This was not my next blog post, but I got into the office today and this statement popped into my head “church is run by imperfect people”. I think this thought was triggered by all the conversations I have recently had with people who are just so sick of church. I have encountered people who either feel like church is full of hypocrites, lies or everything else except the true reflection of who Jesus is. Don’t get me wrong, I am not oblivious to the imperfections in the church, but what do we expect really? I understand that many complaints arise from people feeling like imperfect people are pretending to be perfect and making the rest feel less, instead of just being real and show that we are actually all in the same boat. I also get that sometimes church feels the need to say the right things at the right time all the time, forgetting to be real. But don’t you? Don’t you also stumble upon moments where you judge others because of your own insecurities? Don’t you also get life so wrong sometimes but don’t allow others to make the same mistakes? If not, then perhaps you should be the one running a church, you my friend, have made it, you deserve a bells or whatever people who have made it get.
I have been in church communities from a very young age, some I have disliked, some I have really disliked, some I have liked and some I have really loved, but through it all, I have gotten to see a little of who God is every time. Some have really given me incorrect doctrines and some have bible bashed me to a pulp, but even then, through God’s grace, I finally stumbled upon one that makes me feel at home, one that has me wanting to pursue God daily, not because it is run and attended by perfect people, but because I decided WHY I am here, and that makes all the difference. I have been part of this church community from my first year in Johannesburg and I have had the privilege to have people that make Christian living a little bit more real and practical for me. I have seen my spiritual leaders be human. I have witnessed them get angry, gossip, say all the wrong things and even share about their downfalls in front of the congregation. I am not excusing sin, but I want to acknowledge that we all need God, for a purpose higher than just sin management.
I get that many people have been so heart broken by this Christian walk, and trust me, I do not have the answers, I have also had my heart broken so many times, but each and every time I have received the grace to keep choosing God. Why? Because most times I have good moments and in those good moments when I undoubtedly believe in the goodness of God, I have gotten strength to keep choosing Him.
I have also realised that some things really have been a result of human responses; I believe that God is Love, He cannot help but love and He keeps His promises. He gave us authority over the earth, He gave us free will and sometimes our own shortfalls or shortfalls of others who came before us will end us up in sucky situations, but that does not change the nature of who God is, He is a good God and because of who He is, He will actually be willing to clean our human mess. I don’t always believe this or live it out, but it does not make it less true. From my own experiences, I have witnessed that the times I believe lies about God are the times I do not spend time getting to know Him. Christians don’t actually read the bible, this is not a joke, it is actually a struggle, hence we all get tempted to believe the wrong things about God, our faith can easily be suffocated by all that is happening in this fallen world, and it is so much easier to allow that to happen and name it fancy words, in actual fact, we have grown weary and fallen short, but the great thing is, even if imperfect people don’t get it, God does and He will not stop pursuing you, He really can’t help it.
I wanted to write this post to remind myself and others that the church cannot be entirely held responsible for people falling, it is a place where we all meet and fellowship, we keep each other running and focussed on seeking the Kingdom. We share revelations of this God the world deems craze, we encourage each other and we need to keep it our business to have a healthy relationship with Jesus. Church is just the cherry on top, but a necessity to keep your walk going in the right direction. I get it has imperfections, but where else are you hoping to find Jesus? He isn’t limited to a building, but in most situations, it is your best bet. I do not know many people, but I haven’t met anyone who left church and maintained a healthy relationship with Jesus, in fact more lies about Christ are accumulated, but this statement is just based on a small sample. So I would encourage us to not grow weary of the stains church has, but to keep seeking God, and your best bet is in a Christian community. Just like you, church is run by imperfect beings that need God just as you do, so give church a break and keep the main thing main. We all need each other.