Bruised Knuckles and Other Lessons in Faith

Church

I quit going to church and you should too, if you already have not. “Well,” you’re thinking, “that’s awkward; he’s a pastor and he doesn’t go to church. Is this a new internet fellowship, a blog church or what?” No, I just quit going to church. Still awkward, since the church pays me to, among other things, teach, counsel, lead, be available, encourage, and sometimes, deal with conflict. But as much as I love the church, I had to quit going to church. “Ha!” you're thinking, “I’d go if they paid me!”
I did not quit because I dislike the place; after all, the church is not a place or a building, so for goodness sake, let’s stop calling church-owned facilities “The House of the Lord” or “God’s House.” Sure you should respect the place, but the Lord has never been keen on being restricted to buildings. He was born in an open, drafty stable and as the Creator of the universe he does not need real estate. Sure church buildings are sacred but so is my car; I have dedicated both to the Lord to be used for his glory, but he is confined neither to the trunk of my car nor to church buildings.
Those of us who know and follow Jesus Christ are the church and frankly, we are a rag tag bunch when you really get to know us. This is why rich people and famous, popular people do not often like to identify with the church. They have a lot to lose, hanging out with needy people like us. Money and power get people what they want for a while, so wealth and popularity convince people they do not need divine help.
So if the church is not a building, but people, why quit going to church? I quit going to church because I have been hurt too much by the people in church. Sorry if you have too because I am part of the church problem, and maybe I have hurt you. But here is the point: if you merely go to church, the people there will really, really bug you after while. They are completely human and nothing is more irritating that a human or a big group of humans, especially when they are trying hard to do the right thing. God knows they can be dangerous; a group of religious people murdered his Son. And if they killed Jesus, imagine what they might do to you!
So, here is my advice: stop going to church; instead, become the church. If you merely attend church, the flaws of those other humans will annoy you to the point that your faith will cool off and you will not care about people anymore. Moreover, if you go to church instead of becoming the church, you will avoid using your gifts and skills to bless others.
On the other hand, if you become the church, you will learn to forgive people as Jesus forgives you. You will realize you are both the problem and the solution to your relationships. And, God will gradually make you more like Jesus. Jesus lives through transparent people. He wants them to be with him so much he came to earth and took all the pain his torturers could deal. He did that to be everybody's substitute by his death on the cross; then he stepped into hell to set the devil straight about who’s the Boss. After that, he rose again from the dead because death could not hold him back.
Do not reject Christ just because church subculture represents him poorly. We who form the church are a dim reflection of Christ, however, we love him and we are learning to trust him in everyday life. But, churches sometimes add extra frills, rules and unnecessary, even ungodly, traditions to the truth of the New Testament. The Catholics have their no-marriage rule for priests. Evangelicals have, in recent decades replaced the Good News with good marketing. Charismatics sometimes appear to make things up as they go along. And some liberal protestants are not even sure if Jesus is God’s Son.
But if you let other people stand between you and God, you do not have much character. Do not let caricatures of Christ keep you from the real thing. Every church is made up of people, and people mess up. So, please forgive us our sins; we are learning, and we are growing. Well, some of us are not; some of us think we are better than anyone else, but we will find out soon enough that we are dead wrong. And it will not be pretty when God shows us what we are really like. However, you will have to look in his mirror too, so look past the subculture of the church and trust in Jesus Christ. Stop blaming the church for your decisions; stop going to church. Be the church through personal faith in Jesus Christ, and you will find most of the people at church quite lovable. And if you become the church through trusting in Jesus Christ, you will need to be with the rest of the church. That's just how life goes.

Reflection: What can you do to be the church you would like to join?