It's not the church they hate but the leaders

There has been a lot of speculation about why people won't go to church these days. One book claims that it is the church people hate, and the author wants to get out the wrecking ball and take down the church as we know it.

I have done a lot of thinking about this subject. I think the real problem is not the church in general, but the leaders specifically. We as Christians attend church under the authority of Jesus Christ and as an honor to Him we serve under the pastors of our churches. The problem comes in when these leaders fail and fail miserably. This failure runs the spectrum from liberal pastors to conservative pastors. I do not want to get into specific leaders names but you most likely will relate as you read some of the examples I have.

The first example I have is when pastors approach people who are attending their church and tell them they must begin to tithe. I have searched the Bible through and through and can not find verses to support the tithe or leave mindset. I personally know many people who no longer attend church because they were approached with this "you must tithe now" manner. A tithe is something Christians do between them and God. Remember, "God loves a cheerful giver", not a giver who has been shaken down by a pastor.

The next example is when a pastor or leader falls victim to the horrible sin of sexual immorality. This one seems to surface more then most. You hear of a leader who was having a homosexual affair or even a heterosexual extramarital affair. I'm sure you can relate to this one as it has recently happened and that unfortunately won't be the last.

One example, that has hit home with me, is when a pastor attempts to out think God and gets clever with his sermons. "If only I can make church cool, people will come". So they begin with gimmick preaching, you know repelling from the catwalk in army fatigues to start their sermon. That progresses into to sermons that question the literal interpretation of such Bible stories as Job, Jonah, and the Garden of Eden. These pastors begin to contradict everything Christians know to be true and they cause grief and confusion among the believers. They say things like, "I don't really believe in the Trinity", or "Hell isn't a literal place".

Yes, I think the church is just fine, it's leaders who take the Bible out of context or try to be "cool" to the world that people don't like. The overwhelming majority of people I know want to go to church, when they go to church, and that means returning to some of our more traditional roots. Let's stick to the example of the church outlined in Acts 2:42.

Conversation?

The newest buzzword around my church is "conversation". I am constantly hearing, "why don't you join the "conversation"? Your input is valuable." Honestly, I don't really get this "conversation" stuff, but I'll play along. It seems like every time I turn around, someone is inviting me to Starbucks to have a "conversation" about something they heard me say. Oddly, it's always Starbucks. Personally, I think it's a conspiracy. I think the marketing department at Starbucks has sent to my church marketing moles. That is why from today forward, I vow to only join the "conversation" if it is at Jamba Juice.

My Choice...

When it comes to American politics today, where do Christians turn? How do we vote? Democrat, Republican, or Independent? We'll to me that depends on the individual candidates. I believe you must vote for the individual which closely resembles the Christian faith. Are they Pro-Life? Are they against homosexuality? Are they supportive of a government that encourages religious organizations to help "the least of these"? As it stands right now, there are no Democrats that fit that description and quite frankly, not many republicans. There is however, one guy that stand above the rest when looking at the things mentioned above. That guy is Mike Huckabee. Oh' sure the mainstream press have him as a long shot, but that doesn't matter to me. At the end of the day, I can rest assured that I supported the most godly man, and that is all that matters.

www.mikehuckabee.com

Life!

Since 1973's Roe v. Wade decision, America has terminated nearly 50 million babies. Sadly, many of these babies were terminated simply out of convenience.

Mother Teresa once said she feared for America because "women were killing their own babies". She continued in saying society is doomed when women begin choosing to kill their own babies.

Please visit and support National Right to Life with prayers and any other way you are able.

http://www.nrlc.org/

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)

Where's your Bible?

In recent years, I have noticed a drastic decline in the number of church goers who carry their own Bible to church. This past weekend at my home church, the pastor actually asked people to open their Bibles (this doesn't happen much anymore). Most of the congregation reached for the pew Bibles, others did without. My unofficial survey says only 15% to 20% of the congregation had their own Bible with them.

I love to hear the sound of the Bible pages turning during a church service. This says a lot about the strength of a church; the amount of Bible page turning you can hear throughout a service.

Technology has caused some of this. Many churches use the big screens with their PowerPoint presentations. That didn't happen this weekend at my church, the introductory slide was all we saw throughout the service.

If you are a Christian and don't have a Bible, go get one and take it to church with you. You never know, you may be asked to open it. And when we open our Bible's and read the truth's therein, we grow closer to the living God.

Koinonia

Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship. This Koinonia is defined as, not just fellowship as hanging out with other Christians, rather an intimate relationship with other Christians.

If we are to really experience Koinonia in the truest form, we should:

be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10),

honor one another (Romans 12:10),

encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11),

serve one another (Galatians 5:13),

and, admonish one another (Colossians 3:16).

For most of my Christian walk, I never realized the extent of fellowship. Will you join me in expanding your definition of fellowship? Will you experience true Koinonia?

Hope

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
(Mark 8:36)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:23)

If I were to gain the whole world but loose my soul, what would I really have? Nothing! I would not trade my hope in Christ Jesus for anything. All the money I could spend? No! All the fame I could ever desire? No! Cars, trips, mansions? No! All of the above in one big package? No! No! No!

I have a relationship with Christ Jesus. As the old hymn says, "I walk with Him and I talk with Him". I have hope because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. He died for me and He died for you. I would hate to think of where I’d be now without this relationship with Jesus, without this hope. When something doesn’t go as planned, it’s okay, I have hope.

There is an abundance of hope. Do you need some? Just reach out to Jesus. He will gladly take you in. He will give you rest. You can stop the rat race. You can forfeit the pain. You can stop playing the victim. With Jesus we are victorious, more than conquerors. Don’t you feel better already?