Not Finished Yet - I Am a Work In Progress - Be Patient With Me

If you follow my blog or read the about menu you know that since I was a child I grew up in church. Yet, I was turned off by church because I didn’t saw that Christianity and church is a safe place where people sincerely love each others and/or you can be honest about your struggles and be helped. I saw and been abused by church leaders, controlled by them to follow their ‘laws’ which had nothing to do with God’s Word.

As a teenager I closely followed our church leader’s lives: they had the talk, but didn’t walk the walk. They expected others to do what they preached. They didn’t lead, they directed.

Why it is that Christianity has a bad reputation today? Somehow, if you mention that you are a Christian, you see the rejection on people’s face. The name Christian has a bad reputation and people are not interested to build friendships if you mention that you are a Christian.

I meet many people who used to go to church, but been hurt by Spiritual leaders and lost their faith in God altogether.

Last night I had a long talk with someone I love deeply and care for. We talked about trust. How hard is to trust anyone once your trust was broken? I mentioned him that often we are afraid to just share our hearts sincerely with others because we are afraid that we get hurt. I told him, that even if we don’t trust people, we can always trust God. I encouraged him to tell everything to God, if he doesn't trust people. He used to go to church for many years.

I noticed that for a moment he become silent so I asked him: Do you trust God? He said: nope. I was glad about his honesty. I really appreciate when people are honest even if that is negative. If, we can share our struggles sincerely, we have hope. So our conversation went on and I asked few more questions, like: Why don’t you trust God? His answer was: Because HE wasn't there when I needed him. Our conversation started to open up and I was eager to find out more to help. When did you felt that God wasn’t there? – I asked. NEVER ... when I was hurt, when I needed him, when I prayed and nothing happened. In that moment I couldn’t hold it back anymore. My heart just broke in pieces. I could relate to that feeling and pain.

People around us are looking for Christ. Jesus left us here to BE his ambassadors. We should be imitating God in everything we do. When people look at us they should see Jesus in us and through us. Do they? The Bible is full of verses what are talking about how we should be living a life worthy of him, that people seeing our good deeds would glorify God.  WE suppose to be CHRIST in body. My heart is tortured. I see more and more clearly that church is full with Christians without CHRIST....so it's all an empty. Christian without Christ is an - ian.

Actually, I googled it and found out that - ian is a suffix and the definition or it is: One relating to, belonging to, resembling, coming from, being involved in or being like something, someone.

Oh my...when we take Christ out...we belong to nothing, but our self and this world, we become empty and this is when it's all about us, but we proclaim we are Christians...Oh Jesus have mercy on us ...

IF those who call themselves Christians - like Christ, belonging to Christ, resembling with Christ ... would actually BE like Christ ... this world would be a great place to live. Jesus cared for the lost, loved the sinner, fed the hungry, included the outsiders, touched and healed the sick and broken people. Jesus served others and always stayed close to the Father so he could ALWAYS follow God’s will.

Many of today's Christians starting with Christian Pastors and Church Leaders: care for themselves only, loved those whom they can benefit from, hate the sin WITH the sinner itself (most pastors and church attending people just don’t have the capacity to separate the two), feed themselves and their congregation with junk (and I’m not talking just physical food, but spiritual junk too) hurt other Christians and justify their actions, backstab each other, kill (emotionally, spiritually) and destroy, because it's all about them ... nothing about Christ ... but they talk in ‘Jesus’ name. ( No wonder Jesus tells them: I do not know you)

Churches are lead by pastors who are burned out, without real faith, real relationship with God ... just working, doing their sermons ... WITHOUT the power of the Holy Spirit. They DO Christian work without Christ ... so no wonder they control and abuse their power by hurting, expecting, demanding and lying. They pretend they have it all together, but they are POWERLESS. Without God’s anointing Holy Spirit ‘church’ becomes and empty show. Christianity without Christ becomes empty. If a church is NOT growing that means God’s anointing power is NOT there.

Pastors can put together their sermons and preach, but if it’s NOT born by the Spirit, it is powerless, nothing but empty words. The result ... today's Christianity ... Christians without Christ ... churches full of broken people, whom by going to church instead of growing they loose their faith because they do NOT see Christ in us.

If those who attend church and grow up in church just like me would see the REAL thing they would WANT to be Christians – filled by the Spirit of God to do the good things what God already prepared to us in advance. We are made to do the good things for HIS kingdom, to BE like Jesus, belonging to him, related to him.

Sadly, and heart broken I notice that more and more of those who grew up in church are not sold out followers of Christ. Many pastor's kids become wild drug addicts, homosexuals and turn totally against God because all they see is fake ... Christianity without Christ ... and that is not appealing or worthy to follow.

I'm torn between Jesus’ love and what the ‘pretend church’ and Christianity without Christ it is today.

It’s time to repent (name our sins on its name: a flirt is ADULTERY and IS sin, a half truth is a LIE and IS sin, screaming and yelling is ANGER and IS sin, stealing from the office is STEALING and IS sin, favoring people is FAVORITISIM and IS sin, looking for pastors and church leaders’ approval instead of obeying God is IDOLTERY and IS sin – look into your heart and ask God to search and reveal your sins) and ask God to shake his people, his church up.

It’s time to put down our pride and humble ourselves, so God’s anointing can be ON us and live a powerful life filled WITH the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Sprit we are nothing. Without Christ we can do NOTHING! (John 15:5) We are powerless, empty and useless for God’s Kingdom. We can still build our own kingdom, but NOT God’s kingdom.  It’s time to LIVE a life as Christians with Christ to be FIRST in our personal life. It’s time for Christians to put Christ back into our lives so we will live up to our names and live a life to glorify him: the King of Kings.

Are you a Christian? Do you have Christ in the center of your life? Do you live up to your name? If no, would you confess? Are you ready for asking God to change you? IF you are NOT a Christian would you share what confuses and batters you most about Christians?