"I Want A New Testament Church" - The Battle Cry Of The Lazy Or The Disillusioned?

Lately, I have been rather obsessed. Obsessed with trying to figure out exactly what this thing we call Church is suppose to look like. So many of us grew up in a Church in transition, steeples that now shadow flashy new signs, pews that gave way to padded chairs, hymnals that gave way to over heads which gave way to power point, music that went from the staid hymns of old to easy pop choruses, and preaching that sometimes sounds more like a philosophy lesson than the Word.

Some of the changes I really don’t like, and some I fully support. I have found that many of us who went through these changes in our teens and early twenties like to experience something new when we go to Church, and I have found a lot of us are disappointed when we don’t get it. And I have found that it has left many of us open to the discussion about what we think Church should be.

So often I hear, “I want a New Testament Church.” And to plagiarize a line from one of my former teachers, I ask, “Which one?” Most of the New Testament was written by Paul addressing problems within these infant churches as they struggled to define themselves inside an adverse culture.

When I talk to people about what Church should look like, more often than not I hear about what it shouldn’t be. After all, we have all experienced churches that fail to meet either our or God’s standards. We have all attended churches devoid of life, bound up in religion and programmed so tightly that if God himself suggested a change it would be rejected by the appropriate committee. We have been in churches who only derive their identity by what they are against, and while there is passion it is usually marked with disdain for anyone who fails to adopt their philosophies.

We have been in churches that are social clubs, filled with good people who like to get together, but forget that sipping coffee with your clique is not the reason we gather. We have been in churches where the Spirit seems to be on the move continuously, but teaching is neglected in favor of an emotional high. We have been to churches where the Bible is taught, but all the lessons are learned by rote and become sterile in the absence of compassion. We have been in churches who confuse compassion with blind acceptance, and churches where no matter how long we attend we are still the outsiders.

Maybe the smorgasbord of options have left us overwhelmed, leaving us to think that somewhere in this myriad of possibilities there has to be one that is right. One where we can find seats that don’t put our butts to sleep, or one with a preacher who doesn’t leave us wishing he would just shut up so we can get to lunch. Maybe we have become too picky and we find ourselves quick to point out the flaws without embracing the good. Or just maybe the Church is broken and has reached a time when we need to completely redefine who we are and why we are here.

A friend of my mine said she sees Jesus and his bride as that really great guy with the horrible girlfriend. The guy you want to slap because he doesn’t seem to realize that she treats him like trash, and the girlfriend you want to kill for treating him so badly. Sometimes, more often than I like, I have to agree.

I don’t think it is a bad thing that we see where we can do better. I don’t think it is horrible to admit that we get it wrong sometimes. I think that it is the only thing that saves us from hypocrisy, but when do we stop complaining and start doing something about it? And how?

Even after having gone through so much transition with the Church, many of us still think there is something more waiting to happen. I wonder if we are waiting for God to move, or if He is waiting for us.

Many of us are willing to sit back and complain about the Church, but I have seen far too many of us fail to take an initiative and pursue a solution. A lot of us armchair quarterbacks and back seat drivers will chime in about what others should do, but then blame our hectic lives, finances, kids, and global warming for our lack of involvement. It might just be me, but if you are one of these I think your griping privileges have been revoked.

And I hope that griping is not all I am doing as I work through this latest obsession. I hope that I am seeking answers and actively pursuing what God would want in this situation. I want to know what he desires for and of his Bride. I want to be a part of something larger than myself, and I want to see her operate as a fitting bride for the King.

Confession Of An Irate Christian, or Why Can't You Just Agree With Me?

Emily Rant or, perhaps, a lament?

I recently had a conversation where I tried to explain why Christians are not the same as other people. I talked about how our values, morals, ethics, and very way of life is radically different from the people around us. I told how there are certain behaviors that we engage in and others that we avoid. I shared how our relationship with God compelled us to be set apart from the crowds and why we are to identified by this distinct state.

The person I was talking to became irate - irrational, even, refusing to acknowledge these things. In their opinion Christians were no different - worse, in some cases, than the people around them. I reminded them that simply claiming the title without modifying your life accordingly did not necessarily make one a Christian. I was still met with belligerent anger as they refused to see my point.

And that's when I, with all the love of Jesus in my heart, was overcome with the desire to smack them up side the head with my Grandpa's Bible - because his is significantly bigger than mine. I felt the sting of righteous indignation as I fought down the urge to choke this idiot out so that they might know the goodness of The Lord, and above all things I wanted to drive their foolishness far from them with a rod of correction.

Instead, I broke off the conversation because assault charges aren't in my immediate plans. Yet, hours later I was still fuming that anyone would choose to miss such a simple point - not all people claiming to be Christians are really Christians and if you do not see a life marked with integrity, love, compassion, grace, and mercy then chances are you dealing with a liar, fraud, or hypocrite. Surely, a little violence could be excused to drive home such a valid point?

Okay, yeah, I get that there is a huge disconnect between what I was saying and what I was thinking/feeling in that moment. I get that punching someone repeatedly in the throat so that they will acknowledge the life changing power of the love of Jesus isn't exactly the most credible means of communication. I was just mad, mostly at not being met with immediate agreement, but mad that I was being exposed as a rather small individual.

I, also, realized on reflection that I'm mad at other Christians too. I'm mad at each and everyone of us who lived lives that fail to uphold the standards of faith in such a way that we are unmistakably recognizable to the outside world as people whose lives have been radically changed by an encounter with the living God. I'm mad that our faith is only skin deep and if you scratch the surface you only find ugly, self-serving thoughts, and I'm mad that when faced with resistance our tempers rival that of a hooker who got stiffed. I'm mad that we are known more for our rage at the "world" and less for our conviction or desire to change the faults in our own lives.

I'm mad that we've stopped living our lives with integrity and excellence, as a service and witness to our King, and have chosen instead to justify our behaviors by blaming circumstance, mood, or barometric pressure. I'm mad because we have made everyone else other than God more important than God when we allow their behavior to dictate our feelings and actions. I'm mad that we will check our behaviors by how they will sound on Facebook, but we never stop to consider if they are up to the standard of THE BOOK. I'm mad that the actions and words of people who do not share our faith shame us into conforming to their image far more effectively than our relationship with our Lord motivates us to be conformed to his image.

You see, I shouldn't be surprised or angered that someone who doesn't share my faith doesn't see the distinction between Christians and everyone else. Why should they? Especially since most of us haven't either.