when church people get burned and when church people do the burning...

I remember hearing stories of people who would leave churches because of the hypocrisy. I would hear stories about how people would quit going to a particular church because they got mad at the staff or another member. They would say things like, “I got burned by the church,” and I never quite understood it. I especially didn’t understand how they held on to it for so long and refused to ever plug back in to another church simply because of a bad experience they had at different place in the past. After all, you don’t stop eating at restaurants just because you had a bad experience at one. And, if we’re being honest, we’ll even return in the future and give that restaurant another chance after we think they’ve had a reasonable amount of time to get things back in order. So why is it that we’ll extend grace to everyone else but the church? Doesn't God call us to take the higher road, to offer forgiveness, and to turn the other cheek?

 

I get it. I understand the feelings. I have been there, and I hate to say it but, I’ve probably even been guilty myself. I understand that sometimes church people hurt church people. It’s usually not intentional. We certainly know that’s not what God calls us to do or how he calls us to act, but sometimes it just happens. Sometimes church people don’t extend grace. Sometimes church people gossip and say things they shouldn’t. Sometimes, they aren’t inclusive and are known to form impenetrable cliques. Church people have been known to mistreat one another, to argue, and to disagree. They’ve been known to make mistakes, to cast judgment, and to be quick to anger and slow to forgive.

 

But maybe you’ve held church people to a high standard and so they’ve constantly letting you down. Well, that’s okay, you should hold them to a higher standard than the rest of the world. In fact, if church people are going to claim to be followers of Christ, they should be operating off of a different mentality. Their words, thoughts, and actions should look different. Not that it comes naturally, or even easily, but it’s what they’re called to do. They’re following a model that doesn’t operate like the world’s model. Adhering to a model set by Jesus, the only man, who was perfect. Yet there’s a difference between a higher standard and perfection. Because when you hold someone to a level of perfection, there is no room for improvement. The expectation is that they will do everything right all the time. The only way they can possibly move is down. It’s certainly not a fair standard to either party. Yet when we hold someone to a higher standard, we understand that there’s room for improvement. That, although they might mess up now and then, they can still keep moving up. There is always room to learn, to improve, and to progress, and I certainly believe that’s true of God’s people.

 

But maybe you’re thinking, “You don’t understand. It was really, really, really, really bad.” And if it was, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you were hurt. I’m sorry that you were let down. I’m sorry that you had a painful experience. But sometimes church people need to be shown grace. They need to be forgiven. They need to be loved and prayed for, too. Because when we pull back the curtain and take a look at church people, we realize that they are simply people. People who are covered in flesh. People who struggle with sin and are far from perfect. People who aren’t exempt from pain or suffering or temptation. They are real people with their own struggles. Real people with real feelings. Real people who are just trying to figure out the next step like the rest of the world. The only difference between church people and people people is that they’re simply trusting in the Lord to daily redeem them, daily forgive them, and daily guide them forward to becoming more like him.

 

And so the questions we have to ask ourselves are not, “Why did this happen? Why did they treat me this way? Why did they hurt me like that?” Rather, we have to ask, “Am I coming to church for the people, or am I coming to worship the Lord? Am I coming simply because of how others make me feel, or am I coming because of my devotion and service to Jesus?”  Because when we realize why and for whom we come to church, we understand that the picture is bigger. It’s not about how others may make us feel. It’s about the Lord, always. He is the reason for the church, it was never about people.

 

The church is the body. The body that won’t be made complete until Jesus returns. A body that still aches and longs for the perfection that awaits it. The church is important, and what a blessing to be a part of the body. To be a part of a church home. No, they aren’t perfect. They never will be. But they most certainly are beneficial to our faith journey. It’s where we are refined, we are tested, where we learn, and where we grow. The church is made up of people like you, people like me, sinners in desperate need of Savior. And when you go to church seeking the One for whom it exists, you’ll find the healing, the help, and the fulfillment your heart so desperately needs.

 

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." - Colossians 3:13