God Vs. "Church"

It seems that today the majority of people are fed up, disenfranchised, disconnected, and so on with "Church." The idea of having to go to a building for an hour or two a week just because maybe you're "supposed too" really doesn't cut it for majority of people today. In tough economic times, people grow tired of hearing that God wants them to give more, more, more, so He can continue doing His work and convert more people into Church pews. I think the bottom line, to quote Solomon, is that for most people Church is "Nothing new under the sun."

In my view, the problem is that people confuse Church and church (and for good reason). The denominational Church system is designed for one thing: to sustain itself. And in order to do that, it needs to get more tithe giving units, a.k.a butts in pews. That's why evangelists always talk about the number of baptisms or the number of people introduced to Jesus, which of course encourages people to give more to the evangelism funds and causes that all Church's have. What they rarely (I'd go so far as to say never) tell you is how they connected all those new conversions with a church in any sustainable way. The evangelist preacher moves on to the next town, and doesn't really think about what the next step for the new converts might be.

For those already in the church, it's all about tithe and offering (because tithe is never enough). God, in His wisdom, asks for 10% of our increase, so if you got laid-off your job and and struggling to survive on savings, God does not ask you for 10% of what you have left. The Church, on the other hand, talks about the need for money and funds to do this, that, and the next thing, and the 10% minimum is just never enough. And then you end up repeating the evangelistic rally I described a second ago. That is the nature of the denominational system. It cares only about sustaining itself and not a whit about people's relationships with God. It's just a system, after all.

I mentioned that there is also church. This is made up of local people who study together, fellowship together, and are on a journey with each other. The ministry the church does is in how the lives of its people are lived, and that includes helping and supporting others in need. God calls us from the front of the Bible to the back to take care of the poor. Jesus Himself said that "You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me." (Mark 14:7).

If you read Acts, you see that this connected group of people, this church, prayed together. With each other, for each other. They pooled their possessions and shared what they had. The result was that there was not ONE needy person in that whole group of thousands (Acts 4:32-25)! And their ranks grew because people saw how much these people loved each other, just as Jesus had told them to do (John 14:34-35). That didn't mean that their lives were easy, more often than not they were persecuted and killed, but they could count on each other for comfort and support no matter WHAT they struggled with! They lived truly as the prophet Zephaniah says:

Seek the Lord, all who are humble,

and follow his commands.

Seek to do what is right

and to live humbly. (Zeph. 2:3)

Personally I don't often attend a high Church service. When I do sit in an actual service, I'm fortunate enough to have found one that tries to be connected in this way, and even if I'm not physically there I'm blessed that the service is streamed live online so I'm able to connect in some way. But what I do go to every week, almost without fail, is a small group study. That, truly, is my church. We study together, journey together, socialize and fellowship together. We have different tastes, opinions, and ways of doing things, but we're in this together, and it's wonderful. To me, that is truly my church.

In the end, I think that the denominational system Church (any denomination) does a lot to impede people forming a meaningful relationship with Jesus. Not that it can't happen, but it's made more difficult. To me, the essence of church is those personal connections we make with fellow sinners who don't have all the answers, either. People we can study, learn, and grow with as we all seek to build that personal relationship with our loving God.

That's how I see it, anyway. I do hope that no matter your views on things, we find the friends and fellowship with other people who are seeking a connection with God (and don't have all the answers).