Church is for cowards, wussies and wimps

A friends of mine recently contacted me and said that she was thinking about finding a new church home. Although she's had a difficult couple of years, I applauded her desire to connect with a new fellowship of believers. As she and I have chatted about what to look for in a church, it dawned on me that church is often viewed as a place for "happy, smiling, perfect people" with "2.5 kids, an SUV, a mortgage and 2 weeks paid vacation per year." The dad is clad in khakis and a pressed polo and the mom sports the latest designer scarf, perfectly matched discounted skirt (it was 30% off!) and knee high boots.

Wait, maybe I'm just describing us.

As I search the Scriptures and especially the book of Acts, a different perception is portrayed. The believers in Acts shared everything they had with each other (Acts 4:32), worked all night - in prayer and preaching (Acts 20:7-12), celebrated "life together" (Acts 2:44) and even were willing to meet in an upper room for days on end in prayer (Acts 1:13). The notion of showing up on Sunday and warming a pew for an hour just wasn't an option.

If we were to practice these types of activities in modern days, I believe most would consider us a cult, which wouldn't glorify Christ. However there is a way for us to share "Life Together" as the German philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer described in his popular book before he was hung in 1945. Life together is openness. Accountability. Growing together. Learning together. Praying for one another. Freedom to be. Freedom to laugh and snort.

My friend and I have had quite a few discussions on what to look for in a new church home. Is the preaching the #1 thing to evaluate? How about the "friendliness" of the church? How about a good children's ministry? An annual cookout? Comfortable seating? Nicely tuned worship band? Ease of location or a close parking spot for visitors? I absolutely agree that a solid church community should have biblical preaching, fellowship, worship and prayer (Acts 2:42). And I absolutely believe there should be small groups that stand for one another, pray for each other and have an accountability system put in place. The #1 consideration however is "Lord, where are YOU planting me in your body?"

You see, church should not be a community of perfectionists who put on their Sunday best and pretend they have no problems. Church should be more like...a hospital. A place for those who can "come as we are." A place for the down and out. The misfits. The sad, the broken. Jesus himself said that "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Mark 2:17). Jesus the great physician, calls the imperfect - the sinners, and welcomes them into his house.

The message of the church is for cowards. He promises in Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you…"

The message of the church is for wussies. He promises in Isaiah 41:13 "I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand, and says "Do not fear, I will help you..." 

The message of the church is for wimps. He promises in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My power is made perfect in weakness…"

He takes us where we are and elevates us to the next level. He leads us into deeper intimacy with him. He calls all of us, even the cowards, wussies and wimps into his home. The church should welcome such with open arms…Jesus does.

Maybe, just maybe, we need to have a new viewpoint of the church. Maybe we need to change our perception of who goes to church. Maybe we need to welcome those who come in who don't fit into our "box." Maybe we need to recognize that the church is a place for healing. Maybe the church should be a safe place where we embrace each other's problems and speak love and edification, rather than look at someone with a judgmental, haughty, condescending side-ways glance derived out of pride, arrogance and self.

And maybe, just maybe, the cross on the steeple needs to be replaced with a new cross. A reminder of the spirit of the cross. A cross that looks like…this.

We've decided to not go back

Jenn and I have been praying a lot about a big decision in our lives recently. This has not been an easy decision and it's even more difficult to talk about it. We've decided to not go back to a place that's very dear and near to our hearts. It has big implications now and huge implications down the road. It will impact our children in a way that we can't quite comprehend the outcome. In some ways I know they will be disappointed and in some ways I know they will be understanding, if not pleased.

I want to go back. There's a pull and a tug in my soul and there are places in my heart that scream for me to go back. But as I quiet myself and pray and seek the Lord's leading, I know he's directing me down a different path. One that maybe I've tripped over along the way or even wandered down for a brief period of time. There are certain aspects of the new path that we've gone down before and have become scared or even determined we can't do it. It's a path of the unknown.

I really want to go back, but the Lord is telling me no. I want to be involved in what I know. I want to do what I've done in the past. There's comfort there, and a sense of stability.

But we've decided to not go back.

We've decided to not go back to what we were doing. We've decided to not go back to the way we've gone before. We're sick of that path. We're done. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come." We're no longer living in the past. There's no need to go there again. I'm new. I'm not the old Mark. The old Mark is gone, buried with Christ. The new Mark is here, but it's not even me that's living, it's Christ in me (Gal 2:20) who's alive and active. His life is expressing itself through me. This new life looks different, acts different and thinks different.

I'm not going back. I'm not going back to the old Mark.

I'm not going back to a sheltered life, cocooned off from the world.
I'm not going back to any debt. Being 100% debt free allows me to breathe and sleep soundly. (This was our first Christmas with absolutely no debt and paying cash for everything. Simpler. Peaceful.)
I'm not going back to no accountability. Even Christ was under the Father.
I'm not going back to not taking care of my body. How can I serve if my health fails?
I'm not going back to thinking a "job" has no potential for ministry. I represent Christ in any task.
I'm not going back to taking days off as a Dad. My kids come before ministry.

I'm not going back, to the old way of doing things. If (*when) I fail, I'm glad I have accountability brothers who will keep me in check. Therein lies the beauty of community. I take a stand and then others are there to catch me when I fall and help me back on my feet.

Are you willing to take a stand and make a list and commit it to prayer? To not go back? Who will you ask to help you? Without accountability in this particular arena, we're bound for disappointment and failure.