the work of the church for the 99

I’ve seen this kind of maneuvering my whole life. Someone criticizes the church and people are quick to be defensive, cast doubt on the critic, and bend over like contortionists to excuse all past behaviors so that, in the end, absolutely nothing changes.

For me, it’s been this broad brushstroke approach to pastoring as if each individual person is part of some collective that we all are acting the same for the same reasons. Pastors, don’t you hate it when we do that to you? Don’t do it to me either. Don’t do it to that sweet soul that comes to you for guidance. Don’t do it to the group of people who are asking difficult, sometimes angry questions of you and wanting more answers than you are willing to give. 

I love the church with all my heart. I pray daily for my local church. I wrestle with trying to discern what is best for everyone involved on every single issue. there is no one size fits all in Any Thing. Every single person has a right to be heard and considered. This kind of rhetoric -reactionary, inflammatory, and prejudicial- is doing great harm to countless people who are just desperately trying to make sense of the blatant abuses of authority and willful ignorance of those with power who continue to do nothing and make excuses for it.

Any true shepherd- who has deep and profound love for the church and for the souls entrusted to them by Jesus himself- would never have this kind of dismissive and hostile approach to his congregation. NEVER EVER. if your pastor is saying this stuff, please please leave. This kind of diatribe comes from those who are tickling the ears of the ignorant and arrogant. Have nothing to do with these people, friends. They are a brood of vipers and will devour your conscience and strip you of your soft hearts toward others.

For a long time, some people have pitched the “tickling of ears” as people with false gospels. It absolutely includes that, for certain, but I wonder if we can give more consideration to the kind of tickling that includes a call to Do Nothing, to make no advances toward repentance, or to call for some shallow confessions of sin or an easy forgivism that mostly enables the status quo and business as usual, with no meaningful reparations to those most harmed by complacency. 

I truly deeply believe that it is the work of the church right now, for such a time as this, to leave the 99 and pursue the one. 

There will be few who can answer this call. This call is painstaking and treacherous. It is gut wrenching and will absolutely ask Too Much of us. I believe the true call of those who follow Jesus has ALWAYS asked too much. And we have seen how half-hearted we truly are in not being willing to give up what we claim as ours for the sake of the kingdom. What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of others? What am I? It’s the question I’m asking myself. It will be a daily question. 

It’s the rich young ruler question. And we’ll answer it with our lives.

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