Upset with the church?

There are a lot of people out there who have gotten upset with the church and believe that churches are just full of hypocrites. They would be right in thinking this—at least to some extent. Many say the pastor has hurt them or done them wrong, and that others in the church have wronged them as well. They are probably right—this does happen. 

I understand why some people feel this way and just want to quit church altogether. That’s why we need to remember that we are all sinners and have all fallen short of the glory of God.

As the great theologian Groucho Marx once said, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” If we stop and think about it, we can see how true this statement is. We are all worthless sinners who deserve no mercy—we deserve death. This is where Christ comes in.

For God So Loved the World – John 3:16 (ESV):
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

We are imperfect people, made perfect only by what Christ did on the cross—redeemed and washed in His blood. Yes, there are toxic and unhealthy churches out there, but don’t give up. There are also many good, Bible-believing churches. Find one that will help you grow—and where you can help others grow as well. I'm not talking about growing in numbers.

Now, I’m not talking about "church hopping" just because something small happened that you didn’t like. If your church is biblically based, you should try to stay and work things out. But if, for some reason, you truly can’t resolve the issues, don’t just give up—find a good, biblically based church and commit to it.

I’ve recently done this. We left a church we had attended for about three years. I’m not saying it’s a bad church; we just had issues we couldn’t resolve. I could have just dropped out and stopped going to church altogether, but that wouldn’t have been good for me. We found a church where I feel like I fit in much better. I know we have some differences and don’t agree on everything, but the differences are small. After talking to the pastor, everything feels right.

It would be a very boring world if we all agreed on everything. After having lunch with the pastor on Thursday, we decided to join that church. Here’s the message I sent to the pastor on Friday:
----------------------------- ------------------- ------------------------- -------------------- -----------------------

From the great theologian Groucho Marx: “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” Lol.

The funny thing about that statement is that it's true—we are imperfect people, only made perfect by what Christ did on the cross, being redeemed and washed in His blood.

With that being said, Cindy and I would like to become members of Agape Life Fellowship, Agape Life Community Church, or... Back Row Baptist Church. I’m so confused!

We understand there’s a lot going on right now, and if you feel it’s not the right time or that we need to hold off a little bit, that’s totally fine—we understand. But it does look like you’re stuck with us, whether we’re members or not. Sorry about that!