My Weekly Rant

I recently prepared and took part in an Adventist Youth program, it was on why people leave the Church. The pastor did the main feature and he stated that the main reasons that people leave are social issues. He gave these as the top reasons.

• No big issue—just drifted away

• Lack of compassion for the hurting

• Moral failure on my part

• Perceived hypocrisy in other church members

• Marital difficulties

• Lack of friends in the church

• High level of conflict in local congregation

• Family conflicts other than within marriages

• Personal conflict with local church members

Here we can see that the church, where is supposed to be a place of healing is not that. During the discussion views were aired that these people faith was not strong, we need more doctrinal sermons, that they should not have left because Christ said the tares will grow with the wheat. Not once did I hear anyone say that the church may be lacking compassion and love. People are coming to Christ broken, hurting , in need of a sense of belonging and many times they are not finding it in the church. Are we so focused on who knows the most scriptures and who could preach the best sermons. Is our pride causing us to neglect the sick and hurting out of the church.

And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:30-32

(ESV)

Are we running people away from the Great Physician and the answer is an emphatic yes. I find the no one wants to do a self search and say that I may be the problem. Maybe my attitude is not as Christ-like as I thought. Maybe I am not as friendly and outgoing as I could be (this is me). Maybe my cliques are causing others to stumble. We as the church need to come down off our high horses, humble ourselves and try to mend the church. Stop casting blame on others. Every soul we lose should hurt us to our core, but sometimes it seems it does not.

Put your hand in the hand of the man

Who stilled the water

Put your hand in the hand of the man

Who calmed the sea

Take a look at yourself

And you can look at others differently

Put your hand in the hand of the man

From Galilee

We as a church need and must do better. Let us start now and contact someone we may know who has left. It's time to start mending and bringing back the sheep that have left, with the help of the Holy spirit we can. But what do I know this is just a rant.