Amberjoyj’s Weblog

There has been recent attention on those who choose to connect themselves with Jesus but not the church. Sometimes when we think of the polarities around Christianity we think Christians and Athietsts.In a society with over 60,000 denomination there seems to be a lot between that. Not only have we made many different ways to worship Christ we have also found people who are not content with the church but are still attracted to  Jesus Christ. For some the church and Christ go hand in hand, “For we are the Body of Christ”. For others the person of Jesus seems to offer hope and light in an often hopeless and dark world. So what’s the difference? People may like Jesus and what he has to offer, but are turned off from the church. Why would does a person like Christ but not his church? If we are honest its because Christ is perfect and we aren’t. The church’s history doesn’t always live out Christ’s revolutionary love! People see the crusades, the which hunts, the hurt in the world that isn’t being helped, the judgment of those that don’t fit into the normal picture, people fighting about who’s way is right: and these ways we live out our lives aren’t the way you would want to see Christ’s people loving each other. They correlate the church with rules and religion and Jesus with love and relationship. Contrary  to some authors, I don’t believe that Christians need to change who they are in regard to God’s word to make ourselves compatable with sociaty or become politically correct. I think we must: (1st)simply and humbly remind ourselves that we are imperfect people seeking to worship a Perfect God! We can not fully understand our God or live his comands out until he comes again! (2nd)But we can with awe understand that with our Christians salvation comes the incredible responsibility to be Jesus to all we encounter. As the saying goes we may be the only Jesus people will ever see. As we try to be Jesus to all we encounter, (3)  may we live Christian lives that show we have Christ in our hearts and because of that we joyfully live out his commandments in the midst of fellow believers, as a way to become more like our amazing Lord. And may one of our many goals in doing this all, be to share with others the great gifts we are blessed with by being are part of Christ’s church. We are educated in the word of God, taught on these teachings, fellowshiping and striving together, that one day when Christ sees us he will say “Well done good and faithful servant!” “When I was hungry you fed me” or even today when I was hurt and disconnected from the body of Christ, you loved me any way and brought me back to the flock.
So if we seek to know of our world so that we can best minister then we must ask ourselves, Why do they like Jesus, but not the church? And repentfuly say because we unlike our Lord are not perfect. And with determination also say that we can be different and better as we continually strive to more fully embody the love Christ showed us on the Cross. We can stop argueing about our differences and start uniting in our simularities. Because when we turn people away from the church because of our fights and sins they loose the rich blessing of not only knowing God through the spirit but also knowing him through His Word and His people. So when we are discouraged and when we discourage let us remember the example Jesus gave us. May we be willing to over throw tables of evil in God’s temble and open our doores to Gentiles and others. May we give all we have to REFLECT THE SON so that the world will see HIM not us in the church and so that ” the King will say to us, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matt 25:34-36) I had lost faith in the Church, but restored my faith in the church to truly be the hand and feet of Christ!