Silas Cherry's Response to "YOU MADE THEM UNCHURCHED" - THE CULTURE AND THE UNCHURCHED

Jesus always had interesting answers for the questions asked by the Scribes and Pharisees whose intentions were always to either corner or ridicule him and the gospel. Look what he said to them in the story of the adulterous woman:

"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."(John 8:7, ESV)

and they all turned around and left.

Can you imagine what would have happened to her if Jesus had said "Let him who is without adultery among you be the first to throw a stone at her."?

This is what makes Christ different from us, instead of saying the same thing as him we choose the latter just to demonstrate our own righteousness.

The Pharisees and Scribes were self-righteous people who thought that they had achieved the fulfilments of their religious lives and did not need Jesus to tell them more but here we see them turn around and leave in shame; an acknowledgement of their guilt and unrighteousness.

What makes them better than us? Instead of dropping the stones, turning around and walking away, we create categories of sins and try to squeeze ourselves into the categories of "smaller sin", "tolerable sin" "different sin" or "better sin" so that we can castigate and condemn the rest but isn't the consequence of every sin the same?

Where did we even get this idea about categorizing sin?

How can we ever forget Romans 3:23-24 - we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory, are justified freely by grace through the redemption by Christ Jesus?

I think that Jesus continuously calls us to a renewal of our fellowship with him through the lives of these "unchurched" people; our encounters with them should challenge us to be faithful witnesses but it is very easy for us to become self-satisfied or self-righteous in the process that we miss out on this call of faithful witnessing.

As people on this Christian Pilgrimage,  comparison denies us the benefits of looking at our own lives through the mirror of God's word, the absence of which makes us unchurch people.

Our tendencies to accept others as part of the body of Christ and saved by his grace (like we all are) can only come when we realize that the words of Jesus "I have come to call sinners" (Luke 5:32) is always directed at us and not the young guy who smokes or drinks, the lady who sleeps around or gossips, the man who steals or kills, the woman who lies or commits  adultery, the student who cheats during an examination or the employer who does not pay salaries to his employees.

Weeding out the self-righteousness that lurks within us is so difficult but necessary in preaching this gospel of Christ we profess and believe. The way we can rechurch the unchurched isn't by preaching repentance to them at all times but telling them how God's grace and mercy lifted us from the dirt to a place of fellowship with him; how we also need Jesus everyday of our lives as we try to become holy like him; admit that in our days of rest and unwillingness Jesus gives us strength to yield to his "follow me".

Christianity isn't exactly about the one who is perfect or better than others, Christianity is about the one running the race and helping others who fall rise again or better still, holding their hands and bringing them along; Christianity is about imitating Jesus who although was without sin, forgave the adulterous woman and in his kindness gave her a chance to repent.

Christianity is the culture of Christ.

I‘m really happy that you read to the end and I’d love it more if we build a community of God’s people by sharing lessons we learn as we journey through life with Christ as our anchor. Kindly drop a comment and help build another.

God bless you.

This post was inspired by a blog post written by Tsalla Emmanuel titled “You Made Them Unchurched” . Click here to read: https://tsallaemmanuel.blogspot.com/2019/03/you-made-them-unchurched.html?m=1

To visit her blog post, click here

CAN I CALL THE CHURCH HOME?

                 

                   

                     Can I call the church home?

                   I thought I finally got a place where I’d belong

                   A place where I’d be accepted for who I am

                   But my thought wasn’t my reality

                   Kicked away by their murmurs and gossips

                   Broken by their whispers

                   Pushed aside by their neglect

                   The background became my home

                   I was drawn by the love of their mentor

                   But their hypocrisy was my harvest

                   Names and shame my reward

                   Tears and regrets my inheritance

                   Was I wrong to think love dwelt here?

                   Tell me it wasn’t just a mirage

                   I searched but saw no one accord

                   Where’s the unity they preach?

                   The Church

                   The body of Christ it is called

                   How then do the body not represent same love as the Head?

                   At what point did they dis-unite?

                   A body without its head is incomplete

                  Those who claim are His-likes

                  Must not just teach His likes

                  They must live His Life

                  And preach His Word

                  The Church without love isn’t a church

                 You don’t want them fellow-shipping with you

                 But God wants them to experience His fellowship

                 He wants the broken fixed

                 And the dead living

                 He wants them to meet the man on the cross

                 For the unsaved to find salvation

                 He wants His lovers to not just fellowship together

                 But to care for one another

                 Uplift each other

                 Share their experiences together

                 Be support systems to each other

                 Share His love which is the greatest

   

                Live in His love today

                For there was none so friendly to sinners as He

                The Church isn’t for the perfect

                The Church is for all  

                   Tsalla Emmanuel   

YOU MADE THEM UNCHURCHED

Many have sought a place where they would be accepted, a place they can call home, a community that would help them do and be better and that’s the church.

What does the church mean to you and are there certain qualifications to be a member of the church?

Some years ago, while on campus. I was talking with a friend, when he asked me, why does your fellowship welcome sinners? The question took me aback for a very long while but I’m glad my friend listened to what I had to say and I pray it blesses you also.      

The church is a place where people come to experience fellowship, where the broken gets fixed, where salvation is gotten, where people get to meet the man on the cross.

When people come to church, they’re not looking for the rules and regulations that make up religion. They’re looking for God, they’re in search of love and that’s the greatest encounter ever – the encounter of God (love)!

The church is the body of Christ (with Christ being the head) and every part of this body is indispensable. One Christian cannot form the Church, the Church is a community of Christians (1 Corinthians 12:14-23).

One of God’s intentions for the church is that those who love and seek Him get to fellowship together, care for one another, uplift themselves, share each other experiences and be each other’s support system (1 Corinthians 12:25).

My friend had secluded himself from some other members of the church; he had judged them sinners, from the traits he could see. He counted himself a Christian deserving of being a member of the Church but not them.

That was absolutely a wrong perception of the Church; the church isn’t meant for “Perfect Christians”. You become a member of the Church when you allow Jesus Christ Lord over you (be the head of your life).

When you accept Christ’s supreme lordship, you’re then being transformed to become a perfect reflection of Him daily. The Christian’s growth is continuous. When you accept Christ, you don’t become like Him in one day but rather, you’re given the ability to become like Him. The shaping and conversion into His perfect image are dependent on you; and that beloved, is the essence of the Church, to help you become Christ-like in every ramification.

 

Just like Jesus did, you must learn how to rebuke sin and love sinners. It is possible to hate sin and still bring sinners to the light and the most effective way to do this is through love.

“We show the world Jesus, by walking in His love.”

 

Jesus told the Pharisees who when they saw him eating with the publicans and sinners asked His disciples, why does your master eat with such class of people?

He simply said; “they that are whole (perfect) need not a physician, but they that are sick. Matthew 9:11-12.” – Jesus didn’t come for the righteous, He came for the imperfect!

 

A very flawed ideology that has crippled the fellowship amongst brethren in the church is the belief that ‘I am better than the other’, the failure to acknowledge one’s own flaws and weaknesses! Lots of believers struggle with different factors and because of this flawed mentality; they deny the church its power to transform their lives.

We are meant to become better Christians by fellowshipping with other believers. The Church is the best place we can get all the assistance and help needed to be shaped like Christ.

 

There is no one who’s immune to temptation. When placed in a difficult situation, you and I are capable of any sin (1 Corinthians 10:12). God knows this! And that’s why He has assigned us, the responsibility of keeping each other on track.

The Church is a family far more important than your earthly family. It’s a family meant to be concerned about your spiritual growth, your life as a whole even! There’s no such thing as ‘minding one’s business’ in the body of Christ. When something is wrong with a member of the body, then something is wrong with the entire body (1 Corinthians 12:26). It is thus, the duty of all members to help that part get better. You don’t help that member by shying away from him/her or by driving him/her away with murmurs and insults neither do you help them by making them feel unchurched but by reaching out, praying for them and actually helping them out of that phase (Hebrews 3:13).

Beloved, don’t be like brother Diotrephes, who refused to welcome members and puts them out of the church (3 John 1:9-10). Rather, help them grow, don’t leave them hanging.

You don’t throw the dirty water in the bath with the baby?  You remove the baby and throw the dirty water.

James 5:16 tells us to “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” That’s exactly the essence of the church!

 

I beseech you to make the decision today, to be your brothers’ and sisters’ keeper, to correct them in love and to help them walk in the light of the Father.

And I pray that as you do that, the good lord continuously shapes you to become a perfect reflection of Him.

 

God bless you immensely!

Tsalla Emmanuel

You can read the follow-up piece of this post (CAN I CALL THE CHURCH HOME) by clicking here