MY SYMPATHY FOR THE CHURCH'S FRUSTRATED

I like meaningful church.  I like devoted and active church.  Equally, I have intense sympathy for those who attend only; seemingly to possess some sort of hope that eternal damnation will be escaped.  This is a miserable way to try to connect to church.

This person(s) causes me great sadness for I once sat in similar pews.  Bored to death, I counted the time by segments of worship at our little Presbyterian church.  The choir, then the welcome, then the songs, then the prayer, then the collection plate, t-h-e-n  t-h-e  d-r-e-a-d-e-d  s-e-r-m-o-n (Oh Lord, would it ever end?).

And, then I gladly stood in line at the door to shake the pastor's hand, get counted as "present", and go get my bat and glove!

I had done good roosting in church that I might not get bad roasting in hell.

We continue to have a percentage of those who attend only.  I'm not on their case for not helping us out.  I love them.  Their presence is valuable.  My concern is for their possible boredom and restlessness while believing that sitting in church house somehow affords abundant life.  I speak of the Jesus-less, Spirit-less, and prayer-less individuals who were trained to go to church on Sunday and be a good person.

Good persons don't go to heaven.  Rotten ones do and Jesus became all of our wrongs that we could become all of his rights...II Cor. 5:21.

I'm filled with sympathy for any who received such mistaken training that church attendance keeps God off of our backs.  I speak from first-hand experience.  This is a frustrating way to be church-connected.

Jesus would want us to live robustly!  He would give us abundant life---now and then!  He would interact with us; actually walk with us.  What a person does in kingdom performance is not my concern.  My wish is that all would know Jesus as an authentic presence and not a figment of one's best hopes.

People come alive when we realize we aren't on our own.  Individuals arise in abundant hope when we grow in awareness God is intensely active today. He awaits our relationship with Him.  To be related to Father, Son, and Spirit is anything but safe and boring.  It is risky, outrageous, and life-CHANGING!