When Church Hurts

Sometimes church hurts. It hurts most when people who call themselves Christians don’t show their love for each other. Jesus said that people will know that we are His disciples, because of our love for each other—not by our works of righteousness, not by our tithes and offerings, not by our church attendance or service.

Sometimes as Christians, we miss the mark. We can be reluctant to give grace to people in the church who’ve failed, sinned, or missed the mark. It could be an unwed mother, a cheating spouse, an usher struggling with substance abuse, etc. We get hung up on what other people think, rather than showing grace and mercy. Some Christians have been treated better by those in the world than those in the church. This must break the heart of God.

How do we show God’s grace and mercy without giving credence to sinful decisions and behaviors? First, we encourage confession and repentance. We give people the chance to turn away from their sins. If they are repentant and desire restoration, we lovingly stand next to them in their Christian journey. We do this because we recognize that none of us are righteous on our own, but only through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, we take special care over our own hearts that may tempt us to think that we are better than those who’ve fallen. If not for the grace of God, we would sin outrageously. God helps us to walk in the faith with obedience to His word. If we are living a righteous life, we give glory to God for it and not take the credit for ourselves.

Church doesn’t have to hurt, instead church can bring healing and restoration. First, we show it to our own brothers and sisters in Christ, then to those in the world who are lost.

Prayer

Dear Lord, as a member of the body of Christ, I pray that You help me to be a part of the healing of the church and not the hurting of other people. Amen.

In His Service,

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