Thursday, December 5, 2013

Why I Am Getting Turned Off By Church

When I dedicated my life to the LORD, I did not have a church.  Later, I began dating a woman and I started attending a church where her parents went.  After we went our separate ways (more like I couldn't handle it anymore), I was drawn to an Assemblies of God church in Duluth, MN, where I later met my wife at one of its Bible studies.  We left in 2005, as we moved to another city and began a new journey. 
I have attended a handful of churches since then, some getting into the supernatural extreme, others as dull as a rock (from my perspective).  The dilemma is that I have seen so many different walks, and the view being taught in many of these churches end up preaching a gospel that will neither examine their faith nor test their walk in the LORD.  I know my walk is crumbling away, and the problem is I see the neglect of teaching the true nature of sin.
I still remember a time where the pastor asked his congregation of the names of God, and most everyone said Nissi or Rapha.  How come no one mentions Him as Jealous (Exodus 34)? 
Churches has changed so much many pulpits afraid to offend their flock.  You don't want to seem harsh or unloving, do you?  No one seems to care if you are struggling to the point where someone is about to go off a spiritual cliff, and when they fall off, they wonder where they went, but later forget about it. 
Another issue is the birds of a feather mentality.  Everywhere you go there are cliques, and I understand that, but I believe it is worse with believers.  Before service and after, I do notice that the same people are with the same people.  Jesus usually talked about believers as brothers and sisters, not friends.  The last church we attended seemed more this way then anything else, especially those who were prominent in their place there.  Very rarely did we get to talk to any elders or the pastors, they were just too busy to "step down" to meet with other peons like myself. 
I come from a family where my father was gone before three because he was too busy spreading his seed among the world's women.  Currently, I cannot get my mother to call or talk to me on the phone, for some reason she acts like she is jealous I have another woman in my life.  As far as my sister and my cousins, we are not even close to speaking terms (my sister, once in a while).  My mother wouldn't even tell me of her cancer scare, and I live with fear everyday that she may avoid telling me something if it is wrong now.
Not everyone are step forward people when starting a conversation, including me.  I can be straight forward for many issues but if you are waiting for me to start talking to people, very rarely will that happen, including my wife.  (She loves to talk, so why bother be an instigator of conversation in my own house among adults)   I just see many churches are happy with the people they have, and many have no concern for others, as there is no more room for others in the inn.
If Jesus were walking the earth today, would He come to people like me, or others who are shy?  Would some even look outside their clique to get to know another, or are you satisfied with the group of "friends" you have now?  Do some pray who needs a friend, and if God picked you, are you willing to step outside the comfort zone?
I am saddened to watch one of my former churches change to the "good" mentality of the gospel that will never offend you.  I have been criticized for my strong stance against what I fear is not good for the church, and many of the "friends" we knew when we attended are no longer on speaking terms with us.  And this is the love we send IN church as well as OUT of the walls.
I haven't felt welcome at a church for the longest time, and because of our schedule, we can't attend most of the other functions with a church we have been there for the last two months.  I wish I was old enough to be during the older churches before all this supernatural chasing infiltrated many institutions.  How it should happen now.

Michael
Jeremiah 6:16a

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