“And I tell you that you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build my church…” Matthew 16:18
“All churches want is your money.”
“I’m
not good enough for those church people.”
“Church is for women and sissies.”
Misconceptions about the word “church”
are everywhere. Unfortunately, many people have reasons to think the way they
do. They had a bad experience. They saw something on TV. They heard something
at the beauty shop. They read it on the internet (so it must be
true!). When we let experiences or culture define “church” for us,
we get a distorted image—like wearing someone else’s prescription glasses. But when
Jesus defines “church,” it looks a lot different.
According to
Jesus, the church is made up of every human being who has repented of sin and
confessed Him as Lord and Savior. The rock that this church is built upon is
the truth that Jesus is who He says He is. And if He is God, then He has the
right to lead us, command us, discipline us, and make us more like Him. Every
person who chooses to follow His way is adopted into His family. So that means
that the real church is filled with imperfect human beings in various stages of
spiritual growth—just like any family is. That dynamic leads to disagreements,
frustrations, and hurt feelings—just like with other families. But even
radically different people can march in the same direction when they choose to
follow the same Leader.
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