The above image was seen on my personal wall and so I am re-posting it here with my thoughts:
As a pastor, I would like to address a notoriously faulty paradigm here.
How does “don’t make church a high priority” translate into “no concept of G-d”?
If we communicate truth, and we move from one concept to a different concept, without language for a smooth transition that connects the two realities, then the flow will be choppy.
We live in a church age where where church members and preachers have equivocated “G-d” and “church”, and subsequently used the two interchangeably.
Or G-d and Christianity, and then utter retardations such as “Christianity is the only valid religion” or “Christianity is the only way to G-d”.
And as we all know, Jesus said:
“The Church is the Way, the Truth, and the Life”.
And we have made the church responsible for spiritual growth. And we have abdicated our responsibility, to, flowing from our personal relationships with the Trinity, raise our kids up in the nurture and the admonition of the Church.
Are you getting it yet? Too many of my cynical Generation X are done with the “Church is G-d” Bolshevik.
The issue is not church, but growing up without parents who impart through the spirit to them, not the reality of church, but the reality of G-d.
If I impart knowledge of an institution and then farm my kids out to someone else in order for them to be instructed in Scripture without doing that heavy lifting myself first, then I don’t know how much good the church will do or be.
I will also say this.
Most of my wounds spiritually came from believers in institutional churches who refused to make discernment a priority or listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit also a priority, while judging me by my exterior, repeatedly and brazenly, which in turn led to slander and false accusations.
I’ve been a believer for 37 years, and have been raising my kids without an institutional church’s backing for the last several years, and it’s not because I have a theology degree, but because I listen to and hear Him.
It is amazing to me that, in the first 3 steps of this sequence, G-d HIMSELF, the Word of G-d, Jesus is not mentioned. Just a damn institution which may or may not get my kids closer to the L-rd if it does not know how to equip and release according to design.
So, if the sequence is to truly be logical, I would replace “church” in each step with “G-d”.
Over and over, I have seen all kinds of memes and posts that refer to institutions and seem to imply the institution is the same thing as the Man, and that simply is not the case.
A church is only as healthy as the strength of the personal relationships its members have with the Holy Trinity apart from the power and authority structures they attempt to place on one another.
4 generation fade? Ha! How about 2 generation wipe-out speed-run? Or 4 generation ramp-up? The 3-gen roller coaster?
Ok, joking aside, you’re 100% right about people replacing God in their minds with church. It’s like they can only conceive of a relationship with God that is mediated by or through the church.
Also, people are so ready to lay down the law about church attendance that they smack their own people with it. When I got back from college I happily reported that I was between churches and looking for a new church, but hadn’t found one yet and was enjoying the process of looking around, and this lady launches into a passionate lecture saying “don’t let it go too long!” and “you need a church for support!” and I was like. Lady. Did I stutter???? Could you please not project your own fears on me???? But only in my head because I was so shocked, I shut down. I was really hurt. She assumed she already knew what my values were as a young person, and she was dead wrong.
What that speech told me was, “I don’t care who you are. Keep your head down and join the first church that works or we will judge you.” That’s pretty messed up for a lot of reasons…. Not every church jives with my design or kingdom assignment. I could really hurt myself throwing my lot in just anywhere and forcing myself to fit. (And that’s assuming everyone has the best of intentions. Religious abuse is a thing, folks.) I would miss out on experiencing the incredible diversity of Christ’s body, and the community that God prepared for me, which I had the most beautiful privilege to experience for a season.