So You've Questioned, Rejected, & Become Frustrated with Church...

Me too.

I reached a point about 2 years ago where I found myself driving recklessly down a highway that only had one destination: depression and disillusionment with God. I had been a part of and even lead in every capacity there was in "the church." I had attended traditional, contemporary, and blended churches. I had volunteered, been paid "part-time" and "full-time" and even started a church, yet I found myself more frustrated than ever. It was in these moments that I realized how little of Jesus I really knew, followed, and embraced. My life had been lived in search of the ultimate church high, but not really for Jesus.

Because of these experiences... My heart breaks for people who have been taught (often without them even realizing it) to OVERLY depend on a church or a pastor for their spiritual vitality, and as a result, they find themselves less than fulfilled or disillusioned in their walk with Jesus. The role of any church or church leader should be to lead you toward dependency on Jesus and the Holy Spirit, which naturally means you depend less on the "church" and your pastor... 

I guess the fear in doing this though is that God may begin an actual transformation in your life that would lead you to radically fall in love with Jesus, reach people for Him, and continually step into new adventures with God, which may then take you away from their sermons, buildings, and programs.

I apologize to those I've led in an institutional/religious way. It was all I knew, but not anymore. I was most likely more passionate about "my church" than I was Jesus. I can't change the broken image of Jesus that's been painted in our culture. However, I can say to you that some of those things you've maybe questioned, rejected, or called hypocritical about the church most likely really aren't worth embracing because they aren't leading you to authentically encounter Jesus.

Basically, instead of starting with Jesus and letting Him lead us to being the church, we all too often begin with church and hope to get people to Jesus. The problem is the church isn't goal, and with this approach, many people never encounter a real relationship with Jesus. It's Jesus who has a church, not the church that has a Jesus. If we'll help people authentically encounter Jesus, a biblical expression of the church will then form out of that.

I'd love to hear your story, your frustration, or your concern. Email me at joshoverflowcollective@gmail.com.

Are You Dying?

Jesus’ invitation to “take up our cross” was an opportunity to die. I know... This sounds really exciting. Seriously though, let’s be sure we don’t get this confused with anything else. Here are some things we mistakenly think His invitation was about. It wasn't simply to…

• Have a better life, but life with Jesus is abundant
• Go to Heaven one day/avoid hell even though Heaven will be a great place to spend eternity
• Get what we want, yet Jesus does tell us He will meet our needs
• Become a better or nicer person; however, if we follow Him, our lives should reflect His character, which is better

Taking up our cross was basically a death sentence… It means that we would have to give up what we would otherwise long to have. In other words, the one who receives the glory from our day-to-day decisions, thoughts, and actions would no longer be us; it would become Jesus. Is this what you understood following Jesus/becoming a Christian to be?

If we’re honest, much of what American Christianity has become actually has very little to do with the glorification of Jesus. If you ask the average churchgoer to describe their spiritual journey, there will be more talk about their church, pastor, or denomination than Jesus! Becoming a Christian isn't merely making a commitment to become an actively involved church member. As Christians/as the church, we seek to serve Jesus together. It's Jesus who deserves the glory, not our pastors or churches. Who do you speak about more?

As we go about our lives, let’s not lose sight of this call to die. Only when we give up our selfishness will we ever experience the abundant life we long to have. Keep in mind, this is a process of dying and not a quick fix. However, we’ll discover that as we seek to glorify Jesus through letting go of our needs, wants, and fears, what’s been broken in our lives will be mended in a way that only He can. How can we do this? Take a greater interest in loving and serving others as Jesus would than we do in being served ourselves...

• If we want a stronger marriage, then we must die to our needs and serve our spouse
• If we want to know our kids better, then we must take an interest in what they’re interested in
• If we want to know Jesus more intimately, we must seek to put His commands into practice, specifically the task of being witnesses for Him about the change His brining to our lives.