I shocked
myself when I admitted to a friend that I felt more appreciated and respected
in the world than in the church. I suppose the thought has been in the recesses
of my mind, but I’d never verbalized it before. The structure of today’s church
is to grow volunteers who will follow the vision of leaders; however, secular
organizations have systems in place to grow leaders, encourage leadership and
pursue leadership replacements. Jesus said, “For the people of this world are
more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so
that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:8b-9
NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----The world is the place where life is lived. It has social organizations in it. But it is yet the place where ordinary happens. So in the world the somewhat more extraordinary aspects of who you are have a more ordinary background to offset them. The church is the extraordinary place we go to participate in the extraordinary. The contrast rather disappears, so people there tend to only recognize the really extraordinary. Which of course would be the leaders, as we are carefully cultured to perceive.
-----It is unfortunate that the church has become an organization. The church as mentioned in bits and pieces of information here and there and yon in the Bible is a quite ordinary place where believers associated with one another. It was more like a community than an organization. Of course, it had its worship services, love feasts, celebrations, and holy days. But these weren’t “the church” as the Sunday worship service for the most part is “the church” today. In the first century the believers were “the church“ and its organization was not a formality as much as it was just the reality of what it was to be alive in the Lord. Church today is less the place of ordinary life in the Lord and more the place of showmanship, game playing, and power positioning.
-----Yet “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:10) Twenty centuries have seen the church move from community through political power and inner war and strife and argument to the quivering bowls of self-glorified Jell-O it now is. God’s manifold wisdom shown the principalities and powers of the heavenly places through the church certainly must be the bottomless depth of His mercy and grace shown in undying faithfulness and unconditional love.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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