The Church is a Whore, and it is also my Mother.
[I dread saying things that are controversial. I dread being the person that "stirs the pot". Especially if I'm unsure whether or not I'll be able to back up the statements I make. Especially when these statements are ones of rebuke. But I know that at some point and time I have to stick a limb out in the cold... so here I go.]
Picture a bride. Picture the white, flowing fabric of her gown falling gracefully over the soft features of her body. Enjoy the bouquet of fresh flowers she holds in her delicate hands. Her tender spirit has captivated her bridegroom. He is drawn to her weakness and frailty; she is drawn to his strength and authority. And together they are one.
From what I can tell, I think that it has become spiritually "trendy" to harp on the sickness of the church. To spit in the face of the Bride of Christ, mocking her flaws and her impurities. We have (myself included) dwelt on these sicknesses--the disunity, the dysfunction, the abuse--but our scorn has become a sickness of its own.
No man is perfect but One. And this is the One that takes His Bride, beaten and bruised, in His protective arms and says, Be made whole. He holds this frail one gently, and He sings a sweet song of rejoicing over her. In her weakness she has ravished His heart, and He has become faint with love.
When we spit in the face of the Bride of Christ and call her unworthy, we spit in the face of Jesus Christ himself and call Him unworthy. For it was through His sacrifice that man was reconciled to God, and it was by the same sacrifice that He calls His Bride worthy.
I am not saying to not confront the sin within the Body of Christ. The church is undergoing a process of sanctification; the Bride is being made ready for the day of the Bridegroom. It would be unbiblical to not address and rebuke sin within the body in order to see it corrected.
But correction must be executed through the wisdom of God and rooted in the same love that Christ has for his Bride. If there is bitterness in our hearts toward the bitterness in the church, then we ourselves are no different then the thing we despise. We must oppose sin with the opposite spirit. (Ie. The spirit of man was rejection, and the spirit of Christ was acceptance. The spirit of man was sinfulness, and the spirit of Christ was blamelessness.) So if there is a spirit of bitterness within your church body, then come to them with a spirit of grace and compassion. One of the greatest catalysts of change is the power of example.
Perhaps this outbreak of contempt within the church body is just a reactionary response to the revelation of the impurity that is within the Bride of Christ today. (Remember, the Bride is undergoing the process of sanctification and cleansing). I personally acknowledge that things do need to change. The sin that is willingly held within the hearts of many Christians today grieves my spirit deeply.
But we as a body must be moved from that which is immature to that which is mature. I believe that the initial reactionary response of contempt can become grounds for change (if bitterness is not kept for bitterness will only create more division). As the saying goes, "You can only fix what you know is broken." People are beginning to wake up to the need for revival within the North American church. This revival will not necessarily be like the revivals of old, but it will a revival of the heart--of a way of thinking and being, existing and living.
So what I am suggesting and hopefully challenging is this: We can't just sit here in our Pentecostal church pews and Bible college school desks and complain about the state of the church. It's great that we're acknowledging that something is wrong, but that realization requires action. We are the church. We are the Body of Christ. We are a part of His Bride. So change begins with me, and change begins with you.
"The Church is a Whore, and it is also my Mother." --St. Augustine
From what I can tell, I think that it has become spiritually "trendy" to harp on the sickness of the church. To spit in the face of the Bride of Christ, mocking her flaws and her impurities. We have (myself included) dwelt on these sicknesses--the disunity, the dysfunction, the abuse--but our scorn has become a sickness of its own.
No man is perfect but One. And this is the One that takes His Bride, beaten and bruised, in His protective arms and says, Be made whole. He holds this frail one gently, and He sings a sweet song of rejoicing over her. In her weakness she has ravished His heart, and He has become faint with love.
When we spit in the face of the Bride of Christ and call her unworthy, we spit in the face of Jesus Christ himself and call Him unworthy. For it was through His sacrifice that man was reconciled to God, and it was by the same sacrifice that He calls His Bride worthy.
I am not saying to not confront the sin within the Body of Christ. The church is undergoing a process of sanctification; the Bride is being made ready for the day of the Bridegroom. It would be unbiblical to not address and rebuke sin within the body in order to see it corrected.
But correction must be executed through the wisdom of God and rooted in the same love that Christ has for his Bride. If there is bitterness in our hearts toward the bitterness in the church, then we ourselves are no different then the thing we despise. We must oppose sin with the opposite spirit. (Ie. The spirit of man was rejection, and the spirit of Christ was acceptance. The spirit of man was sinfulness, and the spirit of Christ was blamelessness.) So if there is a spirit of bitterness within your church body, then come to them with a spirit of grace and compassion. One of the greatest catalysts of change is the power of example.
Perhaps this outbreak of contempt within the church body is just a reactionary response to the revelation of the impurity that is within the Bride of Christ today. (Remember, the Bride is undergoing the process of sanctification and cleansing). I personally acknowledge that things do need to change. The sin that is willingly held within the hearts of many Christians today grieves my spirit deeply.
But we as a body must be moved from that which is immature to that which is mature. I believe that the initial reactionary response of contempt can become grounds for change (if bitterness is not kept for bitterness will only create more division). As the saying goes, "You can only fix what you know is broken." People are beginning to wake up to the need for revival within the North American church. This revival will not necessarily be like the revivals of old, but it will a revival of the heart--of a way of thinking and being, existing and living.
So what I am suggesting and hopefully challenging is this: We can't just sit here in our Pentecostal church pews and Bible college school desks and complain about the state of the church. It's great that we're acknowledging that something is wrong, but that realization requires action. We are the church. We are the Body of Christ. We are a part of His Bride. So change begins with me, and change begins with you.
"The Church is a Whore, and it is also my Mother." --St. Augustine
6 Comments:
AMEN SISTER! Change starts with us... if we want change then we must be willing to change! The definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! Be blessed, great post!
This has been on my heart this last month, so much so.
I don’t always like where we are, or what we are doing or what we hide, or anything of that sort, but who am I to stand there and shout about it.
Clearly things need to be brought into the open for them to change, its true,
but shouting and making a scene about it isn’t helping anyone.
We need to be the difference.
Controversy strikes passion
so easy to write, not easy to do
That's a powerful revelation. I appreciate your honesty and approach, it's making me process how I will react to this and repent of many thought patterns. Awesome visual of the bride, you really portrayed her beautifully and freshly. I found your blog through Kayle's, and it's great. Bless you.
hey C. remember when nathan shot roman canles at your car? that was funny, gas + fire .... call me old fashioned but i think thats a little bit risky. just gonna throw that out there.
your words are moi bueno. i was trying realy hard to find some challenging verse that i could write here so that i could help you grow the same way that you help me to grow, but the problem is, i agree 100% with everything you said.
ill try again next time
Post a Comment
<< Home