I hate church compartmentalization! Ministries are separated into age and interest groups. There is a senior ministry, a youth ministry, a divorce ministry, and a prayer ministry. I hate this about churches. If I am a committed member of our young adult's group suddenly I am limited in various ways. I can't choose to attend another service on Sunday night because that is when the young adults meet. I can't attend a Ceder Point trip with the youth because I am older than eighteen. I can't make connections with mature Christian seniors and gain from their wisdom.
This compartmentalization is killing our church. Unity becomes impossible. I have become so frustrated with this that I have no idea how to address it. Our whole church structure is built on a faulty concept. It is a seeker friendly flaw. You connect people with people that are similar to them. This way they feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, this causes a lack of spiritual growth and insight. It is essential that churches connect younger people to the older generation. It is essential that the youth connect with young adults to prepare them for the future. And divorced members need to hang out with people celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.
4 comments:
Please permit me to write this in light of the eternal truth that many traitors in human history have not been able to defeat in light changing human cultural values being driven from the pit of hell. I have been to churches where they share(d) a belief that the clear messages of Christ on sin and holiness cannot be understood without going back to study Greece and Hebrew, the ultimate goal of which is to preach directly from the Bible about giving (Malachi 3:8-12) and from another bible derived from Greece and Hebrew to tweak the clear messages of Christ in order to create another gospel in Galatians 1: 6-13.
Revelation 2:7 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Wether because of cultural values or otherwise, "For I tesify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall taka away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city, and and from the things which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18-19).
Even if your leaders are decievers, Jesus Christ warns, "...but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not" (Matthew 23:3).
With unqualified dependence on God, please prayerfully read your Bible carefully about local churches standing or not standing for the truth. There is not like a half-truth. A little modification of the Bible is a complete departure if no repentance follows before the person dies. By staying in that church, you seem to accept that divorce is alright and you may consider getting married to a divorcee afterall cultural values have changed since the time of Christ's early ministry during which He says, "...Thou hast well said, I have no husband. For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly" (John 4:17-18).
The question is what does your church teach to those divorcees, to join them back to their first spouses or demonize their first spouses in order to create room for remarriage for them, which is some pastors do today to keep people in sin. If it is the latter, I think we are doomed in our foolishness as we move farther away from God in this generation in light of Philipians 3:18-19, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things."
On Divorce: What does the Bible say?
“And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” (Corinthians 7:10-16)
“They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife” (Leviticus 21:7, 13, 14). “Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away” (Isaiah 50:1). “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:32).
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:6-8).
“And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery (Matthew 19:2-12).
The Israelites that hardened their hearts were taken away from the sight of God while probably their plead that they were humans with a falling nature were not enough to rescue them (2 Kings 17:13-20): “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight” (2 kings 17:13-20).
Kunle
Peaches - I really do agree with you on much of what you are saying. However, I have been in situations that have done that which you are saying...not compartmentalizing...and it was not beneficial to me in any way. In fact, it was quite detrimental. Having only people who were in much different stages of life to fellowship left me dismayed, discouraged, and hopeless. I think there is very much a need to have such groups in churches so that you can be connected to those who are encountering similar life situations. It goes both ways, I think. Perhaps we overdo it, but I still feel it is important to have them.
OH! And, I am "encourager"! Sorry, forgot I was logged into my church group acct. Ha! Kinda funny that I posted on my church "young adult" acct. given the topic/comment. Jenny :)
Kunle you need not worry about my position on divorce. I know it is a sin and I do not support it in any fashion. I do think that we must have ministries for people who have gone through a divorce simply because many Christians are divorced. I think we should have ministries for drug addicts, homosexuals, and other sins. Not because I condone them, but because Christians are suppose to restore people to the Lord not banish them because they fail or struggle. I am completely aware that divorce is a sin and should be treated as such. My church does not support divorce or consider it acceptable.
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