To clear up confusion

I think my blogs and the words of my mouth may look and sound like I am very critical of my church and of others. If you read these words, you may think that I paint with a broad stroke and probably failed coloring in elementary school. I in fact love to color but am not so good at painting so please excuse my mess.



First of all, many of my comments are reflective of...
1) my experiences,
2) the media I listen to, and
3) the people I talk to

Second, I would like to think that my opinions are normative, that is, imply the way things should be done. Many of my statements are negative (and this needs to be worked on) so one should infer the normative goal is the opposite of the negative statements. For example, if I would say "the Gospel message is not being taught" one should infer that the normative message is that the Gospel message must be taught, it should be so clear that it is being taught, and people clearly realize that it is of value.



Though I wish I knew and understood more, I understand enough that God is the one true God and that he is chiefly about protecting and increasing his Glory! This God is apart of the Holy Trinity, including Jesus Christ who was born of a virgin, was sinless, became sin and died on a cross to be resurrected and now sits at the right hand of the Father. That the third member of the Trinity is the Holy Ghost and I believe he lives inside of me and every other person who has Faith in Jesus Christ. I believe the Holy Scriptures are infallible and complete Word of God and that they are Truth. I believe that the Church is Jesus' bride as described in the scriptures and that we, as believers, are to find our place in this body of believers. I believe there is an enemy that seeks to steal God's Glory and destroy the Church. I believe that he hotly pursues me and eagerly desires to see me fall and to steal the Glory of the Father, defaming what he has created and bought on the Cross. I believe that I will not be snatched up by this enemy for, having my life and eternity hid with Christ, nothing can separate me from Jesus Christ and an eternity with him. I believe this world is fallen but that it is very much loved and very much in play. I believe that the Father loves this world, everyone who lives in it and that salvation is available for all who would turn and call upon the Father's name and welcome Him into their hearts. I believe this is not something that can be forced onto those who are hostile and that it is in fact God himself who is the giver of the Gift of Faith.

Some of these things may be off and I pray and hope that it will be the Holy Spirit at work through his quiet Voice or his loud Word to correct me in his timing. I could have chose any number of recognized creeds but this is mine — for now. There are many things I still don't know but this won't stop me from having faith in the things I do know, chiefly that I am loved by the Father and that I love Him. I was lost and now I am found. I still struggle with many things in my life but I have strength and can find a measure of freedom because He has given me both — truly all that I will ever need.

The message is Love, Truth, Hope, Redemption, Freedom. This world needs the Truth of the Word of God, this world needs Jesus Christ! Our churches need to be bastions of teaching and preaching, of discipleship and the like. The world is a very, very dark place and we need to be lights. We are not lights by lowering our standards and succumbing to the world, by thinking that getting people in the door is what really matters. Our standard, our hope is so much higher and more simple than just getting people to "hear" the message. We simply need to do what the Spirit leads us to do. That's it. The Spirit will soften our hearts to have the mind and heart of Christ, the voice of Christ, the love of Christ and as this happens, we must be obedient to move as led. Church is where we are taught and where we worship God. Church is not (necessarily) where we try to make Christ and Christian living and community look attractive to those in the world who are hungry. We've got to teach people how to fish, not just feed them for today (with idols).

I say this clearly, there is a purpose for the Church, for a small group, for friendships, for life, for relationship with Christ, for one's view and relationship with one's self and they are all to bring Glory to the Father. They also have individual purposes and we must make sure that these purposes are not ignored or forgotten. The church needs to fulfill its role as one that proclaims the Gospel, worships God, and is a source of correct doctrine and corrective teaching, one who exercises discipline and builds disciples. Our performance metric is not a matter of size but rather whether or not we are acheving our core mission.

In this age, the church needs correction and let us not be so proud, arrogant or ignorant that ignore the call for reform. Though I should not be the one to apply it, I pray God raises up someone who will, a modern-day Paul who can tell them to expel the immoral brother and false teaching while encouraging the Church draw near to Christ and be true to its callings. My friends, the call is urgent as false teachings are here and persecution is coming. Believe me brothers and sisters, clouds and dark days are on the horizon. Though our destinys' are hid with Christ, there is still the potential for much pain and suffering, for ungrounded believers to be washed away, for whole denominations to be slide into obscurity, or worse, collaborate with the enemy. You have been warned.