After years in ministry, my viewpoints have changed on many things. From doctrines I no longer believe as true to the way I share Christ with others. Deception starts early and not until intimacy with Christ is built personally does He share much with us. I never knew how much He was opposed to oppression of any kind and I certainly didn’t understand Justice and righteousness was the very foundation of His throne. These seemingly small viewpoints have major ramifications to the way we operate in the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

There is something beautiful in seeing growth… but growth often comes in the admitting of being wrong, or at least the revelation we were a bit inaccurate along this journey to truth.  For this shows a teachable spirit that many in the Church have lost. Therefore, we are where we are in our world today. One of my greatest joys is when Christ unravels a false teaching to me. It is a most glorious moment of gratitude to see Him do this. His love unfolds more and more and in this comes a new kind of freedom in Christ you didn’t even know you lacked.

 

One of the main shifts of thought is the way I lead people to Christ. There was a time when I likely was too harsh and honestly did not dig deep into the pain of others. I had yet to learn and even understand this was exactly what Christ did in the scriptures. We can see this with the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery. I wish I knew on this side of Heaven what Christ wrote in the sand that day. I suspect it would be quite the opposite of how we would handle the situation today. I’m taking a guess here that we would ere on the side of those who drug the woman forward to be stoned.

 

I’ve learned I don’t need to brow beat people with my Bible but to plant seeds that the Holy Spirit then works with. We act as if we have something to do with another’s salvation when the Word says they must be drawn by the Father. It simply is a supernatural work. Extending the altar call to press into those yet to give up helps little. We often deny the lack of authenticity we are showing them and so make sure they feel the heat of not stepping out of the pew. Truth be told, one doesn’t need a formal altar call when being drawn to Jesus….He will finish His work where He pleases. In a grocery store, in your bedroom, or for me it was a bathroom where I realized my heart wasn’t His at all. Yet, we insist on scalping those who have yet bent a knee to Christ. And we wonder why their hesitation.

 

Words of piety and shame blame pour out of our pulpits where the empowerment of God has even yet to visit. The very necessity that enables us to do that which Christ calls us to do. Let us take an inward look and remember He did not come to condemn the world but to save it.

 

The light of His glory shines feverishly, however, upon the Church and its leaders to which His hand of justice will rest mightily. His heart watches at the abuse of the sheep, the false teachings of the Shepherds, and the lack of hearts binding the broken. This ought to cause us to tremble in fear. While we mock the world in all its sin, He is asking why love lacks as He glares in grief at the log in our own eyes. Why messages are preached with no real power or compassion that compels and how our words are mere words until we know what it’s like to crawl into the pit with hearts in need to love them out of it entirely.

 

I see where the world is headed and it grieves me. Not because of the parading of ungodliness which is thrust into my face but because it is a sign that we have failed to offer the love of Jesus in a way that leads them to Him. We have sorely misrepresented Him and His heart.

 

As I’ve worked with abused women and even youth struggling with their identity (which is running rampant) the story is usually similar. There was always a moment when the Church had an opportunity to love them to Christ. Instead they sided on the side of injustice or hammered a confused heart into more confusion. The latest words I’ve heard from a searching heart is this: “If that’s what Jesus is like I want no part of Him.” And in all our religious audacity our response is this: “If you left church because of people you went for the wrong reason.” This makes no sense to the unbelieving heart in crises. Our heart position should be more like this, “Oh God forgive us for wounding the already wounded. Please give us another chance to apologize and meet them where they are trusting in your word that love covers a multitude of sin and the goodness of God leads men to repentance.”

 

But that would be admitting wrong wouldn’t it, and we couldn’t have that. Thus, the log in our own eye grows larger and the people are driven farther away from Christ… (tears)

 

It would do us well to research the recesses of our minds and hearts and bridge the gap between us and every heart we have wounded in the name of Christ. For this is the first thing we must do. Before we worship, before we preach, before anything. Leave the excuses on the altar and go make it right…cancel a service if you must as Soon as He brings to mind the heart you left shattered in a million pieces.

 

Otherwise, our ministry is likely to come to an abrupt halt or suffer a cataclysmic storm as Christ awaits us to obey His very heart and the revealed Word of God. Leave your gift on the altar and go….