From previous parts:"First of all, I am nobody. I have no credentials. I have no theology degree. I don't claim to be a prophet of God. I do not claim this to be a "prophetic utterance." I don't claim that God "told me" to say these things. I'm just a guy who is (hopefully humbly) pursuing Christ in his own way. I do recognize that people distinguish between the "church" and the "Church," but for my purposes, they are one and the same and what I have to say goes for both. This is certainly meant to be more than a friendly nudge, more than a good natured poke. It's meant to be a hard jab in the ribs or a kick in head of the Church. Church, I know that I am you and you are me. Any accusations I have against you, are against me as well. I don't separate myself from you. Your faults are my faults. The criticisms I am making of you are meant to be an encouragement to be better, and in that sense constructive. Don't get all offended."
Dear Church,
Your trend towards materialism and away from your rightful spiritual place is evident in so many ways. Come away from there!
Don't you get it? You ARE the rich, young, ruler! Divest yourself of your material possessions, give to the poor and follow the One who had no place to lay His head. The One who was born in a manger with nothing and died on a cross with less than nothing.
De-organize yourself and get back to your roots. Jesus didn't set up hierarchical institutions that perpetuated themselves as money-making machines and neither should you.
Quit judging and defending yourself (and God and His Word) against the World. Trust that He who created all has the whole World in His hands. There's this thing called "FAITH," you know?
Leave sex and politics alone. Any fundamental change in our culture will have to begin from the inside out anyway, so why don't you stick to what you should know best; spiritual matters.
Re-combine yourself. You're dividing yourself into too many little niches. You're being arrogant and pig-headed-stubborn about your little distinctions from the rest of The Body. Band together. Agree on the important (spiritual) stuff and let the rest go. For Christ's sake!
Get rid of your darn "worship team." Your worship teams have turned your "worship" into a passive, spectator friendly, participation optional, entertaining event. You DON'T need a "worship team" to worship. There was a certain charm and genuineness when you had a couple of guys up front strumming on acoustic guitars, but you have long ago gone completely crazy with your emphasis on MUSIC!
Get back to what you should know best: Spirituality. This means relationships. Focus on our relationships with our family members, especially marriage. Focus on our relationships with other Believers. Focus on our relationships with people who are not Believers. This means focusing on FEELINGS. How do we make other people FEEL? What do we do with the FEELINGS that come over us under different circumstances and through the actions of others? The FEELINGS are an indication of the condition of our spirit at any given moment. Quit ignoring the most obvious indicator of the condition of our spirit! This is MUCH more important than proving that God exists, defending the accuracy of the Bible, end times theology, creationism vs. evolution, abortion, homosexuality, post, pre or mid-tribulation rapture, sprinkling or dunking, Virgin Mary worship, once saved always saved, posting the Ten Commandments, or ANY other issue you are stupidly wasting your time on.
Sorry to be so harsh, but there it is.
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