Thanks to Mark for passing along this wisdom!
"When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say, 'I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,' we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness. It is important to think about the Church not as 'over there' but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and inwhom we meet our Lord and Redeemer." - Henry J.M. Nouwen
I just have this footnote to this insight - we must also remember that the Church is not a building where a bunch of people meet together. It is the collective group of people around the world who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior. Just because a number of people meet together in a building doesn't mean they are part of the Church, and just because someone claims to be a Christian (especially in America), doesn't mean they have submitted their lives to Christ. When a group of people who love Jesus meet together and desire to bring others closer to Him, it is truly a beautiful thing.
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3 comments:
"When a group of people who love Jesus meet together and desire to bring others closer to Him, it is truly a beautiful thing."
That's what happens when the church comes together, no matter how many people it is or where it occurs. That is what a church "service" is really all about - loving Jesus and each other.
Mark
Are we hurt by the Church or by an individual we think represents the Church? Should we be going to that person to work that out?
yes, I think Matthew 18 clearly shows that we are supposed to go to our brothers and sisters first if we have an issue with them, not take it out on the entire church body. I recently had an experience where a guy who used to go to our church here in Abilene told me that he was offended by a comment someone said to him. I tried to tell him that it was probably a misunderstanding, but as far as I know, he has not resumed fellowship with other believers. That makes me sad. :(
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