I feel the question that lingers in the untouched air of today's Christian society is "Where is the disconnect?" When does it happen that people no longer are hungry for the Word, no longer want to know Jesus, no longer aim to live Biblically accurate lives? Christians have created a way that it is easy to be a "Christian" without ever having to know Jesus at all. Who doesn't want to be a Christian when it is that easy? Guess what? IT IS NOT THAT EASY! Nor, was it ever promised to us that it would be. When you are SAVED, your life should look radically, totally, and DRASTICALLY different then the rest of the world-because you are not living in the world or of the world's standards, but you are called by God to rise above and live your life set apart from that way of life.
I was 22 years old before I met Jesus. Before that, I would have called myself a Christian. My parents took me to church when I was a child. My uncle is a minister and all my family had a great reputation as God-loving, God-fearing people. I went to youth group, sang the songs, did the camp thing, played on inflatable jumping toys. And most importantly, I believed that God existed. Well do you know what? Come to find out that devil worshipers believe in God too! So, what is that saying about our faith when the one thing we fall back on in regards to defending our personal action of faith is nothing different than people who worship satan?
GOD SAVED ME. GOD SAVED ME. GOD SAVED ME. I was in a dark hole of a nightmarish life and GOD SAVED ME. He appeared to me and I heard the story of Jesus out of God's mouth himself. GOD SAVED ME. He thrust His Holy Spirit upon and broke my hard yet bleeding heart. GOD SAVED ME! In one instant, my entire life was DRAMATICALLY changed. Upon accepting Jesus it was if someone snapped their fingers and I was a completely different person. I thought differently, I spoke differently, I acted differently. EVERYTHING was changed, because I was no longer old Meg. I became transformed through God's love for me. Why isn't that everybody's experience with meeting Jesus for the first time?
Maybe you are thinking "Well, I have never gone through trials of anykind where God had to pull me out of something dark?" Ok, but nobody is perfect and God is trying to meet you in the trials you face today, even small things, and asking you to rely on Him and let Him change you but you are not even aware of that much because you are not even aware that you are desperately hungry for Him to begin with. Maybe you are thinking "I grew up in church, my parents are Christians, I don't ever remember not loving the Lord" Well that is AMAZING!! But are you acting like you love the Lord in all that you say? All that you do? Does every breath you breathe Glorify the One who gave you that breath?
There is a disconnect in the church and relationship to God. On any given day God is something different to me. On days where I miss my earthly dad who passed away, He is not only my strength and my comfort but He is my Father! On days I feel adventurous and need to get away, God is my playmate. On days where I feel sad and need to vent, God is my best girlfriend. On days where I am lonely, God romances me and becomes my Lover. He is the only one who knows what we need, and He always gives that to me. And if I don't feel it, I ask to. It is really as simple as that. We take for granted how powerful He is and also the power of Prayer. We take for granted the WORD of God, which is direct communication with how He wants us to live our lives. So many people use the excuse of "well I don't understand what I am reading!" I had the same trouble, but you know what I did that worked? I PRAYED. I prayed for God to lend me His spiritual eyes so that I could understand what I am reading. Instantly, I got it. He wants us to get it, He wants us to know these things so when we don't get it or don't understand then ASK Him to help you. That is what He is there for. Don't discredit the power of the Holy Spirit and how it transforms your life. WE are not powerful! We hold NO power. BUT GOD DOES! And He is going to use us whether we think we are worthy or not. We should not fear going out into the world and spreading His message because it is not us that is spreading it, it is the power of the Almighty God living inside of us.
Church did not save me. Church gave me a family whom I adore. Church gave me a support system that I need. Church gave me an avenue for all of the passions and talent God has given me in order to use them in ministry. But church did not Save me. God saved me.
There is a problem when church expects the unsaved to come to them, instead of going to the unsaved. There is a problem when people in the pews of a congregation question who Jesus is after 30 years of being a Christian. There is a problem when leadership in aims for bigger numbers to fill a multimillion dollar facility full of pews. There is a problem when the sermon becomes a motivational speech and not about Jesus Christ. There is a problem when the Bible is watered down. There is a PROBLEM when the message of Christ is twisted and contorted to make the people in the pews feel comfortable with living a Biblically inaccurate lifestyle. THERE IS A PROBLEM WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE IN YOUR PEWS WHO ARE CONTINUOUSLY STARVING FOR THE WORD AND DESPERATE TO BE FED!!!
WAKEUP CHURCH! THERE. IS. A. PROBLEM!
In Him,
Meg
