Unchurching Church
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A couple of weeks ago, we began talking about the origin of the word “religion”, and how it relates to the idea of humanity attempting to “bind ourselves back” to God. It implies that if we just DO the “right” things or SAY the “right” prayers, or OBEY the “right” rules, we will somehow earn our way back into the good graces of our Creator. This idea fuels the religious legal system and keeps those who engage in it, mired in doubt as to whether or not they have done enough to merit God’s acceptance, forgiveness, and love. Even those who believe they are loved by God, can struggle with the idea that they could say or do something that could make Him change His mind about them.
For many, the word “church” is synonymous with “religion”. Their encounter with the “church system” left them feeling condemned and cast out, or so weighed down with the list of things they needed to do to “be a good Christian”, they either left the church altogether or found themselves in a never ending cycle of working to earn favor and comparing themselves to others in order to feel “good enough”.
Here’s the fascinating thing. Jesus lived within the religious legal system of the day, but instead of accepting it as it was (remember what He said to the religious leaders?), He said things like this:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 WEB)
To a paralyzed man whose friends brought him to Jesus He said, “Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you.” (Matthew 9:2 WEB)
And when a thief hanging on a cross next to Him simply asked to be remembered, He said, “…today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43 WEB)
What’s happening here?
Remember, the religious legal system at that time revolved around The Law. It was thought to have been dictated directly by God through Moses, and it spelled out in detail the rules to be followed, what needed to be done in order to be deemed “clean”, and how to earn forgiveness and acceptance from God. Yet Jesus seemed to redefine the meaning of The Law. He went around offering acceptance, love, and forgiveness to anyone who would just come to Him in trust and receive it.
In fact, in the Gospel of John Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24 WEB). We’ll unpack this in more detail in later episodes, but for now, here’s a big picture.
Instead of working in the religious legal system; trying to “bind ourselves back to God”, Jesus said God had done that Himself. God had “bound Himself back” to humanity in and through Jesus Himself and the story He was fulfilling (John 10:30). He said the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of God is available to all and given freely to anyone who will just listen to what He is saying, and trust in the God He is making known through His words and actions; the Creator God who sent Him, His Father and ours. He called that trust, “faith” and He called those who exhibited it, His disciples, His family (Mark 3:34).
The word “disciple” in Greek means, “learner”. Those who believed and followed Jesus in the first century, listened to His message, discussed it, questioned it, wrestled with it, and learned from it, in fellowship with others. Jesus told them that His words and actions were showing them the truth about who their God really is (John 5:19, 14:7-9), and that He had set an example for them so that they would go out and do what He had been doing (John 13:15). He told them that they were to love others, not in the way the world around them defined love, but in the same way He loved them (John 15:12). He called them into a new connection with God, their Father; a new identity; a new way of being human; a new way of love. In fact, Jesus said the world would know they were His disciples by how they loved (John 13:35), and indeed for a while, that’s exactly what happened.
As a result of what they believed about Jesus; who He was and what He had accomplished, this diverse, ragtag group of Jesus followers; His family; later called His “church”, became connected in a new way through His Spirit and began walking in this new identity. They met together joyously with worship, praise, thanksgiving, and prayer. They learned together, they prayed together, they ate together, they shared their resources, they reached out in love to those in need, and the world around them took notice.
That is what “the church” was meant to be; not a place, but a people. A people “reconnected” to their Father and to each other in a new way. A people who live out the message of Jesus; reflecting who He says our Father is, and who He says we were created to be; reaching out to the world with His love; and inviting ALL, to come and be restored; to come and be healed and renewed; to come home to a Father who loves us, who wants to restore His good creation and give our lives meaning and purpose again.
Jesus says, in His “church”, we are all valued, we are all loved; all our lives have meaning and purpose. The question is, will we believe Him? Will we trust Him enough to come and be a part of it?
I know for many; this has not been your experience with “church”. That’s a heartbreaking reality. But if the “church” is a people, not a place, not an institutionalized system, then I would urge you, don’t give up hope. Keep searching for the people who will tell you the truth about how valuable you are to God, and about His desire to restore all of humanity back to His family. Keep looking for those disciples who are “known by their love”. They won’t be perfect by any means. In fact, they’ll be as messy and flawed as you are, but they will be attempting to walk in the Spirit and love of Jesus and to live it out into the world. Then, when you find them, I hope you’ll consider being a part of that amazing journey!