The Post-Loving Church

I started writing a post for this blog about transparency and our relationships, but I had to stop. I realized I can’t ask for you to be open and transparent. Every post I put on this blog I am afraid of negative and judgmental responses that I might receive. I listened to a fellow teenager talk and watched him cry about how when you are open in the church about your brokeness you are looked down upon. So I stopped and wrote the following. Some of this you may not agree with and none of it is meant as a blanket statement. Please read the following as I write from my heart on this subject.

We are the Church (Yep you are the Church)! What have we done? Instead of creating a community where people are encouraged to do better and to be open, we have created a community where people are judged for their brokeness.

Are you any better then the person you pray for? No! I have sinned! You have sinned! We are all broken. So stop judging Church. Someone told me about a friend of theirs who would not come to our youth group because they are afraid of us judging them, they are afraid we would look down on them.

Well congratulations Church (all of Gods people), look at what WE have done! We have made a judgmental community prone to rejecting the broken and we even have a reputation for it. When are we going to wake up and realize that we are all broken, that none of us is better then the other, and that our job is to love the broken. You are not better then the drunk man who just walked into the back doors of your church. You are not better then the teen whose arms are full of scares. You are not better then the man in the parking lot screaming at his wife. You are not better then the two men who walked in holding hands, the two woman kissing. You are just better at hiding your brokeness. Yes, you may be healed by God, but you still fall daily. When will you open your eyes and see your own faults?

No wonder America has been called a post-Christian nation! We have a post-loving Church. Yes there are those of you who are not judgmental, but too many of US are.

So I cry, Wake up Church! WAKE UP! I see your influence fading. When are you going to start loving others again? When are you going to realize that God loves everyone of these individuals despite their problems. When will you begin to love every one of them. Church you are not fulfilling your purpose by judging others, let God do the judging.

EDIT 4/1/09 12:02pm: Changed This: Church, you will go extinct, if you stop loving, if you keep judging. To This: Church you are not fulfilling your purpose by judging others, let God do the judging.
Reason For Edit: I incorrectly worded what I was thinking and overstated it, in an attempt to make a powerful statement, but ended up creating a sentence that was incorrect.

Comment – Tell A Friend!

Love Everyone,
Brandon Maddux

Related Post: Love Everyone Even If They Don’t Love You Back

Purify Infections

A while back I saw the movie, The Dark Knight. The online Christian reviews of the movie talked about how the movie was too dark, however everyone I have talked with thought it was great. I walked out of the movie saying that it was ok, but I knew in my heart that for some reason I didn’t like the movie.

During the movie whenever the character two-face came on the screen I would look down at these two straws in a cup in front of me. I couldn’t get myself to look at two-face, with half his face destroyed. At first I just pushed it off on that the special effects were really good and they made him look disgusting and still realistic. However I have watched more disgusting creatures in movies before and have been able to look at them.

I realized why I couldn’t get myself to look at two-face, it was that I was looking at myself. I couldn’t look him in the eye’s because it was reminding me of how my life was.

I have been so use to asking for healing and prayer for my one side of my face (life) that looks ok. However, I have hidden the other side from even many of my friends. This side of my face is full of bleeding infected wounds, scars and scabs (sins). Now I have turned this side of my face (life) to God and His healing is working incredibly. He is forgiving me for all these sins on my face, or in my life, that I have hidden for so long and in His incredible grace, despite my sin, He still accepts me as His child and loves me unconditionally even though I had hidden one side of my face, or life from Him.

This character in this movie showed me that I was not letting God heal many of my wounds (sins) and I was even picking at some of them. You are already thinking about those sins that cover the other side of you face. I pray that you show God your wounded side of your face and ask for healing. Like me, you may be shamed of this side, but the wounds will just continue to get infected and take over your body if you don’t ask God to heal them. I kept pushing my sins off as small compared to other people, but God doesn’t compare us to other people he compares us to His perfect law. Open up to God and let him heal you. Start asking God to heal the part of you that is truly broken. Stop hiding!

God is waiting to fully heal you. He is waiting to purify your infected blood. Turn your face and show Him your wounds, confess to Him your sins. Stop hiding from Healing. Start running to His love.

I understand that I am only a teenager, so I want to learn from your life experience. Please comment and share about turning your wounded half of your face to God.

Comment - Share With A Friend

Invite His Healing,

Brandon Maddux