Church can be difficult for a number of reasons. After all, church is a kind of community - even a kind of family; and, while community can be difficult, family can be doubly so. Unfortunately, many of my own struggles with church have been due to my own sin. In the past, I often felt judged by Christians who disagreed with me on various issues; and, though many of these Christians probably didn't actually judge me, I became defensive and started judging them. Frankly, I often felt angry towards those in the church who I thought distorted the faith and ignored the parts of Scripture that seemed most important to me. Of course, I distorted the faith as well, and I also ignored many important parts of Scripture. So, I was both hypocritical and judgmental; and yes, I often complained about Christians who were hypocritical and judgmental. Thankfully, I have matured a great deal in the last few years, and I am no longer so quick to point out the specks in the eyes of my fellow Christians. I am also beginning to realize just how big the logs in my own eyes are.
Nevertheless, church is still difficult, and I still struggle with it. I want to find community, to feel at home, and to find my place. Perhaps less selflessly, I also want to serve, to use my gifts, and to make a difference. None of these things is easy. I have been in the church for more than ten years, and I have yet to see these desires satisfied in any real way. I know that I am not alone here, and that many other Christians struggle with these same issues. My prayers go out to them. Speaking of prayer, I would like to recommend a passage from Scripture for Christians like myself to pray. The passage is Romans 12:3-18. In this passage, Paul addresses many of the problems that arise in Christian communities, and he says a good deal about what the church should look like. If you are struggling with church, then I would suggest that you read, contemplate, and pray this passage. Ask the Spirit to work through you for the good of the church. Pray that you might live up to the ideals that Paul expresses in this passage. In particular, pray for humility, wisdom, patience, and love. Anyway, here is Romans 12:3-18:
"For by the grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned. For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
"Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all."
If you are searching for true community in the church, then I pray that you find it. And, if you are seeking opportunities to serve, then I pray that you find those as well.
I never thought to look at this as a prayer. It is very good, though. I have also been a judgmental hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteI have recently become convinced that there are a lot of great prayers in Romans. It is such a powerful letter.
DeleteI identify with so much of what you say here. I've judged wrongly, wrongly assumed the judgement of others, etc. I've started as well to see the logs in my own eyes too.
ReplyDeleteLet me also add your passage is a very appropriate one for such considerations.
But I do see a sentiment in this particular posting that I find worrisome, and representative of Christianity at large, Catholic and Protestant.
Its natural that we all want to feel the acceptance and love that comes with being part of a community. Just so, we want to be important parts of creating and sustaining that community with our God given gifts. All of that is good.
But I think sometimes, the ability we have living in a nation with so many Christians leads us to "church shop" for the wrong reasons.
I believe there are right reasons for seeking a new place to worship, plenty. But I also believe that there were never meant to be a million types of Christianity available. There was meant to be one faith, to which we must conform, not which must be conformed to us.
Certainly from a pastoral standpoint there can be variety in preaching style and worship so I don't mean to suggest total uniformity of form, but the community responsibility should be not to seek another place, but to help shape the place you are, when possible.
I'm not sure I've made my point well here, because it is not an easy subject. Certainly the search for community is a valid thing, but on the other hand, I believe too much focus can be placed on this.
John, you made your point well, and it is a very important point. In fact, I think that your point is at the heart of Paul's teaching about church. We may need to attend a church that meets certain doctrinal standards, but beyond that we should probably focus a lot more on what we can contribute and a lot less on what we can receive.
DeleteIn Paul's day, there was only one congregation in town - for example, there was "the" church in Corinthian, not the fifteen churches in Corinth. Thus, in Paul's day, church was much more like a family - you didn't really have any choice about who was in your church. Today there are many churches even in small towns, and Christians have to choose where they will attend. And again, it is only natural that doctrinal issues affect one's decision about where to go. However, I think that we need to keep your point in mind here. Perhaps the best thing for Christians to do in finding a new church is to find a church that meets one's doctrinal standards and then visit with the expectation to join. Perhaps it really should be as simple as that. For those who are committed to a particular denomination, whether Catholicism or a certain branch of Presbyterianism, the decision may be especially easy - locate the nearest church, start attending, and become a member barring any serious problems. Anyway, I agree that we should be much more concerned about what we can contribute than what we can receive. Thanks for the comment John.