As humans, we know that we are a very social species, equipped with all the necessary skills to be social entities. Our daily habits are centered, around things that bring about social interactivity, everything from our work places and habits, to being married and raising children.
We even have education centered on this from pre-kindergarten to our highest levels of education possible. We are constantly bombarded with messages concerning being social, from teachers to coworkers and others. I can’t help to wonder then, why we spend so much time, endeavoring to be over-bearing Individuals, to the extent of saying “It’s all about ME!”
I realize the necessity of the individual perspective. “I am here,” but yet how is it that we have changed everything so drastically from fifty years ago to what we see today? I can remember an older military, where it didn’t really matter if you were great at what you did or not, it was enough to say, “You’re one of us, we look out for our own.”
Even science says there is greater power in a group, than the individual. So where have we gone wrong today, from what we know is better for us, to I don’t care about anyone else, I’m concerned with number one…me? The Bible describes the salvation of the individual, yet it looks for you and me to integrate ourselves in a church of like believers.
Could this be the reason for the default back to just me or could it be that people have purposely drawn away from the group, with the idea of raising every ones awareness of the Individual amongst the many? A real conundrum if ever there was one…right?
Everything in the Bible begins with the person, the individual. Salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, the quest for our SIN to be forgiven us and belief that Jesus Christ did die in the cross, was buried and resurrected the third day…is an individual and highly personal act.
After this, we are asked to join a church of like believers and followers of Jesus Christ, but what for? We are told that we are to support each other, pray with each other and for each other, confess to each other, thereby insuring that all grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
It is then to our benefit that we have others around us, that help us to become better Christians. Is this what is happening today? Or are we seeing a fracturing of the church body? Are we experiencing disinformation and most assuredly, blasphemy amongst the people of the congregation? Are the pastors of these churches, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then the coming together with the congregation as a whole to worship the Lord God?
Let’s think on this for a moment. If the congregation is not a cohesive group, as in their mindset of coming together to learn and worship the Lord God Almighty, then what is happening? It seems to me, there is an “individual polarization” of the congregation. Think in terms of every person being a singular magnet. With closer inspection you may see there are small walls around the “personal space” of each individual, sort of a way to keep anyone from getting too close.
Think in terms of a “magnetic field” around the individual and then walls around that field, keeping everyone else at bay, so to speak, thereby canceling out any such personal infringement by anyone else. Odd, right? If this is happening then there is a lack of group cohesion, a lack of the personal touch, if you will.
Then there are individuals who will allow one side of the wall to drop, thereby calling others of like polarization together, or as we know it, a clique. This may not be so bad IF…it weren’t for the “clique” having one central “uber individual,” the boss person, so to speak. And if you haven’t figured this out, it is taking the place of Christ being the Central Individual, the reason for church to begin with.
Outside, looking in, we now see the group fracturing into individual cliques. The greatest of bad effects, is on the person that doesn’t fit into any clique, either because they are new to the church or they just are not able to conform to the “rules of a particular clique.” We also can see some churches that polarize against anyone of lesser income than the congregation inside. I’m sure these churches have a soup kitchen out back right?
Or maybe it would be a “special section” for those that smell or don’t have the means for a Mercedes or BMW. We don’t even want to talk about shaking their hand─you never know where those hands have been, right? We accept all “sinners” just not the ones that smell or dress poorly. Wow…what a concept, right? Do you think I’m kidding? Trust me, I have seen worse! (Sad, to say though.)
I remember one small, out of the way church, that had this one guy that always sang off key. Never could hear the organ or the piano and stay in tune, it could make you grind your teeth, but they patted him on the back for praising the Lord with all his heart, in song. He may have been off key all the time, but he would belt it out. I guess he wanted to make sure the Lord heard him.
If someone needed anything, the small congregation was there to fill the need. I just wonder, where did they all go? What has happened to all the people in the pews praising the Lord for what they have, giving thanks and honor to the Lord in their lives? What happened to all those wonderful and old hymns that spoke of the richness of the Lord, the righteousness of the Lord and our admiration and LOVE of HIM?
Well, now comes the time to explain the cause for the fracturing and separation of the group, we call the congregation. For the most part there are many churches preaching the “Prosperity” or the “Feel Good Gospel” rather than preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as we see written in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Many now days, no longer preach the prophecies as they are written in the Bible.
Worst of all are the churches that pick and choose the words and the verses of the Bible, to fit their agenda. “Give until you simply can’t give anymore!” “Let’s plant that seed”…Seed of what? Plant a seed to invest in their $1000.00 dollar suits or their Mercedes and in some cases—that stretch limo! “Well…we’re on TV you see, we can’t be seen wearing just anything! What would people think then?”
Matthew 23:14-31
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Woe unto you blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.”
This is not the end of it, because there are things that Jesus said HIMSELF, that we need to be aware of—such as preaching and teaching and offending the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to understand that every single person that comes to our Lord for salvation must be like a little child. That being the case, one must never turn them away, the Bible says this about it:
Mathew 18:3-9
“And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”
Just so you clearly understand: Anything that turns a person away from the Lord, for any reason, that person has a special place in hell, the lake of fire! I did not say this, Jesus did! Every church should be filled with mature born-again Christians who are willing to help you when you get confused. With Jesus Christ being the center of the church, there should never be any fracturing or polarization of any kind; that would be putting an individual ahead of Jesus Christ and that, my friends, is WRONG!! That is considered an offense of the Lord.
We are not at church to show off our wealth or lack there of, we are to be there to Honor and Worship the Lord God Almighty and all…should be welcome. We are not to disregard anyone for anything, we are to be accepting and loving just as our Lord is…of you and me.
Matthew 25:41
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.”
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Please read the entire chapter to truly understand what is being said. There is never a good reason for not doing your research. This is how the Bible comes alive in your hands! This is something very important for every church to know of the Lord, HE is speaking to all of us!