Have you been hurt in the Church ?

[Richard Kent]

Have you been hurt by the church or someone in the church? Do you feel your pain comes from an event that happened in the church or from a certain church leader? Is the reason you don’t attend local church services, a fear of being hurt again? If you knew you would be safe from such pain, would you go back? In the last five years these are the folks God has had me council to the most. Many of the people haven’t left their faith, but only the buildings that originated their pain. While many others harbor the pain and due to being young in the faith attribute that sorrow to have come from God. If I had to guess I would say that 97 percent of the hurt caused in the churches today does not come from the conviction of God, but rather what seems to be self righteous Pharisees that have zero spiritual desertion what so ever and are trying to play Christ with no real knowledge of him.

These words may offend some, but in order to heal the wounds surrounding us, we often have to focus on the pain and what caused it. There are many even in our town that love the Lord, but fear going to church due to one reason or another. These people are shunned as leaving their church, or lacking a love for God, when this is furthest from the truth, as I said before that they have not left “the church” but only a building and a particular body. When a member of their flock was hurt and was separated from the rest, did the Sheppard go after that lost sheep, or not? If a member of the flocked sinned was it dealt with correctly or did the church simply do more harm? I sadly believe that the problem lies partially with many in our local church bodies’ simply playing church not realizing or caring about the long term effect they are having on many. All these folks want is truth, love and sincerity.

Has the spirit of the Lord left many of our churches? Has many of our churches forgotten that they follow Christ? Has progress, modern technology and the love for money forced God to turn his back? Let me ask this question. One day in a local church service, a man comes in wearing a burlap sack; he is dirty, smelly and hasn’t had a hair cut in years. He comes in during the service and shouts “I have a word from the Lord” Now in modern society this man would most likely be a bum or even thought of as a nut, right? How many folks in the church would want to hear the words the man had to speak? Would the others deny him solely based on visual impression? In easy terms, would we as Christians believe this man was from God, or do we expect suit and tie only? Have we lost many blessings due to our expectations of what God and the church should be, and not what Christ would have it to be? Remember back now to John the Baptist, The man that Baptized the Son of God.

This problem is severe and is growing daily. We as Christians must understand that not everyone that calls themselves a Christian actually is one. We must know that Satan has many of what I call copy-cat Christian’s .They may show some Christianity on the outside, but within them is only darkness. Their intent is to break your spirit and to cause you to turn from God. Don’t blame God for the sins of man. Where ever you are today know that God loves you, and would never hurt you. Today is a day of healing between you and the Lord.

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[Lori Laws]

Hi Richard, I loved this post!  So, so true... there are so many so-called "Christians" out there.  I just got this - it was in my spam.  I have a rare form of Muscular Dystropy.  I'm physically disabled.  There was a guest speaker at our church  who was teaching falsely about suffering, and I exposed him for who he was.  That did not sit well with one of his "followers," who mind you, is healthy (and has absolutely no clue about my faith or my suffering.  To make a long story short, these are some of the things that were said to me...   

 

-  We can get sick but we stay sick because we allow it to stay rather than taking our authority over it

- Can we rebuke our sickness and see it gone, yes we can but not everyone does this.

- All illness is from Satan

- According to what Andrew said, we already have this EXACT power, so we should just be able to rebuke our sickness, and it will leave. it.  We shouldn't put up with as much as a cold, or cancer. 

- Someone actually told me I was sick because I’m accepting Muscular Dystrophy. 

- I need to take my authority in Christ, I am not believing in God's promises, because He doesn't want me sick.

 

I wrote a blog post about this, http://www.lorilaws.com/2010/12/spiritual-battle-im-in.html

 

So true, so true...."Where ever you are today know that God loves you, and would never hurt you."

 

I so appreciated this post.  It really does happen.  How sad.

 

 

Sometimes people who call themselves Christians, shoot their own wounded.