Posted August 18.09
Institutionalized Christianity
Institutionalized Christianity may be language that is foreign to a lot of people. Heck, it may be down right offensive to people, while others say “Amen brother!” and many go “huh?”! A couple years ago I read a book that really put to words what I had been feeling and trying to say for a few years prior. I highly recommend reading the book “So, You Don’t Want to go to Church Anymore?” especially if you are bored with church, feel like there is something missing or you just flat out don’t want to go to church anymore!
I don’t claim to be a church expert or have the exact how to answer for corporate fellowship and worship, but I do know one thing, that many Christians are becoming disenfranchised with church and are beginning to, according to George Barna, “develop their own combination of beliefs rather than adopt a set proposed by a church.” According to the Georgia Baptist newspaper, 92% of Americans have been exposed to Christianity, but only 16% find it favorable. I don’t want to bore you with stats, but these are symptoms that the church is not addressing adequately or is just flat out ignoring! Deep down people genuinely want authentic relationship.
I grew up a Southern Baptist preacher’s kid, have been in church leadership for over 15 years, and now I travel the country preaching, so I can tell you how to “do church”, but like the book I mentioned says, “you don’t go to church, we are the church”! Yes, I love the weekly corporate celebration, singing, fellowship and teaching, but if that is all you get, then that’s about all you’ll ever get! God didn’t send Christ to suffer torture and die on the cross so we could have the best programs around, but so that we could enter into an intimate relationship with Him and out of that sacrifice the programs and stuff would be an overflow of our relationship, not a substitution!
It’s not a religion about God, but a relationship with the King of all Kings! It’s hungering and thirsting for His presence (Ps. 42)! It’s saying, “Before I get so caught up doing things for Him . . . I just want Him!” Once you get Him, yes, you’ll do things for Him; you can’t help but want to please Him. However, He doesn’t want us to live under religious condemnation, feel pressure to attend church service or become stressed out because we’ve got so many programs to attend to and serve in that our head hurts! He wants us to “be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). Then you can hoop and holler, play basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball-whatever, have a great “show” because ALL the glory will be going to Him and not us!!
I was convicted a few years ago about the fact that it seemed I really only enjoyed corporate worship when a church had the great praise team, with all the right lighting and multi-media effects and I didn’t much enjoy grandma playing It Is Well, With My Soul on the organ. I realized I was concerned about me and not Him. When it becomes about Him, Uncle Bob can play Amazing Grace on the spoons and you’ll be able to enter into the presence of God! Paul said, “I must decrease so that He increases”.
I’ll confess that I love a good show. I love good corporate musical worship. I even love drama and comedy, especially a good “ole preachin’ to”, but when it comes down to it, none of that stuff has really ever done anything for me. It was only Jesus! In my darkest hour the cross was the only thing standing. In my deepest pain, only the arms of my Daddy were there to comfort me. In my sin it was ONLY the King who forgave me!
What I’m trying to convey is that we’ll never see revival here in America until we get on our faces, repent of our “religious spirits” and cry out to the Father, like blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), with a hunger and passion that gets the attention of Jesus! I don’t know if we have God’s attention anymore in America? I believe those in China, Africa and India do. I just heard it said that “In those places where man has nothing, God can be everything, but in America where we have everything God can be nothing”. Ouch! I believe that we the “American church” are at a tipping point! I know my writing isn’t eloquent and probably a little confusing, but I just want to find those who say, “Just give me Jesus”! Let’s stop the denominational bickering, the condemning traditions, focusing so much on the programs and let’s come together as brothers and sisters and seek the face of the Almighty! Like David, run to Father, not away from Him. Watch what will happen.
All through scripture God showed up in a miraculous and supernatural manner when His children cried out with sincerity, repentance, and a true desire to be in His presence. I’m sure I’ll catch flack for my stance and many will just stay in the rut of religion and are fine with the status quo and that’s fine, but ask yourself if you’re getting all that you truly want to get out of your relationship with Christ? Are you truly bringing glory to His name with your current lifestyle? Do you even know what it looks or feels like to be in His presence? Not just be emotionally charged by great preaching or singing, but “to know” God! My goal is not to sir up controversy and definitely not to bring more division to the body, but I just want to get people thinking, hungering and seeking the One that created us all, sacrificed for us and desires authentic relationship with us, His children!
HUNGRY!
Chad