What Is Going On With Our Churches?

I can honestly say that I have been in church all of my life and I have seen many things and I have experienced many experiences good and bad. After being raised in a denominational church and now non-denominational has really given me a view of church that I wish to share with you all because I know that it's time for silly traditions and silly rhetoric to come to an end. Point blank many churches are watered down social clubs and are ineffective at fulfilling the Great Commission.

Many churches today are sad collections of broken-down, sick, broke or spiritually blinded people. The true Gospel is shunned because it is "too harsh" or "to controversial" and is replaced by a watered-down theology that either tickles the ear with a never-ending laugh track or it focuses on the manipulation of people. The Bible is absolute and it is sound and it is written that the Holy Spirit would be our Teacher and show us all things, but people see the need to twist the scriptures into something that benefits their particular church (attendance or cash flow) or their own depraved lifestyles.

People aren't living the faith life because preachers are not living the faith life. The five-fold ministry is denied because someone feels that it is not important in today's church or in today's society. The church doesn't grown because no one else seems to meet their high standards. This is sickness!

Some churches are in this trouble either by choice or by the adoption of beliefs and traditions that are not Bible-based and cause more harm than good. Why? Because the Bible doesn't need the filter of a man or woman! If God speaks He speaks THROUGH the person and they don't have the right to add or take anything away... That's also Biblical... We are so concerned about speaking against sin that we cower and hide from the abominations that satan is bringing closer and closer to the front of the church. This is truly abominable!

Look in the phonebook or on something like Yahoo! Local... Enter your zip code or thumb through the book and in one are you will see dozens if not hundreds of churches. Yet there are still poor, orphans, widows and destitute people in each of their communities! Why? Ineffectiveness! Remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira? Most people remember them dropping dead, but look closer... What were they doing? Selling land and donating to the proceeds to help the poor. Deacons in the church were originally appointed to be servants in the aiding of the congregation and the poor. I can almost guarantee that when Jesus fed the 4000 and the 5000 most of them who followed Him had an issue: sickness, poverty, abandonment or demon possession! He even said that when we do acts of kindness to the LEAST OF THESE we do it to Him! A church is not of any value if it doesn't aid, change or enlighten its community!

Our churches are more focused on the offering plate, the attendance and "how we do things" rather than getting out to the streets and showing the love of Jesus to the masses. Not the "Bible Thumpers" who go around telling people that if you aren't like me you're doomed to Hell! These people are the worst hypocrites! They were just as bad or worse yet they in their self-righteousness forget where they used to be... (Sorry... Soap Box moment) I'm talking about people concerned for people who don't care who or what people are an know that they need to be saved and that love will always win them over.

Here's a litmus test for your church... What happens if a prostitute wearing his/her work attire come into your church? Do people welcome them and show them love and don't react to how they are? Or... does someone immediately confront them about how they are dressed or do they give them funny looks and talk about them? What if a drag queen walked in? A drunk? A drug user? Filthy? Nearly naked? Poorly dressed? What does your church do? If it isn't love and compassion and a willingness to allow the love of Christ to take over then something is wrong in your church!

Our churches are smothered in self-righteousness and elitism. We don't allow God to move as He sees fit, leaders are emotionless statues that only move to sit or stand and The Word is not preached. Sad. We need to return to the basics that God has outlined in His Word. We need to ask Him to break our hearts with what breaks His. We need to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We need to abandon anything in our churches that doesn't follow the Bible. We must show love and compassion to all like He did over and over again!

I implore anyone who is not saved or sure of where you will spend eternity please ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and that you wish Him to be the Lord of your life. No matter what you've done and no matter what you've been you are forgivable and Jesus will accept you back as His own. We all have to come to Jesus as broken and flawed as we are because He knows this and still loves us! No sinner's prayer and no pomp and circumstance. Just a one-to-one conversation with Jesus. Find a church that is focused on the Bible and not religion and then begin to read that same Bible like your life depended on it. Trust me, if you really want Jesus to live in and through you He will do just that.