Recently Blest wrote a post called Stoning the Bride. She’s speaking my language. Amen x a million:
I’m not saying there isn’t anything wrong with the Christian church. And perhaps God has called someone to be like Jeremiah, prophetically called to denounce the sins of the many. But I don’t think as many people have been called to denounce as enjoy doing the denouncing. After all, it’s a lot more fun to feel like a rebel and a sage while you point out someone else’s sins. Why spend time staring in the mirror working on my own sins when I can think on the sins of the church? But honestly, we don’t need more polished and piercing posts on what’s wrong with the church. We don’t need songs like Todd Agnew’s My Jesus, with its self-righteous “My Jesus wouldn’t be welcome at my church”.
We can denounce the group to our heart’s content, but the solutions have to come at the individual level. What would happen if each Christian stopped looking for the sins of the establishment, and simply worked on rooting out their own sins? What if each church member worked to the best of their abilities to be what they think a good church member should be? I have to take my own advice and ask myself – Am I doing all I can in the church? Do I pray for my leadership? Do I participate in small groups? Am I committed to reaching out to unbelievers and in to my church family? Because that’s what the church is, you see. A family. God placed us in a family with a vast array of brothers and sisters. And the beauty of it is that these new siblings are not always ones we would have chosen for ourselves.
Amen times a trillion.
My wife was telling me tonight about some negative comments some Christians we know were making about some decisions our church recently made. After hearing it I thought, “Fine. I’m not going to listen to these comments anymore”. I even asked Jill to be a filter for me. I don’t need to hear this stuff.
I’m done. The Christian blogosphere is, at times, one long torrent of slander against the church. But I’m not part of that club.
I know the church isn’t perfect. I know that it needs reform. But in my opinion, less than 10% of the criticism in the blogosphere or by churchmembers is either warranted or given in a spirit of humility or a desire to actually make the church better. Most of it’s just talking to talk. Some of it is hugely destructive.
I’m done with that. If you want my opinion, here it is: The Bride is Beautiful. Not perfect. But being perfected. If you want to make the Bride better, look at yourself first. Examine your motives. Compare the obedience you desire of the church to your own obedience to God. Compare the boldness you desire from church leaders to your own boldness. Compare the faithfulness to Scripture that you desire of the church to your own faithfulness. Learn church history. Learn how to separate essentials from non-essentials. And learn to take concerns, in person and in private, to those who need to hear them.
Anyone can write a post.
For some more good reading on a related topic, check out this post from Jared: Trusting God for the Sanctification of Others.
It’s not just that we should respect our brothers and sisters in Christ enough to assume they are capable, it’s that we ought to trust the Holy Spirit with these folks’ sanctification, just like we trust Him with ours. Not that we don’t get all discerning up in their grill (provided it’s real discernment). Not that we don’t rebuke or correct or criticize or even contend when all those things are really called for. But that we do not condemn as if we know God’s gameplan for people outside our own box of discernment.
Dismissal is not one of the fruits of the Spirit. But patience is. People are going to screw up, and they’re going to have some screwy ideas. We can help them, no doubt. But let’s trust that God knows how to finish the good work He began in believers we think aren’t as far along as we are. He will certainly be better at working their perseverance than we are.