never been my strong point and even though many of the foods I'm incorporating into my daily diet are not difficult, they still take thought to prepare and plan for. 

Change - some people are deathly afraid of it.  I never have been but tonight I realized that maybe why I'm not afraid of it is because it is something I don't do well enough to be afraid of.  Talking about change is fairly easy but when you try to reallly implement it, you see just how committed you are.  I don't like what I see. 

So, how does one really effect change?  I don't have all the answers, of course, but after pondering on it for a long while today, I think the one thing I now understand is that you just have to make the choice to "do it".  It will never be easy so waiting on it to get easy is never going to happen.  But when you know from the depths of your heart that you need to change something in your life - whether it be eating habits, spiritual disciplines, etc. - you just need to start doing it.  If we just take it one day at a time, one step at a time, then one day we will be able to look back and see the progress we've made.  How said it is to look back and realize that you never made any efforts at all towards the thing you knew to change because you were waiting on it to be easy.

Yes, change is a challenge, but it is also something that we, as Christians, are supposed to be doing all the time anyway.  We are to grow each day to be more like our Lord, so I'm going to get busy fighting FOR change instead of against it.  :)

The Eve of a New Month

Well, here we are at the end of one month and the beginning of a new one.  I have only known 2 people in my life who actually celebrate the beginning of a new month.  They inspired me with how they celebrate it to the point that I actually think of it on the first of each month, but as far as celebrating it, I haven't ever really done that.  However, tonight I am thinking about it a little differently.

Sometimes we get so stuck in our ruts and every day is just as dreary and gloomy as the next. But that is not how we as Christians, especially, are to live our lives.  I just finished an amazing book about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how we really don't understand just what that means for us.  Do we really understand that each day we have is a precious gift to us and God expects us to use it to glorify Him.  I don't know about you, but even though I call myself a Christian, most days I don't live any differently than my neighbor who doesn't claim christianity.  I am ill-tempered, grouchy, quick to snap at others when they don't line up with my expectations, and tend to have a scowl on my face more often than a smile.  Does that sound like the Holy Spirit living in me?

Last week I spent a lot of time working on decluttering and reorganizing my office and though I still have one spot to work on, it is very much more inviting to be in there now.  It has a sense of peace and calm to it now that was missing amongst all the chaos that was in there before.  I think that my spiritual life should be the same.  I need to get the junk out so that the Holy Spirit that dwells inside me can be free to empower me to experience the inner peace and calm that He desires me to have.  What better time to make this choice than at the beginning of a new month???  Actually, it would be a good decision any time of the month, but it's a little like the cherry on top to do it now, and I will be thinking of the two who inspire me with their monthly celebrations!

Six Months Later

I need to face facts -- I may never be a blogger.  I have made multiple attempts at being a blogger, but it just never happens.  First of all, I am really not a writer.  I can't come up with catchy things to say and though I think my family gives me a lot of fodder, so to speak, I can't really articulate it in a way that makes for great reading.

However, there are many times I feel a compelling urge to jot down my thoughts.  So, I am going to try a new approach to my blog.  I am just going to share what is on my heart and mind.  If it's not appealing to you, it won't offend me in the least if you don't want to read it.  I am not doing this blog for the sake of having multiple readers.  It is just a place for me to get my thoughts out of my head where I can come back and look later. 

Some of the interesting things going on in my life currently is that I just finished my freshman year of college.  I got all A's this semester, so I am pretty proud of that.  Only 3 more years to go!  :)  Kayla, our oldest daughter, has just finished her first year of nursing.  It has been a difficult year for her adjusting to life outside of college and in the working world, but I think she has done splendid and her heart is still set on being a missionary to Haiti and the Lord is moving her along in that direction.  Not as quickly as she would like, but He is moving and I know He has a perfect plan for her.  Shelby, our middle daughter, is engaged and is planning on a fall wedding.  Lindsay, our youngest, is still trying to decide what she wants to do.  Right now she is working almost full time at Sonic and loving it and is saving money for a car.  No firm decision yet made on schooling but we are still in negotiations.  LOL  Our grandson is growing like a weed and is the apple of our eyes!  We get him every weekend as his momma works 12 hour shifts on the weekends at a local nursing home.

Lately, I've been reading several books that have really been ministering to me and causing me to question and think on deeper things.  That is good.... but with knowledge also comes responsibility.  The Word of God says that we are to be "doer's of the Word", not only hearers.  I have learned so much recently in many areas of my life, which is also part of the reason I wanted to rekindle this blog.  Even if it isn't eloquent, I want to keep a record of all that I am learning and thinking on and also record what I am "doing" in response to it.

So, we'll see how I do.  Goodnight blog world....hope to see ya tomorrow!

Slacker!

YIKES!!!!  It's been a week since I posted!  Didn't take me long to fall off the wagon, huh?  Well, I would try to recap what the past 7 days entailed, but I can't remember.  LOL  Again, that is one of the reasons I need to blog daily, so I don't forget!

The highlight of the past week had to have been our grandson's birthday party!  He turned 3 on Christmas Day.  We held off on his party so that he could get the full enjoyment of a birthday party separate from Christmas.  Actually, I think the guy made out better with his birthday gifts than he did for Christmas. LOL  He got lots of nice gifts and all of his aunts and his great aunts and great uncles, as well as the great grandparents were there and even his great-great uncle was there. It really was a housefull but he had a great time.

It has been more of an adjustment than I thought it would be having Shelby & Jalen move out on their own.  Though we still see them every day, it is just different.  I miss the little guy giving me hugs and kisses before bedtime each night.  But I know this is a good thing for them and I can see positive things coming from it already.  Change is not always easy, but good things can come from it when we allow it to.

Here's looking to a productive week ahead!

Wisdom

So this morning I was reading in Proverbs, chapter 2 to be precise, and I started thinking about all the references to wisdom and how to get it, etc.  I've heard a lot of sermons that quote James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all..."  Most of those sermons apply that verse to anything we need to know.  But if you look at it in context, it is clear that what James is saying here is that if we don't have the wisdom to understand how trials and tempations work in our lives to make us mature, then we can ask God to give us the wisdom to understand "that".  So, if that verse applies to wisdom for that specific thing, are there Scriptures that explain how we get wisdom for other things in life?  I think that is what I discovered in reading Proverbs 2 today.  It actually kind of reads like" "He is ____ for you or will do _____, if you are/do ______." 

Proverbs 2:6-10 (New International Version, ©2010)


6 For the LORD gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds success in store for the upright,

he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8 for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,


and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

I just thought it was another great passage to ponder at the beginning of a new year, and how encouraging it is to know that HE GIVES US WISDOM so that we can understand what is right and wrong, so that we will know how to live our lives.  We have no excuses....wisdom is ours! 

Happy New Year!

1-1-11  It is officially here!  The beginning of 2011!  It is the time when people make goals for things they hope to accomplish over the next 12 months.  I, like most everyone else, have a list of goals I want to shoot for this year as well.  I make them every year, but sad to say, for the most part, at the end of the 12 months I have not really achieved any of the goals I set.  This year I hope to change that.  At the top of my "list" this year is to "be intentional".  If I can do that, then I should at least be able to end this next year with some success.

Every year one of my main goals is to get more organized.  I can get things organized somewhat but maintaining it is where I run into difficulty.  For years, I have heard how having a planner is the best thing for getting and staying organized and I would agree, I think.  I have bought too many planners to count and while each one of them was "just the one" I thought would work, I just never seemed to get much past the "setting it up" stage.  I do believe that using one would really help me in terms of keeping my life more organized and so it is one of my top priorities this year.  There are many goals I have and maybe if I can get it organized on paper, I will eventually be able to see progress in every goal I've set.

I know I've said it before, but another top goal of mine is to maintain my blog on a regular basis.  I have thought about setting a specific purpose for my blog so as to attract more readers perhaps, and I have had some ideas about how to do that, but overall, I really want my blog to just be an extension or record of who I am.  So it will likely have many components.  I hope to soon be able to design it better, but I haven't had the funds to hire a designer for it and I would honestly prefer to learn how to design it myself so I could change it as often as I wanted.  In the meantime, I will just work with what I've got and be grateful for it.:)

So, as 2011 gets underway, I hope we all can believe for a better year ahead and that we will all be more intentional in our living, and that when the dawn of 2012 approaches, we can look back and see how far we've come!