The climate of the world is constantly changing. To me, it feels like we are in an era where we are making up the rules as we go. This is much like in Judges 17:6 where “everyone is doing what seems right in their own eyes.” This can be said of the church as well.
Now, I’m not one to hold on too tightly to the past. I don’t always agree with the concept that the good ol' days were really all that good. Some things from the past begged change - and in some cases - correction. For example, there are presently far too many churches on life support simply because they have adapted not one iota in order to engage the lost in today's world. This is 2016, and the world is a vastly different place. The Gospel has not changed, but the way we communicate and interact with one another has.
I’m not saying that every church needs to sing only praise and worship songs to be effective. God made each church uniquely different for a reason. My point is this, I believe the church has become far too comfortable casting their Gospel seeds on rocky soil. It is time for believers in Christ to rise up and seek fertile soil - effectively. We need to stop waiting for those who meet "our criteria" (it's not about us) or our perception of what a person should look like, to be accepted among God's people. If we would just set aside those hidden prejudices so deeply ingrained in our being and love others like Christ loves us, we would all be in a healthy, thriving church. They may not look anything like us, in fact, we may have nothing at all in common with them other than the fact that we both need Jesus. But that's a big one, wouldn't you say?
Our best effort as a Christian is not always right, and we may have been grounded in a church with a viewpoint that reflects that. God views things differently and He expects us to walk with His eyes and not our own.
Now, I’m not one to hold on too tightly to the past. I don’t always agree with the concept that the good ol' days were really all that good. Some things from the past begged change - and in some cases - correction. For example, there are presently far too many churches on life support simply because they have adapted not one iota in order to engage the lost in today's world. This is 2016, and the world is a vastly different place. The Gospel has not changed, but the way we communicate and interact with one another has.
I’m not saying that every church needs to sing only praise and worship songs to be effective. God made each church uniquely different for a reason. My point is this, I believe the church has become far too comfortable casting their Gospel seeds on rocky soil. It is time for believers in Christ to rise up and seek fertile soil - effectively. We need to stop waiting for those who meet "our criteria" (it's not about us) or our perception of what a person should look like, to be accepted among God's people. If we would just set aside those hidden prejudices so deeply ingrained in our being and love others like Christ loves us, we would all be in a healthy, thriving church. They may not look anything like us, in fact, we may have nothing at all in common with them other than the fact that we both need Jesus. But that's a big one, wouldn't you say?
Our best effort as a Christian is not always right, and we may have been grounded in a church with a viewpoint that reflects that. God views things differently and He expects us to walk with His eyes and not our own.
