22 ~ Rant

Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel.

About 24-25 minutes into THIS SERMON, Matt Chandler says the following:

"My whole life in Christ, I have felt like a theological orphan. If you know theological terms, to be reformed and charismatic, that’s a theological mutt. I have felt like the child of divorced parents who badmouth one another every time I’m at their house for the weekend...   

Then I feel like I’m telling Mom, “Listen, he just loves the Word of God. And some of these things… you need to frame them in the Word of God, Mom. It’s just so evident you love Jesus, but the Word of God does have some boundaries on how these things operate."  

"Dad, please, brother, the Word shouldn’t be making you angry; it should be making you free. If the Word of God is making you crusty, then I think you’re missing something out of the Word of God.” 

So I have just felt stuck between these two worlds, and I’m longing at The Village Church to be a church that sees Mom and Dad remarried, the convergence of Spirit and truth, Word and wonder. I’m hungry for it and asking God to do it!"

And I'm sitting in my car listening to that podcast saying, "PUH-REACH!!"  (I'm a big fan of Matt Chandler, and this helps explain why.  He has referred to himself as a Bapti-costal, and I totally get that.)  Having spent a good deal of time in Baptist, Southern Baptist, Assemblies of God, and Evangelical Covenant churches, I have experienced a wide range of the theological spectrum and the endless debates Christians have over the little things, and I still don't quite know where I "fit."  Feeling like the child of divorced parents who constantly badmouth each other is such a perfectly accurate description.

{If only I lived in Texas, I believe I would love being a member of The Village Church. They treat the Word of God with the full reverence and respect that it deserves, but also have the fiery passion and intensity and freedom in Christ that should characterize all Christians and compel the world's attention. Not stiff and boring or rigid and legalistic. But very direct in confronting sin and very serious about holiness, especially in church leadership, which is one of the things I most admire and appreciate in any church! They are also very intentional about including and honoring singles, who many churches ignore and marginalize.}

Anyway... when pastors seek out leaders with strong charisma and bold leadership qualities even though they are UNTRAINED IN THE WORD OF GOD, it does far more damage than they probably realize.  And when churches refuse to confront leaders who are way off base in their theology (you know, like telling born again believers that they are indwelled by both Christ and a demon) - when churches refuse to deal with them for fear of losing money or status, well, that's something they will have to answer to God for.  I believe in the gifts and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I also believe in and have very personal experience with Christians getting weird and going off the deep end in this area, failing to test their personal thoughts and 'ministry work' to see whether they align with the truth of the Word of God.  It is to be our living and active and powerful standard, not a casual afterthought.

Not sure which particular topic I'm ranting about here, but it's a rant, so it can be a little incoherent. lol

I'm just gonna do stream of consciousness writing here..... I love Jesus, and I love the Word of God! I love being part of a powerful, transcendent worship service where your soul and spirit feel connected with the angel choirs in heaven. I love my friends from churches on both ends of the spectrum. I love it when people from different churches pull together and act like the body of Christ, helping those in need and taking care of each other and encouraging each other in our individual walks with God. I love it when the truth of God's Word is taught with passion and power, when the anointing of the Holy Spirit is present and palpable. I love it when the church is thriving and people's lives are being changed and restored by the power of the gospel...

What I hate is the enemy's attempts to destroy it all from within.  I am sick of these schmarmy, over-familiar, condescending men spouting false theology and doing far more harm than good in their church leadership roles.  Some may be deceived and have good intentions, but their promotion to leadership is inexcusable.  I'm also discouraged and hesitant to really trust men in church leadership who are quick to dismiss massive character flaws in the politicians they endorse - it matters more than they realize.  I am tired of the frat boy pastors and the 'cool clique' church member vibes that "make much of" a certain church brand rather than purposefully glorifying JESUS and the gospel.  I'm a bit on edge and ready to make a quick exit if I find myself among another group of truly crazy Christians.  I am disheartened by the feeling that I don't fully belong in any specific church group at the moment, but maybe I should be encouraged that I can cross what others see as boundary lines and see the good on both sides.  I really love the strong Biblical foundation and in-depth Scripture studies found in most Baptist churches, and I also love the zeal and amazing worship and strong faith for the miraculous often found in more charismatic circles.  So I'm saddened by the bitterness and boredom I tend to see on one end of the spectrum vs. the carefree attitude about God's Word I sometimes see on the other.  I so want what Matt Chandler talked about - for both sides to converge and for us to be strengthened by the mix of grace and truth, love and holiness!  Sometimes I feel caught in between with each side badmouthing the other, which can leave me feeling hurt and confused.  I understand that the enemy seeks to divide and destroy us, so the lack of unity should not be so surprising. But Jesus longs and prays for us to be united (John 17), and I want to work harder toward meeting the goal He set for us.  I don't want to be a come-late, leave-early, watch-online apathetic Christian; I want to be involved and genuinely excited about all that God is doing in and around and through me!  I understand there is no perfect church and that some of this will be incomplete and messy until we get to heaven... but being an active part of the body of Christ is important, so I need to slow down and armor up and seriously seek God about the role I am supposed to be playing here and now!!

Mmmkay, end "rant." =)

"Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church." ~Ephesians 4:12-15