The Hypocrisy of the Church and the Hope of the One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_ccgtvAmdE

As I've gotten older, I've realized that the world around us is full of many voices. As an adult, I've begun to really hear the voices, not just superficially, but the heart behind the words. What I've discovered is that while the American church is screaming about morality in politics, legislating the Bible, and the war between the Christian and the ungodly, the world around us is crying out for hope, looking for light in their darkened existence, and grasping at any thread of security which will help them climb from their pit of despair. The Church has the answers, it holds the means of their healing, it is the gatekeepers of the Light, and the voice of the Good News. Yet, in America, they selfishly hide their Light, refuse to speak, except as Jonah, only to declare the judgment for sin, gleefully awaiting the destruction of the heathen. The world's music, literature, and media all cry with a voice longing for hope, drowning in despair, and our response is to denounce what they produce as the working of demons.

Do you know what the hypocrisy of the church is? It is not the fact that we are imperfect humans claiming to be perfect, it is not because we believe in principles we have not yet attained to. The hypocrisy of the church is that it has forsaken"the one" for the comfort of "the ninety-nine". It is that the church claims to welcome the sinner with open arms, "come as you are", but demands immediate conformity. It is claiming to be family, "having all things in common", yet choosing individual comforts over meeting needs. We gravitate to those like us and reject those different from us. It's the same inside and outside of the church. Reaching the lost is messy and uncomfortable, loving the hurting and defensive is risky and costly, yet are we not commanded to reach out in love? This is the work of faith, to risk suffering heart break and injury for the healing and salvation of another.

The church demands that we pay our tithe so that there is "bread" to feed the hungry, but when the hungry arrives all they get is a beautiful building, a nice sound system, and programs to meet their "spiritual" needs. Did you know that the New Testament doesn't even require tithes? But the early church shared all things common, (Acts 2:44-45), and Paul says that as we have purposed in our hearts to give freely and generously, (2 Corinthians 9:6-7), and in another place he advised that if someone has an abundance to bring of his abundance and he that has lack, of his lack, that all go away having their needs met, no extra and no lack, (2 Corinthians 8:7 15). Tithing is not the requirement, but meeting the needs of those around us is where the love of God is seen. You can be faithful to tithe and have your part in building the religious edifices that litter our cities like the refuse of a town dump, or you can reach out and give to those who are in need.

This is the call of the Church, to feed the hungry, minister to the sick, to visit the lonely and shut-in, to show mercy and kindness, and above all to love the unlovable. If the Church will do this, then there is nothing God will withhold from them, not miracles, not favor, not wealth. The Church who does these things will walk in the power of the Most High, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. This Church will shine with the all consuming fire of God and the world will come to watch it burn.

I have considered the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 24:12-13 many times. Jesus is quoted as saying that because lawlessness abounds, the self-sacrificing love of many will become cold, but those that endure in their love until the end will be saved. I am certain that one day we will all stand before the God of all, and on that day we will be judged; our works, our words, and our motives. And as I have heard my wife say many times, on that Day, I would rather the Judge of all creation say to me that I loved too much, rather than I judged too narrowly. If I am to be judged by the same measure that I judge, let me extend all the mercy of the ages, mercy as abundant as the oceans, and as endless as eternity. Without it, none of us is worthy to face the perfect holiness of God.

My desire is not to reach the 99. They were fine before me, and they will be just as fine after I'm gone. But, if you feel like the one, that one who feels lost and unloved, then you are the one I want to connect with. You are the one that I want to understand that you are not the only one. Many of us have felt neglected, pushed away, and forgotten. We have fallen through the cracks and been ignored by the masses. Jesus is the shepherd that left the 99 sheep, dwelling in safety, to find the one which was lost and in need, and if I'm to be like Him, then you are my mission. This is the hope the Church should be offering to the lost, a safe place for the lost, a hospital for the hurting, and a light in the darkness. Our voice should be crying out to all, "come as you are", and when they show up, wrap our arms around them abd receive them with unconditional love.