Tragedy of the American Church: The Counterfeit Bride

The term "counterfeit" describes something made as an exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud. One of the oldest monasteries in the world is St Catherine's. Built by Emperor Justinian to protect the monks in the region, Saint Catherine's sits at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. The walls are made of granite and are between 8 and 35 meters tall. Up until last century, there was only one way into the monastery: a tiny door more than 30 ft above the ground. People entered the monastery through a system of pulleys and ropes. The monastery itself contains ancient icons and many treasures, but up until recently, it was largely inaccessible to the outside world.        Our churches naturally drift toward becoming like Saint Catherine's monastery: a fortified, doorless organization that focuses upon its own preservation rather than its specific mission. Our hearts drift toward tribalism, the tendency to gather with people just like us and to reflect ourselves rather than the missionary heart of God. The church is intended to be a colony of Heaven, living according to the gospel announcement. But too often we turn the kingdom colony into a country club. Our focus becomes the comfort and preservation of our tribe rather than the mission that accompanies the gospel announcement.        I've heard it said that the people of God either have the mentality of a battleship or a cruise ship. Both may sail, but they have very different purposes. The battleship exists for others. It is on a rescue mission, set to penetrate the enemy's territory and do battle for the commander. The cruise ship exists for the comfort of its passengers. Luxury and comfort are the core values, and everyone seeks to make the journey comfortable and memorable. When we adopt a cruise ship mentality, the cross and resurrection of Christ will be reduced to a message of personal comfort. The core value of our worship services is to be memorable and entertaining. Our theological debates become about upholding doctrine for doctrines sake, rather than seeing theological reflections as an aid to fulfilling our mission. Instead of seeing our gatherings as a base from which individual Christians scatter into the world as salt and light, we wall ourselves off from the outside world and neglect the prophetic nature of our gospel announcement.        The highest value of a community with a tribal mindset is self-preservation. A tribal community exists solely for itself, and those within it keep asking, "how can we protect ourselves from those who are different from us"? A tribal mindset is marked by an unbalanced patriotism. It typically elevates personal and cultural preferences to absolute principles: if everybody were more like us, this world would be a better place. But in a missional minded community, the highest value isn't self-preservation but self-sacrifice. A missional community exists not primarily for itself but for others. It's a community that's willing to be inconvenienced and discomforted, willing to expend itself for others on God's behalf.        So, let us tear down the walls of tribalism that have separated us from our brothers and sisters for far too long. And let us become one Tribe under the banner of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ. Let us become the Heavenly Colony that we were meant to be. If we would do that, we would see an end to racism, hatred, poverty and bloodshed. 

#reformation #church #jesus #christ #jesuschrist #god #change #revolution #revival #spiritual #masturbation #unity #faith #religion #prayer #sinners #savior #tithing #error #pharisees #hypocrisy #bride #repentance #awakening #fractured #foundations #love #truth #bible #biblical #christian #indulgence #baptism #peace #pray #life #wisdom #hope #grace #compassion #religious