Acting Like A Sinner

For the past couple of days I've been thinking about behavior in the church. It must be a providential thought process because 2 in-the-kn0w people have been in my path as I did so. The first is a pastor (no, I'm not married to him) who was recently all but devoured in his church. The second is an evangelist / teacher / speaker who started his own ministry 10 years ago. We drove him up to youth camp yesterday.

Both of these guys echoed something that has long been my feeling. Those in the church should treat people better than the lost world does. Frequently that isn't the case. No wonder people aren't interested in God or more specificially Jesus. Why would they be?

The pastor said something I have thought about over and over. He said, "you know, I'd rather hang around lost people because I have no expectation that they act a certain way or treat me well. They act like sinners." Ah, exactly....he further said, "when I go to church I expect people to act like they've received a life-changing Savior that makes them loving and kind." It's not that he doesn't expect them to continue to sin--of course they will. We all do. But overall their hearts should be different. They shouldn't enjoy hurting others nor should they go out of their way to do so.

My heart agonized with this man not only because I totally understand and can relate to his hurt but also because we grew up together in the church so I've known him a long time. He didn't deserve to be treated so poorly. And his sweet wife didn't deserve to watch it and be part of it by virtue of their marriage. It's got to be only by the strength of God they continue in ministry.

What I'm coming to understand is in church life is something I long understood in business life. When I had 22 employees I learned never to walk in expecting something but to train them how I wanted the department to run and be pleasantly surprised when they actually did what I paid them to do.

And so it is with the church. I can't expect people to act a certain way. I am not their Holy Spirit. Not that I shouldn't hold them to a higher standard but it's a process of teaching & training them what that standard is and let God go from there. I don't want to be cynical but it's hard not to be when I see people around me claiming to be a Christ-follower and then turning around and acting like someone who doesn't know Christ. I'd rather they keep their profession to themselves so the rest of us have a chance of showing the love a Christ to a world that desperately needs him.