I recently reconnected with one of my best friends from high school.  Our conversations over the last few weeks have been like a cold drink of water on a hot summer day.  We are approaching our 20 year reunion, (that hurts to say), so we’ve had a lot to catch up on.  It’s been a blast listening to him talk about the places he’s been and the things he’s experienced.  I’ve enjoyed getting to hear about his beautiful wife and daughter and listen to his dreams for the future.  Last night, our conversation turned towards “religion” for the first time.

As a young Christian, my high school experience was a great one.  I was able to surround myself with friends who supported me in my faith.  This friend was one of them.  We held each other accountable, prayed with each other, and participated in bible studies together.  After high school, our faith journeys took vastly different routes.  A year out, I was preaching my first sermon and settling into my “adult Christian walk”.   Shaken by tragedy and loss, he set out on a different path. 

He would study psychology and world religions.  He delved into Vendanta, the philosophical foundation of Hinduism; Daoism, a philosophical religion of the Chinese; Buddhism and Judaism.  After years of searching, he said, “No matter what I studied, or what I was reading, Jesus Christ was always tugging at me.  Christianity was always tugging at me.”

I remember a time in my life as a young minister, when I found myself searching for truth; biblical truth.  Not “truth” that was simply told to me by others.  I wanted to know what the Bible actually said and how Christianity compared to the other religions of the world.  I left this search for truth convinced that Jesus Christ is the preeminent one.  Anecdotally, as I questioned ones actively practicing other religions, I noticed that deliverance, healing, and a remedy for sin were foreign concepts to them.  These were things that I was watching take place quite frequently in the lives of those who were choosing to follow Jesus.  In comparing Holy writ, there was no comparison.  The Bible is totally unique from the others.  I share with you the following, a description that I have had saved for years, having no idea if I pieced it together from various sources or if I found it all in one source.  So I want to be careful to not take credit for it, even though I’m unsure who to site when sharing…

We have to understand when we are talking about the word of God, we are not just talking about a book on the shelf. 66 books written by 40 different authors from three different continents, who wrote in 3 different languages over a span of 1500 years. Shepherds, kings, scholars, fishermen, prophets, a military general, a cupbearer, and a priest all penned portions of Scripture. They had different immediate purposes for writing, whether recording history, giving spiritual and moral instruction, or pronouncing judgment. They composed their works from palaces, prisons, the wilderness, and places of exile, while writing history, laws, poetry, prophecy, and proverbs. In the process they laid bare their personal emotions, expressing anger, frustration, joy, and love. Yet despite this marvelous array of topics and goals, the Bible displays a flawless internal consistency. It never contradicts its common theme.

With all this being said, my friend shared a struggle that is common for so many Christians today.  He said, “We go to church, big amphitheater, projector, live band, hear the sermon, get entertained for an hour, feel good, go home and do it all again next week.  To me, this totally misses the point.”  He’s right!  Whether our church is traditional, modern, liturgical…whether we have towering stained glass or we’re in a shopping center…whether we sing timeless hymns or the latest worship songs on the radio…many in the church today have been arrested by this routine.  Sing, pray, give, sermon, go home; and let’s do it again next time the doors are open.

I didn’t sleep last night thinking about this common struggle and wondering why I am still in the church.  I see what he’s talking about.  I know what he feels is true of Western Christianity.  Why haven’t I stepped away?  Why haven’t I given up? Here’s a few reasons that came to mind.

I will briefly mention that it is commanded in scripture that we gather with believers.  An argument can be made that the aforementioned struggle stems from our gatherings NOT being what God designed them to be.  I don’t agree completely with that argument but I don’t want to spend time on this point because my reasons for staying in the church go so far beyond a command. 

In 19 years of active ministry, I have heard many express that they aren’t getting what they need out of church.  I guess I have a different perspective on what church is, and it’s probably a perspective instilled in me by my parents who spent my childhood pouring their lives into the ministry.  Church has never been about what I could “get”; it’s always been about what I could give.  I love the Lord and I want to give Him my time, I want to give Him my attention, and I want to direct my energy towards the advancement of His kingdom.  When I resigned as a lead pastor 4 years ago, everything I ever preached was put to the test.  The premise has remained consistent.  Time, attention and energy; it’s His.  Being a part of the church has given me opportunities to preach, sing, stack chairs, set up for events, scrub bathrooms, feed the homeless, visit hospitals and nursing homes, and reason with those contemplating suicide. I’ve stayed in the church because I want to give to the Lord.

A short 2 months after my separation that would lead to divorce, I worked in a church camp for teens. I have served as a board member for Fellowship of Christian Athletes here in South Central Arkansas.  I took off a week from work to help with the FCA camp that would see teens from across the state gather to hear the gospel.  One thing that was unique about this camp from the other church camps I had been a part of was the spiritual composition of the students.  Since the feeders of this camp were public schools, many of the students were unchurched.  As I sat in that camp listening to the testimonies of these kids, tears streamed down my cheeks as I heard one after another talk about the dark road they had walked, dabbling with drugs, alcohol and sex; struggling with depression, isolation, and suicidal thoughts.  What they had faced already at such a young age was sad, but that’s not why I was crying.  I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as I remember, but it seemed like every one of these testimonies started with, “my parents went through a divorce.”  It was in that moment I knew I had to do everything I could to keep the church in a positive light for my children.

In a society that contradicts scripture at every turn, my children need reinforcements from a community of believers.  As parents, we would be naïve to think that our words and example are sufficient in themselves.  Church has provided a refuge for my children.  They have found kids their age that share the same values.  They have been encouraged and strengthened by adults in the church that have invested time in their development as human beings.  And now, 4 years later, I’m watching my children give to the church.  They give their time, money, and energy for the kingdom of God.  I’m humbly thankful that, by the grace of God, they have avoided many of the traps that young people fall into.  I’ve stayed in the church because my children needed me to.

I am a genuinely happy person.  It takes a lot to ruin my day.  I attribute this to reasonable expectations.  I don’t expect perfection from anybody.  I learned a long time ago that I am not perfect.  I’m not a perfect husband.  I’ve never been a perfect dad.  My employees will tell you that I’m not the perfect boss.  And I was not the perfect pastor.  With that realization came the philosophy in which I live my life.  My family is not perfect, but I’m going to love them anyway.  My boss is not perfect, but I’m going to work hard for him anyway.  My Doctor is not perfect, but I’m going to seek his opinion anyway.  My Razorbacks are not perfect, but I’m going to cheer for them anyway.  And guess what else isn’t perfect…my church.  But I’ll go, and be faithful, and work, and give, and contribute.  I’ve stayed in the church because the God of the church is perfect.   

I close with this.

If you’re disenfranchised because of the people who go to church for the wrong reasons…why don’t you be one who goes for the right reasons.

If you’re hurt by the way someone in the church has treated you…why don’t you go and treat people the way they should be treated.

If you don’t go because of what you don’t get, I encourage you to go because of what you can give.

The Church needs you.