The church scene in America is one of the most convoluted messes right now. What is supposed to be a united body spreading the gospel of Jesus has turned into a broken and busted body that is fighting against itself. It seems like every day I am hearing of some new denomination that was formed because some church member got pissed-off and decided they wanted to do things slightly different. You can’t be just Baptist anymore. You have Baptist, free-will Baptist, reformed Baptist, Baptist plus drums, Baptist with women pastors as long as they aren’t head pastors, and more. We have Church of God, Church of God in Christ, and Church of God in Christ covered with the Holy Ghost. There is non-denominational. But are you “we are basically Baptist but wear jeans and play rock music” non-denom or are you “spirit-filled gonna lay hands on you til you fall out” non-denom. I could go on.
Everyone seems to think their way is the right way. Now don’t get me wrong, there are definitely churches out there that are missing the mark, but that’s not what I’m getting at. Instead of uniting as one and spreading the love of Christ, churches are arguing and bickering over who is right. We are arguing about what instruments are acceptable for praise and worship, how many times a month you should take communion (and do you use grape juice or wine), and what is the proper dress for Sunday mornings. I’ve even heard someone complain about the lack of crosses on display at the church. That is exactly what Satan wants. Instead of taking the light into the darkness we are beating each other with it. Game over.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:25, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” If you take a look at the church in America today it is very clear that it is not standing. It is coming crumbling down. As Christians we have been divided for too long and it has taken a toll. It is time to put at end to all the silly bickering and start spreading the gospel of Christ.
In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love other people. That is why I love the mission statement of Charisma Church. It is to love God, love people, and let everyone know. It really is that simple. And as a church we need to get back to that. Stop worrying about jeans or suits, rock music or hymns, tattoos and piercings and get back to spreading the love of Christ. A house divided will fall but a house standing together will make an impact.
until next time…