The Church is Not God

In many ways I think we (speaking of Christians) often put the Church in the place of God Himself. Not that we do so intententionally, but somehow before we know it, it happens [in spite of our best intentions].

When we need help, [how often do] we run to the Church, to our church family and/or to Christian friends BEFORE (even instead of) going to the Lord Himself?

Isn't that exactly what the unbeliever does? When an unbeliever is confronted with a spiritual need, does the unbeliever kneel down in the living room of his home to call upon the Lord? OR does he go "to Church" instead? How often do we go TO the CHURCH instead of to Jesus? Why do we act like taking our problems or needs to other believers and asking them to pray for us is the SAME as having personally submitted our needs directly to the Lord? How is it that people so equate taking it TO THE CHURCH as if that is the SAME as taking it DIRECTLY to God? Since when did the CHURCH become God?

Whether we want to admit it or not, we do tend to equate the Church with God, and we do so in many seemingly harmless ways. We get so used to the connection between church and Christ that we forget that the CHURCH is not God!

Knowing that God is ever present with us, I think HE must see it as more than a little odd that we will drive all the way across town to church but we won't stop what we're doing to actually call upon HIM right where we are. Along that same line of thinking, how often have we called on the help of other believers or asked others to pray for us about a problem or situation we need help with without ever asking the Lord for help first and before others?

It seems that no sooner had I become a Christian when all of a sudden, everything started becoming more and more about "the Church" and less and less about JESUS. Why is that? I am not talking about getting too busy or not having enough devotional time, and it is much more than getting too wrapped up with church things, although we do plenty of that.. It is more than that. I am talking about leaving JESUS by the wayside while we go on about the business of our daily lives, while we play Church. Playing CHURCH is not the worst of it, it is downright scary how easily we are turned FROM CHRIST to Christianity.

WHY is it that we have come to act like THE CHURCH and Christ are one and the same thing? Why do we try to sell people on the merits of our CHURCH instead of leading them to THE HEAD of the Church, i.e., to Jesus Himself? How easily (without realizing it) have we turned FROM God to my CHURCH!

If you really stop and think about it, how many people would accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, if Christians would stop trying to get them to their Church? HOW MANY would gladly receive the Lord, if we would just lead them to Jesus? How many people would accept Jesus, if we would stop preaching ourselves and our church and just preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified? How easily we end up telling people more about our church than we do about our Savior.

Without realizing it, in the same ways that we are being turned FROM Christ TO Church-ianity, so too are we being turned FROM GOD'S WORD to what our church is teaching. And, so sure are we that "our Church" is teaching the unadulterated word of God that we don't even bother to obey the scriputre by searching the scripture "to see if the things we are taught are so".

I know that in theory, what the Christian Church(es) are teaching, SHOULD BE God's word in Spirit and in Truth but in reality, the truth of the matter is, what the Churches are teaching isn't REALLY God's word, and Church REALLY HAS become synonymous with God.

Noteye's Notes are NOT meant to be taken personally or as personal accusations. This is a blog because it is intended to be taken as something for the reader to mull over in their mind. Hopefully, instead of taking offense or becoming defensive, the reader (maybe even you) will consider these notes challenging and thought provoking. Who knows someone might be motivated to ask themselves: Have I put the Church in the place of God? Have I turned from Christ to C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n-i-t-y?

It's late and I haven't had any sleep. If I get the chance, as soon as possible, I'd like to post a copy of a church dedication plaque which illustrates exactly what I mean by our tendency to put "the church" in the place of God in our lives.

Vist "Noteye's RestStop"

Noteye's RestStop

noteye@bmi.net

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