Don't "Fake it till you Make it"

I don't trust churches. I don't feel safe in any church. It was a woman from the church who introduced my daughter to drugs and alcohol. I left the church not knowing where to go or who to trust.If the family unit gets broken in a church, where do you go to get fixed? If you don't feel safe in a church, where do you go to feel safe? If you have an answer, please tell me. I really woud like to know.

@Dorothy: I am heartbroken to hear of your church experience but sadly, I know that it's not unique.  There is a place for you, for each of us.  I don't know that anyone can tell you where that is.  What I can encourage you to do though, is never give up.  I encourage you to put your trust in God and not in a church.  If you do that, He will lead you to where you're meant to be.  I pray that you and your daughter find spiritual and physical, mental and emotional healing from your horrible experience.

Amanda, please PLEASE take the time to watch this blog regarding that video...

thegospelcoalition.org/.../

His message is well delivered but flawed. Jesus did not like how religion excluded the poor and needy in his time, yet he asks us to go and share the Word of God and be nice to our neighbor...a new following...a new religion. If a church is a hospital for the broken (love this concept), then there will be people to be wary of until you ready get to know them. We are human and we are sinners, but we should worship God and love thy neighbor.

Oops, "really" not ready.

"Jesus was a Jew. He went to services at the synagogue. He observed Jewish holy days. He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17). He founded the church (Matt. 16:18). He established church discipline (Matt. 18:15-20). He instituted a ritual meal (Matt. 26:26-28). He told his disciples to baptize people and to teach others to obey everything he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). He insisted that people believe in him and believe certain things about him (John 3:16-18; 8:24). If religion is characterized by doctrine, commands, rituals, and structure, then Jesus is not your go-to guy for hating religion"

Source: thegospelcoalition.org/.../

I saw this video this morning, and I feel like it is a very good response:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwetTNAGC44

Personally, I really don't think we should be leading people away from the church. Churches are there for good. I pray for the people who have had bad experiences in church. And Dorothy, the woman who led your daughter to drug was just..a woman. She's human, she's a sinner just like you and me. She did that, not the church. I know there are a lot of people who go to church who really don't have the Christian mindset. I don't go to church to interact with everyone and catch up with all the members of the congregation. I go to church to sit in a pew, listen to the message my pastor is saying, and to really get in touch with God. I go there for God, not for myself. And every time I walk out of church, I feel better. I just feel so much better.

I pray that the people who have had these negative experiences in church will one day find a church to attend where they feel comfortable. And I pray that they have the same feeling of peace that I have when I leave my church after the service.  

Dorothy, Your comment brings tears to my eyes; it is experiences like yours that kept me & continue to keep many others from accepting the salvation of Jesus. I did not become a christian by attending a church, completing a task list, attending classes, or pledging to a membership. My family isn't christian, I had no foundation, yet God kept drawing me in. I read the bible on my own & searched & searched for the "right church", never finding it. Finally on my knees in prayer & tears I told God, "I give up. If you want me, your going to have to come & get me yourself". 2 years went by & I never prayer or picked up the bible. Then Jesus came out of nowhere, knocked me to my knees. Long story short He said, "it's not about religion; it's about relationship". I accepted his salvation that night & he changed my life. If you expect perfect people in a church, Dorothy, you will continue to be disappointed; Jesus is the only perfect person that ever lived. Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven works in progress. And not every person who calls himself a christian is a follower of Jesus. I never found the "perfect church"; I am part of an amazing church family of believers that love me & have been there for me in joy & sorrows. At times I've been hurt & disappointed, but I take that to God. Don't let the failures of a very few believers prohibit you from the blessings of a life of freedom in Christ & the love, support & guidance he and his children are here to provide for you.

Although I thought the video was well done I think it could be misleading to those who do not have a relationship with God.  He also states in his intro that its false religion but doesn't bring that out in the poem.  Please check this response to the video I think it was well done too.

www.patheos.com/.../

To Dorothy: I am so sorry about your experiences within a church. I think we can only pray that God leads people to a good church where we all operate on the idea that it is a house of broken sinners and not a cathedral of perfect people.
To Amanda: I cannot fully express my joy in your choice to be so real and authentic in your blog and on the radio. I drive truck and have access to KLOVE only a few hours a day from Gallup, NM. I can't wait to hear your insights and thoughts. I enjoy KLOVE.
I pray for you based on what you share. May God bless you as a single mom and in your work through KLOVE.

It doesn't take long for the "religous leaders"  to dissect the political incorrectness of this video. Bottom line, this video points out a very real problem in our churches today. Many people that attend church pretend that all ok on the outside but broken inside. Growing up, I was in church everytime the door was opened- On Sunday's my "dad" was a deacon, financial advisor, Sunday School teacher and youth leader. Monday- Saturday he was sexually molesting me. Thankfully, I learned early on that my eyes must remain on Jesus. He is my Redeemer, my Healer, and my Restorer. Today, I am still in church every time the doors are open, as a youth leader, by His grace alone.

Amanda -

Thank you so much for your ministry!  The video brought tears to my eyes too, no wait, streaming down my face.  I too am a broken single mom who is just learning to open up to let others know I am broken and not pretend everything is OK.  I just wish more people would listen . .. to the cry of our hearts and know what the fellowship of believers is.  It is a loving family of believers that want with their whole heart to serve others instead of themselves. I want to get there,  I want to be a woman after God's heart looking outside myself to help others where I can.  It encourages me to seek humbleness and sit at the feet of Jesus through all my actions every day.

I think he has a very valuable commentary for anyone who is a believer in Jesus.  We are the church even if we aren't in church. Thanks for your comments on it this morning Amanda.  My husband just left me and my 2 1/2 year old daughter a few months ago and every time you talk about being a single mom, about being broken, it just encourages me so much.  

All I can say is I agree and have agreed to what he is saying. I have been to so many different churches and left to come home and compare what the "minister" said to what the Bible says. We have left many churches because of the contradiction to what God says. I have a real problem going to church because it is not carrying through what Jesus said the churches should be doing. It's a conflict I have within myself because we should go to church for the reason of being "fed" the Word of God and fellowship. However finding that church is very difficult.

Amen.  The young man is absolutely right about 'religion'.  Our young people see through the hypocrisy and many have pulled away from organized religion.  I see it daily coming from those who use 'religion' as a tool for fulfilling their ideology instead of using God's word as a beacon of hope and inspiration for men, women and children, regardless of their race, color, creed or religion.  Jesus stated in His word, "beware of the pharisees and teachers of the law", those who bind the yokes of oppression around the necks of the weak and broken.  God's grace and mercy has truly turned my life around, I was divorced, homeless, alcoholic and completely lost until I surrendered my broken life to God on my hospital bed.  This was August 21st, 2004, a date I will never forget, this is the date I was reborn.  Thank you K-LOVE for spreading God's word.

I kept hearing about this video on Klove today and finally got to watch it, and I think he is dead on in his video. I see this video as saying we need to live for Christ not religion. so many people go to church and wear a mask and then once they leave church they take the mask off and live another life. Thats why I like the line where he says "there's a problem if people only know your a Christian by your Facebook." I think this video is a calling for all of us to just take off our masks and start living for the One who made us.

Church often feels like a “museum for the good people, when it should be a hospital for the broken”.

Truth? Or an excuse to not thrive for holiness?

I agree with the poem. The speaker isn't bashing the church but "religious people". The Church is the body of Christ the people who call themselves believers. The religion he speaks of is the false doctrine that you have to be good enough or do enough to make it into heaven. The Facade that many religious people put on hinders them from having a true relationship with Christ. Relationship is what Christianity is all about. Love for God, others and ourselves, this love-ship  prompts us to do what Christ did and to live our lives out loud according to scripture.  

Powerful message & so true. Church isn't having faith it's something u do that makes everything look good on the outside but stifles the spirit within. Going to church doesn't make you Christian. When a person is open enough to see that then they too have found the true meaning of Christian. I was lost in a place where I couldn't see the point in life. A place where people are to busy to see the hurt in another to take the time to listen & truly have compassion in a person's situation. That was when I gave it to God, I too was born again in a way that I self analyzed myself to see how I can be a true example of Christ himself. He did the total opposite of how we are today. The teachings of Christ as it is written through the bible were meant to be taught not to have on a shelf collecting dust. Through his word he gives clear accounts how the faithful spoke faith into those who have lost all hope. Just as his disciples did. The pressures of life through the demands of man have people losing sight of our creator and people don't realize the Bible is knowledge to our spirit & it is the only true connection to Jesus Christ. It is not symbolic like many believe there is sound advise, many don't give themselves the chance to put faith in his word the holy Bible. Once we understand that, it is only then that we can understand the truth about religion & corruption in this world. We too can pray for the holy spirit to guide us & give us site where there is none, pray in faith as long as you believe it too shall begiven to you. I love KLOVE

@Kersten--
I know there are a lot of people who go to church who really don't have the Christian mindset. I don't go to church to interact with everyone and catch up with all the members of the congregation. I go to church to sit in a pew, listen to the message my pastor is saying, and to really get in touch with God. I go there for God, not for myself. And every time I walk out of church, I feel better. I just feel so much better.
I love what you said above, because that's how I feel when I go to church, also. I don't go for anyone else, not even for myself; I go to get closer to God.

This video did not challenge me whatsoever--I've been blessed by God to find churches where the message he finds missing is in fact proclaimed--it's called the Gospel--Luther discussed this in his disputation on the theology of the cross versus the theology of glory--google it--this is not new but the same conflict since the time of Adam

It is very hard to walk into a church sometimes you do not feel very welcomed, you may not have the perfect outfit, the right look. We go because we  are broken,lost,wanting be whole, but not sure what the next step is, looking for guidance. I haven't found a church home yet, and am scared to walk into a new place worry I will not fit in, but I know that I can't give up so I will do my best to be brave and try again.

We discussed this video in a Sunday bible class. We agreed there are some parts of the message with inherent truths. We also agreed there are some inherent dangers with the video and message. I think Kersten’s comments hit it pretty well; and the link to the video response of "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" rebukes the author of the viral video in a decent and fair manner. To be certain, I am no longer Catholic so there is no connection; I attend a Lutheran church regularly but really don't consider myself a Lutheran. Martin Luther was a religious man who implemented great and necessary religious reforms.

I am a Christian firstly and lastly. Scripture and tradition are indeed important and Christianity was organized in its infancy to provide a consistent framework of religious teachings. It still needs to be this way but as Begg states it is upper case "S" first and lower case "t" second and never to reverse order. Because humans administer religion we will run afoul of this but not all religious leaders do so. Some are great examples indeed.

My conclusion about the video at the center of discussion is this: there appears to be much angst in this young man. He claims to not judge yet is very judgmental in certain aspects of his message. The message ultimately comes across as destructive, not attractive. One thing I have to remember about the "Why I Hate Religion..." video is that Satan works consistently and deceptively to plant his evil seeds of darkness, hate, and destruction in various ways in my life (and perhaps yours?). I have wondered after watching the “Why I Hate…” video is would Satan work his evil by using what some might deem as a so-called religious message; just as he presses his evil upon church members (not the church) to introduce someone to the slavery of drugs and alcohol?

Our Heavenly Father gave us free will and with mine I choose to learn Holy Bible-focused teachings, partake in the Lord's Supper, attempt to be an example of Christ's teaching (in word and deed) as head of household, a devoted spouse, a dad to two teenage boys, and neighbor to all who I encounter (as I being reminded in Romans Chapter 12). Let us pray to God that ALL are brought to absolute belief and faith in Jesus Christ as the only true savior for a broken and sinful world.