Unfinished Faith: Relearning God.

Week 5:  When the Church speaks louder than God’s Love.

The bit where I introduce:  

I read a quote that said, “It’s hard to convince people that a God they can’t see loves them when a church they can see doesn’t seem to even like them.”

Piercing words, right? We all will interpret this through a different lens, according to your experiences in church. What does this quote mean to you?

We’ve all heard phrases like that quote, and at it’s simplest for me its saying church was intended to be a representative of God’s love, but somehow along the way we’ve messed it up!

My last devotion was a premise for this and the commandment we know and struggle with as individuals, but what about church? What about my church? What about the church?

The bit where I refer to the bible: and ask a few rhetorical questions:

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 says, “If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love I am nothing.”

 Paul- author again is writing to the church in Corinth and this verse sits in the context of a messy, gifted and divided church in Corinth, I would say we still do have those churches today. Lots of arguing going on, remember in previous devotions I said they loved their rules and spiritually lording it over one another. There was in my understanding lots of arguments in religious community about who was “more” spiritual,

 whose gifts mattered- tongues vs prophetic gifts (sounds a like a bible times survivor version) “The tribe has spoken! In tongues but because there was no interpretation, we aren’t sure if you’ve been voted off.”

 who had the most status, visibility and influence in worship.  (By the way, tongues were the “IT” gift back then! Just like in the 90’s if you were in a church)

Chapter 13 in between 12 and 14 (obviously) is Paul I think saying… Guys, you’ve missed the point!

What the paraphrase would be for Paul in short is: “You can be doctrinally right (Christian speak for in a way that relates to doctrine (= a belief or set of beliefs that are taught and accepted by a particular group) spiritually gifted, publicly impressive- and still be loveless.” If love is missing God’s character is being misrepresented, because He is innately Love.

Does that paraphrase resonate?

 Not sure about you but I’ve noticed on social media platforms they like to bring down the mega churches and smaller churches, particularly individuals in the church who have sinned and wronged others. The pattern that seems to be highlighted the most are issues relating to loving others, albeit wrongly.

Why does this chapter in Corinthians matter, why should we read it and take notice?

I think it is because when God asks us to love, it isn’t supposed to be an optional virtue, it’s the credibility of the gospel. It matters because for churches today (especially those more visible than others in that, people cannot see God, but they can see how we treat one another and THAT becomes their theology (Christian speak for the study of God)

The church, all of us essentially get to show how we are to love by God’s example and somewhere along the line we have messed it up, for many and varied reasons.

 The people outside the church aka your local community, friends and family, sees the church as hypocritical because of what we look like to them collectively. Is it embarrassing or shameful we’ve let it come to this?

So how do we “the church” do it? In my humble opinion it’s this:  Authentic church love shows up in ordinary ways, volunteering, or stocking up a community food bank, helping those in need not just in a crisis, churches that help fill out housing forms or create programs for housing  e.g. domestic violence victims or people rehabilitating from addictions, sitting with a widow at her first Centrelink appt, providing childcare so a single parent can work a shift, mentoring teens who don’t have adults in their lives, opening up the church building in winter for warmth, safety and connection and staying involved long after the need stops being visible.

The bit where you get to think about stuff: Questions for the week.

1.If someone encountered my faith only through my words and actions, what picture of God’s love would they walk away with?

2. Where might I be relying on being “right, gifted, or even busy for God, while neglecting the work of love, patience, kindness and humility in my day-to-day life right now?

3. Is there a relationship, group or situation where love has become conditional, withdrawn or performative and what would choosing agape (entirely unselfish love) type love look like?