Dude! We are on the same team!
This past Sunday, I wasn’t preaching and so I didn’t have to prepare/finish up my sermon so I decided to go to the church on my street for an early sunday service. It’s always nice to attend a church service where you have no responsibilities. I always feel like if I go to anything my church does, I need to be involved somehow and I rarely get to just sit back and enjoy myself.
But then, as soon as I was walking towards the church a thought popped in my head, “I wonder if they will greet me, I wonder if they will be friendly and not like a lot of churches.” When the worship leader was praying I thought, “She is probably fake.” The Pastor started speaking, “I wonder if he will teach a watered down Gospel message like a lot of panzy pastors.” Throughout the whole service I kept thinking thoughts like this and telling myself to shut up with those thoughts because there is no set way to do church and I don’t even know these people. The thoughts ended as I was walking out and a person asked me if I wanted to join their men’s group (which I was interested in doing), but when he said that I should tell my church guys too I immediately thought, “I’m not telling anyone! They are our people not yours!” As I was walking home I was so astonished at myself.
I know that this happens quite often and as I was praying and thinking, why do we think these things? Do we not realize that we are on the same team? It’s sad that as Christians, we are territorial and critical of other churches. OUR way is THE way and everyone needs to conform to us. Pride is at the heart of it. Something that needs to be decimated.
Have you ever had a situation where you experienced that? Do you think that a lot of people go through this or is it just me? What do you think? How should this be fixed?
Great blog, this reminded me of a speaker in Urbana 2009.
He was on a missionary trip, a prostitute approached him.
She wanted to follow Jesus but couldn’t because she didn’t want to give up her profession.
He asked her why.
She was a prostitute to provide for her daughter.
We are easy to label everyone. We are easy to judge one another. But when do we really take the time to know someone?
Man, that is really tough!
I think we all tend to judge people who work in the same field as we do. I know that since I finished up Bible college, I can’t seem to listen to a sermon without tearing apart the speaker’s hermeneutic. “They took that out of context” or “Great. Another topical sermon” are thoughts I constantly have to battle. I definitely think that being educated in a certain field makes you much more critical of others who work in it too.
Totally agree there Jenn. It’s so tough not to do that since I am a seminary student as well. I find it very tough to not be so critical at times.
Don’t you find, too, that it also allows an incredible opportunity for grace? For instance, now that I know what makes a good sermon and I notice when preachers don’t live up to that standard, I have to make a conscious decision to respect them as God’s ministers in spite of their mistakes. You can choose to become a better, more gracious person; or you can choose to be judgmental and critical. Don’t you think that actively choosing the Good in such a situation does great things for your soul?
I guess that can be said as we get older and have been in the faith longer. We know how the “game” works. How we can fake it and all. It opens an opportunity for grace as we look at others and also ourselves. Sometimes we can get even more bitter and colder than younger Christians. It’s sad, but as we realize our mistakes, it is easier to receive grace and to give it out.