The problem with Christians

I feel like what I am going to talk about will offend a lot of people, especially Christians. It may come off as harsh and blunt. Jesus isn’t the kind to sugar coat things, so I’m thinking it’s okay to be real with you guys.

I love to write about the grace, mercy, and love that Jesus has on all of us, especially mamas. However, with a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit, I felt led to write about Christians and why we Christians, sometimes suck.

I don’t write from a place of “I got it all figured out.” I write from a place of “Jesus is clear in scripture and I want to shed light on the truth.” I want Christians to wake up and see that maybe, we are the problem, repent, and keep moving forward. This isn’t to tear down the church, but to open our eyes to see our sin. By the grace of God, I am hoping to achieve that through this post.

I also want to inform you that the problems that I’m going to talk about are problems I personally have experienced, a loved one has experienced, or I’ve witnessed. I don’t expect perfection from Christians. Like I always say, we haven’t been called to live in perfection, but to keep moving forward. It’s okay to fail and grow from our mistakes.

We all have or will be the problem in Christianity at some point in our lives. We must extend grace to ourselves and toward one another. We use our God-given discernment, repent, and keep following Christ while loving and serving others.

If you have been the problem in Christianity, don’t let shame hinder you from your relationship with Christ. You’ve been forgiven and set free. God knows I used to be a self-righteous little turd (really wanted to use a different word there). Nothing can separate us from Him, don’t live in shame.

If you are reading this and you are not a Christian and have been hurt by Christians, I want to apologize to you. Christians are imperfect people trying their best to follow a perfect God. Some of us have strayed away from truth and have forgotten that we, ourselves, are ragamuffins. We have failed at loving and serving you like Christ. We lost ourselves in our selfishness and our personal preferences. I am truly sorry. Jesus loves you with a love that is not imaginable to our finite minds. He wants you, he sees you, and loves you dearly no matter how far you run. Please reconsider a relationship with him, you won’t regret it.

What did Jesus do?

Just for a minute I want to talk about Jesus. If Christians are called to be “mini Christs” than we need to know a little bit about Christ. I obviously cannot go into too much detail because I would be writing until Jesus comes back, so I’m going to talk about three points and encourage you to read through Matthew. Hey, and no shame here. I recently read through Matthew to learn from the actions and words of Jesus. We ALL need to read again and again and again, oh, and again scripture. I encourage you to get out your Bible and go through these verses.

• Jesus accepted all people, hung out with the “losers”, and came for the sick (mentally, spiritually, physically). Luke 5:30, Luke 19 (Zacchaeus was a tax collector who lied and cheated people out of $), John 4 (Samaritans were not the safest people to hang with), Matthew 9, Luke 7:36-50
• Jesus and the religious leaders were NOT besties. The religious leaders of this time were experts in the Hebrew Cannon or the Old Testament. The Hebrew Cannon teaches and prophesies about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus (most Jews believe that Jesus was not the Messiah). They didn’t practice what they preached and often felt they were better than others because of their role. The religious leaders were so stuck in their religion and ways that they missed, or rejected, the fact the Messiah they had been waiting for had finally arrived (this is also why the New Testament refers to the Old Testament quite frequently). The religious leaders were the ones that put Jesus on the cross. (Matthew 23:1-39, Luke 18:10-14, Luke 20:46-47, Matthew 21:31-32).
• Jesus is God and the Messiah. Jesus is God who has been, is, and will be. He is also the prophesied Messiah the Old Testament peeps learned about. Our flesh and the enemy destroyed our perfect world and intimacy with God (Garden of Eden). To make things right, God spoke through prophets about the coming Messiah that would save all of humanity. He came, died, and defeated death FOR us. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He left us with the Holy Spirit and we will have perfect intimacy again when he returns to defeat darkness for good! Genesis 1:26, Genesis 3, John 1:1, Matthew 28, Acts 1:8, Revelation 3:11, for Old Testament prophesies go to the link https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog-and-stories/old-testament-prophecies.html

If Christians are called to act like Christ, we should recognize and act like him. Jesus sets an example and model for us to follow. Let’s be obedient in that calling.

The First Church

The New testament church was made up of a bunch people who were all very different, but all loved Jesus. They helped one another out financially, prayed for one another, and grew together. They were not perfect. Paul calls out the church quite a bit in the New Testament rebuking bluntly with love (and some frustration). This is the model of what church is supposed to look like.

Let’s stop right here. I want you to read this. You ready? People in church will hurt you. Like I mentioned earlier, church is made up of imperfect people serving a perfect God. I’ve hurt and been hurt and it’s no party. However, we keep moving forward. Discern, repent, keep moving. Haven’t you ever been hurt by your spouse or friend? You work through it. Jesus tells you what to do in Matthew 18 how to handle conflict.

Church or country club?

Unfortunately, today’s church looks less like the New Testament church and more like a country club. There are clicks and standards for what is expected. If you don’t fit a certain mold you’re on your own. People leave feeling excluded and left out. The rejects and wackos like me never feel included and the unbelievers feel as if this whole Jesus thing is a show.

Let’s go back to who Jesus hung out with. Did he hang out with people just like him? People that looked and acted like him? People that worked in a similar trade? He hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, the sick, the desperate, the lonely, the abandoned, the hungry. He spent a lot of time with the wounded. We must wake up, get over our social norms, and love when it’s uncomfortable.

We like to nod and smile

Growing up in the south, I learned that everyone claims to be a Christian and is willing to talk about God. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean everyone actually has a relationship with him. Bummer dude.

The south is pretty bad about being fake, we call it “southern hospitality.” I’m not talking about small talk with your neighbor or saying thank you. I’m talking about people (especially women) being overly nice, but not really giving two farts about you. Keeping you at an arms length and never letting you in. They have their people and you need to find your own cause these people, here, are all claimed. Women, sound familiar?

It also can be easy for us to be this way when we find our people. It’s hard making friends and when we find them, we grow together like family. It’s easy for someone to feel left out when God has created such deep bonds between us. However, we must be careful to not exclude anyone.

On the flip side, when we do get hurt we don’t talk about it. We get mad and resentful and leave the church. We open a door for Satan and speak death about that specific church or people. This hinders others from wanting to be apart of church at all. If there is an issue we need to address with one another in a Christ-like manner. This isn’t fun but not destructive like gossip. (Disclaimer: sometimes it’s okay to part ways and rest to restore and heal).

No one is perfect. There is fault in all of us. Once we realize that people are insecure and broken, it’s easier to extend grace. Most people aren’t trying to hurt others, it’s their insecurity and brokenness that does the hurting.

Our theology is wack!

One major issue with Christians right now is that we don’t know, understand, or spend time in scripture. We have taken our own perspectives, pastor’s opinions, and the world’s view and created a theology that best suites our lives. This is a scary place to be. We must spend time in the word because that is the foundation of our lives. We want God to speak to us, but won’t open up the book that he wrote to us.

I’m not trying to make you feel like a load of poo. I write this with love and concern. Remember I struggle with this stuff too. It’s so vital and important to be and live in the word of God.

Prayer smayer

As Christians, we not only do not spend time in prayer, but we forget of the power that is living in us. Remember we talked about God giving us the Holy Spirit. Yea, it’s real and we have it right here closer than our next breath.

I won’t dive deep, but if we look at the early church, there were many miraculous things happening. There were people being healed, chains literally being broken, and people finding joy in the face of death. This didn’t end here.

This is STILL happening. We still have this power and the Holy Spirit guiding us. The enemy has lied to us and we have belittled the power and authority that we have in Christ. We seek our tangible comfort, joy, and security in our earthly circumstances. We settle for average when we have been called to do great things but are too afraid or insecure to actually pursue them. We are so distracted that we miss the voice of God. God wants us to find joy and happiness through His permanence, not our earthly circumstances.

We forget that miracles are still happening. Marriages being restored, people repenting of sin, the hurting giving glory to God through the pain. These are things that are not possible without the act of a supernatural God. Hearts don’t change because they are told, they change because of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

What about you?

So what about you dear friend? Did any of this hit home? Have you felt or struggled with these issues? Take some time and reflect on your walk with Christ.

Reflection

• Do you tend to run to or away from people different than you?
• Have you built resentment for the church and need healing?
• Do you believe that the Holy Spirit inside of you can do things you can’t do on your own?
• In what ways do you serve and love like Jesus?
• What fear holds you back from walking in deep intimacy with Christ?
• Are there areas in your faith where you need to repent?
• What hinders you from living a joyful life in Christ (not based on present circumstances)?

Conclusion

We must open our Bibles, spend time in prayer, and open our hearts to see that Christ is at work in and all around us. We need to lift our eyes to our Savior that provides joy, peace, and comfort. We will be most satisfied, the closer we are to him.

We are not called to be perfect, but to love and serve well. We follow Jesus’s example, repent when we fall, and pop back up again. There is no failure, no problem, no rejection, no insecurity, no fear, that is bigger than what Jesus did on the cross. When things feel bigger than the gospel, it’s a lie from hell. We have freedom in him!

Love you all,