How to Thrive in a Church
Why is there trouble in the church? Why do people get hurt by churches? Am I going to get hurt in church? Can't I be a follower of Jesus without being connected to a church? These are very real questions that were answered by Jesus telling a story about the wheat and the tares.
The exploitation of religion for selfish gain causes hurt to people and gives the Christian church (and all of religion) a bad name. Some would argue that the church is full of hypocrites or that there are a bunch of do gooders in church who don't live out their profession. Counterfeit religion and a counterfeit gospel can produce hypocritical living. The reality of the great controversy between Jesus and Satan means that this world, including the church, is a spiritual war zone. On top of this, people may have many ulterior motives in attaching themselves to a church community. Ultimately, the problem is not a problem of religion but a problem of the sinful heart. The Christian church is full of failings because it is full of people who are still a work in progress! Despite the fact that the Christian church is full of problems, knowing how to survive church is not good enough. Instead, we want to pursue how to thrive in church!
God's primary agenda for your life is NOT your happiness. Rather, God's primary agenda for your life is your holiness. That is to say, as long as life shall last, God desires your transformation and the reaching of your fullest potential by His grace. Often we choose to accept or reject church association based on whether it brings us a sense of happiness or not. Whether the church is at its best or at its worst in any given season of life, perhaps God's purpose in your association with a church community is your transformation into His likeness. The real test of our characters is not so much how well we love and get along with those we like. Rather the real test of our characters is how well we love our enemies. Often we are willing to turn our back on the church because we don't see the character of Jesus in the church. But is the character of Jesus in us? It's not about us judging the church. It's about us being the church! It's not simply about us pursuing a good experience in the church. It's about us being the good experience someone else has in the church.
As Jesus said, 'The Kingdom of God is like a field of wheat and tares growing together...'
This video was produced in partnership with Hope Channel New Zealand and originally aired on television under the title "More than a Story: Why Isn't the Church Perfect?" (episode 10 of 24).
