Don’t Bring Your “Rules” To Church
Brothers and sisters, do not slander
one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them
speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not
keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. – James 4:11
I wonder what would happen if we looked to see the
good around us rather than focusing in on what is wrong. I wonder how we would
all change if we bit back our critical words and instead offered words of
encouragement and strength?
I know this has been a column theme for several days.
It keeps showing up all around me. God’s Spirit leads me to focus in, to see,
to point out, all the ways we use words to destroy rather than build up.
Am I guilty? Absolutely. This column isn’t about me
looking down on others but rather about seeing the guilt that belongs to all of
us. And we are all guilty. We have all used words to slander others. Anger.
Hurt. Bitterness. Rage. They’re all factors.
Some people say that when you criticize someone else,
you’re really criticizing yourself. We see our flaws in other people and it
upsets us so we lash out. I don’t know if that’s true or not. I do believe we
sometimes lash out at others to hide our own flaws, our own hurts, our own
disappointments.
The Pharisees got it wrong. So do we. How often do we
get so focused on what we want that we miss what God wants?
Our pastor recently shared something on Facebook about
children in the church. The commentary encouraged people to bring their kids,
to sit up front, not to hang our heads and be upset if they were noisy or didn’t
always pay attention. Kids are kids. Welcome them as Jesus did.
Not everyone sees it that way. They expect every child
to be perfectly behaved at all times. That’s not realistic. Does it mean children
and their parents should stay home? Of course not! But every time we cast a
disapproving glance their way, every time we make an ugly comment about their
unruly child, every time we shake our heads, that’s exactly what we’re telling
them.
One of the reasons I like the contemporary worship
service I attend is the mixture of folks who attend. Some are dressed in the
traditional suit and tie. Others come in jeans and flip flops. Nobody cares.
Everyone seems to know God is more interested in our hearts than our attire.
It also solves another issue that many people don’t
understand. Those who can’t afford fancy clothes don’t feel out of place. Are you
shocked? Don’t be. A sweet friend tells about a young family with three small
daughters who didn’t attend Easter services at her church. The reason? The
family couldn’t afford three new dresses and the mama didn’t want her children
to be the subject of comments and putdowns. It’s sad. I’ve heard those
comments. I’ve witnessed the ugliness when some believe that the “rules” of the
church have been violated.
Sometimes it seems that we’ve lost our focus and the purpose
of Sunday worship. We focus on the things that don’t matter – like dress, style
of music, and children crying – and forget to worship God and cleanse our own hearts
of filth.
The law is a good thing when it accomplishes God’s
purposes. Don’t use it to dirty His message with your own views.
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