The air-brushed church
I cannot believe at times that ordinary congregational members are God’s choice for the form that church takes in locale. This is really inconvenient as we are all sinners. This sometimes odd collection of people, are the two or three gathered in my name, which will mean then of course have the presence of God. Many people say I can’t invite people to my church but I believe in using that reason we are trying to avoid the scandal of the church and the cross. It is an absolute scandal that God uses disobedient people. But God has always used dodgy people at times perhaps like you and I, and like Moses, David, Abraham, Issac, Paul, Peter liars, betrayers, murderers, adulterers, Listen to David’s congregation at Ziklag, all the discontent and worthless joined him! Don’t think that the New Testament was any better. Eugene Peterson says the author of the Message bible “Meanwhile We dream of forming an intentional community where only motivated people are let in.” The air-brushed church without spot and wrinkle. But Jesus told the story of the kingdom of heaven being compared to a man sowing good seed but the an enemy while they were sleeping sowed weeds in the night. The parable ends by Jesus saying let them grow together. For us in the local church it is difficult to tell the weed for the grain. What a scandal, yet this is God’s choice for mission rather than the airbrushed church. Invite someone to take a closer look at Christ and his church.
