Will the TRUE CHURCH please Stand-up

We live in a time of great advancements. We have advantages are fore-parents never could have even imagined. We have great technological tools. Satellites, cell phones, cable TV, internet, instant messaging, blogs, and even twitter just to name a few in communication. We have books and literature, e-books, e-magazines. We have churches on every corner in some places. we have MEGA-churches, medium size churches, small churches, and even house churches. We have preaching and teaching on the air -waves 24/7. And yet some how we have lost sight of some of the most fundamental principles of Christiantity.

"With love and kindness have I drawn thee." Somehow we got off track and made a decision it is more important to be "right" than to win souls. I recently read an article on the strategy that "Christians" in the anti-abortion movement are attempting to use to win the "fight." Since the feel they cannot get Roe vs. Wade overturned on a national basis they have invoked a state by state strategy. The thought is to make it as difficult as possible for someone they do not know to make a personal choice at a very trying time in their life. While the intent maybe noble (saving the lives of unborn children) their rhetoric and methods (including killing the providers) reflects poorly on the church. How magnificent would it be if the church demonstrated the love of GOD. If every child in the church had their needs met. No hungry children. No homeless children. Loving homes. Never misused or abused. What a glorious expression of GOD's love!!! At that point we could stand-up and testify to that individual that is experiencing one of life's low points that "I serve a GOD that is able to lift you and yours up out of the muck and mire and place your feet on solid ground." How many people in a desperate situation would be breaking down the doors of the church to be received into the body? We don't need to attempt to moralize the downtrodden. A drowning man knows he is drowning. We need to lead them to higher ground "with love and kindness."

Also I find it interesting that as Christ was preached to the Gentiles and they began to receive the word that it was the moralizing Pharisees that attempted to shut down the revival by putting the Laws of Judaism on the new converts. But it was in this first church council that the apostolic fathers reasoned with clarity of mind and hearts tuned to GOD. They determined it was not good to put something on the new believers that they and their ancestors could not bear. Their wise council determined that it was only necessary to put four restrictions on these new converts (see Acts 15.) And these four restrictions really dealt with idol worship (even abstaining from fornication.) And while I am not condoning any and everything we need to get back to the real mission. Winning SOULS!!! Not swapping members from church to church or denomination to denomination. The harvest truly is plenty. We have a greater percentage of folks in the U.S. than ever that do not belong to a church. In spite of all the 24/7 "preaching."

And the church has somehow been drawn into the false notion that we must defend "traditional marriage." While this may be a good fund raiser for some groups most of us don't even know what a "traditional marriage" truly means. Who in their right mind wants to go back to "the owner" and "the owned." Just do a simple exegetical word study. The notion of a "loving marriage" relationship did not come into being until the 1960's. And even after that it has taken years to eradicate the notion that a husband (the owner) can beat his wife (the owned.) We are still trying to delineate what is really a healthy marriage. By the way the "church" did not become involved with marriage ceremonies until the 15th century and then it was as the chief guest. A priest saw it as an opportunity to raise funds for his hearts work an orphanage and began to request an honorarium for his attendance. In fact the catholic church acknowledges that it is the only sacrament administered by the laity. While I may believe personally that the best environment for raising children is with both parents, I also understand that not so long ago it was an extended family unit that was the norm. Not to mention the whole community was involved in correcting a wayward child. But we raise a hypocritical argument when among some segments of the church the divorce rate approaches 70's% and the marriage rate of the black community has fallen into the 40's%. How richer would are testimony be if broken families were healed and mended. Is there a Malachi willing to tell the preacher to return to the wife of his youth!!! Like people like priest. We have developed tunnel vision to the point that we believe life has always been as it is presently. How arrogant!! How wrong!! We must begin to live the life of which we testify. If I truly believe that marriage is in danger and needs to be defended than I must start with my own. Am I doing everything to make my marriage work? Then am I doing everything to make sure the marriages in my church family are intact? Let's end broken families in the church then we can stand-up and testify about the BETTER WAY!!!

The church of old did not rely on political power. That came with the Roman Empire. The church of old did not rely on stopping other people from doing whatever they chose to do. That is moralizing and legalism. The church of old did not rely on building the biggest ministry and naming it after themselves. That's narcissistic and egotistical. The church of old relied on the power of the Holy Spirit and the BLOOD!!! It was a handful of powerless (political power that is) believers that turned the wold on it's edge. They preached the GOOD NEWS and Glad Tidings!!! They spoke and the people were healed. The focus was not on the individuals or their lives but on the NEWS they bore. They were looked down upon, beaten, imprisioned, mocked, and ridiculed. But the message they brought was so powerful that disease and sickness had to flee. They lived in the graveyards and catacombs. But the graves could not silence their testimony. Will the TRUE CHURCH please STAND-UP!!!!!!!!!! Peace unto you the Net Elder.