The Family....

It amazes me how introspective music can make a man at 2:00 AM.

I was listening to "The Church" by Derek Webb. It is a very moving song about Christ's love for His bride, the church. In the song there is a line that sticks out in my mind. "If you love me, you will love the church."

Now, anyone who reads this blog will know I am the first to stand in line and say that the American church is sick. Most of the time, we're too busy bickering with each other to really make any headway in sharing the Gospel with anyone. And we're either too afraid to be labeled as judgmental, so we allow everything, wrong or not, and at the same time, we don't want to be labeled liberal, so we show everyone how angry we can get at the current government. For those outside looking in, we must look like a sad, pathetic, dysfunctional family.

But I've been convicted about something. As sad as the American church has become...it is still the church. And as angry as I get with some of the professors and students at Seminary who seem to have a "Baptist superiority complex," they are still brothers and sisters in Christ. I find that when I try to imitate Christ, I remember only Him turning over tables in the temple, and too easily forget him writing in the sand when he should be throwing stones. I remember only him yelling "Get thee behind me Satan!" and seem to forget a conversation about love and feeding sheep. In my zeal to reform and change the church, I have at some point lost my love for it. And that is not of God. Perfect or not, effective or not, it is still God's church.

So, for the believers who read this and are frustrated with the church, I understand how you feel. But remember, the church is made of people, and people are never perfect. Yes, we need to change the things that are broken, but its wrong to completely overlook what's not broken. The church is Christ's body. If it is sick, it's our job to heal it, not condemn it. So my challenge to you is to allow the Holy Spirit to transform your frustration to compassion, and your anger to grace. If we are of the Body, then we should love the Body, not judge it.

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B