A Blog In 3 Parts - Part Two

So here comes the next installment. I urge you, don't jump to conclusions or judgements till you have read all the way till the end of part 3. Also remember this is my experience, my thoughts, my opinions. They might not be the same as yours, and that is ok.

Part two:

I know your deeds,your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

Revelations 2:3-5a

The church is full steam ahead in the world today, its a beautiful thing but also one that warrants caution. I don't think that there has ever been a time before where there was as much church activity, outreach and programs to be involved in. But the word of caution, like in revelations, and like in 1 Corinthians 13, is not to loose sight of love. For without love our works ring hollow.

The plus side of our programs is that we will bear fruit and we are bearing fruit as a church, globally. It is one of the perks of WHO God is, He is faithful and His word remains true. So even a non-Christian could apply His word and get results. But are we successful in His eyes? We are producing fruit, and lots of it, but will it be fruit that lasts?

Jesus didn't save us to make us busy. I think the church, with the best of intentions, has become so busy pursuing temporal things [visions, ministries, outreaches, programs, function] hoping to influence them for eternity, when we should be pursuing the Eternal One and Eternal things and letting that influence the temporal.

I wrote in one of my previous blogs about things that are temporary and things that are eternal. Relationship is key. It is eternal. It is core to our existence.

I have seen two extremes in churches, being exposed to those that are relation centered and those that are function/works centered. I have seen a pastor leave a prayer meeting he was leading to be with someone in hospital,because relationship was more important than function. And i have seen pastors keep broken people waiting months for promised counseling or prayer sessions because they are so busy with church that they cant be there for them. Sadly the latter is more common than the first. Service is taking our priority. And when you are so involved in service you don't have a moment to catch your breath let alone see that relationship has fallen aside. Whilst serving you are constantly around people, so you feel like your social quota is met, emotionally, and when you get home, you are so exhausted from work and church service that you are too tired to realize that it hasn't truly been met, you haven't truly connected and you are truly alone.

I would hazard a guess that the epidemic of burn out in the church, and exhaustion and leaders [and congregation members] living on anti-depressants etc is all stemming out of this situation. I think part of it is being  TOO busy. But I think part of it is also because we haven't been loved, so we have the rejection void in us [more on this later too], and to fill it, and feel accepted we serve. Because when you serve you are in it, part of it, and with it. But what happens when you burn out, and cant serve and are on the outskirts. Ask me, I know, its devastating and lonely, and you see how shallow the facade was.

We will suffer rejection and be weak to it if we are not in relationship. It is the truth. We have it down in the church, when someone is suffering with rejection. We have the solution, we counsel them tell them to deal with the sin that their reaction to rejection has caused, pray for God to heal their broken heart, tell them to find themselves in God so they wont feel rejection again and we assume that is enough.

These are fantastic things and useful things and they do work, but they wont work permanently because we are missing a piece of the puzzle, a part of the equation. As long as that part is missing we will never have a whole, we will never be whole. That part is that God said its not good for man to be alone and created human with human relationships. If we offer only half the solution, but aren't being the solution we only keep inflicting/growing rejection and the problem will persist. We keep wanting to give people an easy solution, not easy to follow but easy on use because it requires less of our time and attention and energy, but we really need to step up and be the solution. We need to love, and be loved. if we arent loved, if we cant accept that we are loved, how can we give love. Christ loved us first so that we could love and be loved. 

I have been warned in my own life, that rejection is my Achillies heel, my weak spot. It is, but we tend to treat it as a disease, look down on it. As if its a bad thing. But its a natural reaction to something happening to me that goes against what God created me to be. I was created to love and be loved. So if I am not being loved, rejection will persist.

Don't hear what I am not saying, there is never an excuse for sin. So sinful reactions out of rejection have no place and need to be repented of. But our rejection will cause us to either obviously withdraw from it all or to loose ourselves in striving [in works in function] in the hope of gaining acceptance, and I believe that is what a lot of the church is operating in but hasn't realized yet.

In the late 90's there were many sermons flying around the church about “friendship before function” this continued into the early 2000's. People focusing on fellowship and friendship and small groups etc. there was a recognition of a need to change, it was challenging but freeing. As I have sat with this on my heart again recently, I have suddenly started hearing rumors within the Christian community, some local churches are again, this month, focusing on small groups and fellowship and the need for relationship, I have also heard of 3 ministries in America coming up with the same theme for this month. Maybe, just maybe something is stirring.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. God saved us on purpose and for a purpose, but don't be so consumed with it that you miss out on the full package, the glory of love and relationship, not just with God but with each other. Because when we are in relationship then we can be in unity, and then the Glory of God can be manifest and all men can know Christ because we have love one for another.

Remember you weren't saved to become a slave. You were saved to become a son. Its about relationship.

Create an environment where the lost are loved, where you are loved, where you are reconciled with yourself, have made peace with who He created you to be, and where you have made Peace with who He is. Because when that exists the world will stop seeing us as irrelevant and fake and hypocrites. It's not about being perfect, and never messing up. Its about being loved regardless.

That is how Christ is with us, our humanity, our flaws never hindered His ability to love us. Even the church, as flawed as it is and will continue to be until we reach heaven, He still is besotted with us. And because HE loves us, we can love him. [1 John 4:19]. so if we can love others, unconditionally, truly love, truly connect, they too will return love. If we can accept being loved, we too can give love. But there has to be love. Return to your first love, to things you first did, for there is so much more He has for you, oh Church.