People have a million different reasons for not going to church, but probably one of the most disturbing is because church has become irrelevant to many. In other words, church is either ignoring the real problems people have today, or they’re offering information that seems unrelated to their lives. Church may not matter to some folks because it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the lives of those attending.
Living in today’s culture requires that the church begin to talk about issues for which there are no clear-cut, easy answers. In a different decade, people seemed to be so sure of the right answers to life. But now, it appears that the problems we face are so complex that easy answers are beside the point and the right answer isn’t always easy to distinguish.
The issue of women in church leadership, for example, isn’t as cut and dry as it used to be. Divorcing an abusive husband is a biblical option that we don’t quickly discuss. Sometimes, we present theology in a way that doesn’t reflect the heart of God, yet we cling to our interpretations as if they are more important than the Word of God itself.
Giving simplistic, heartless responses to life’s most complex and heartbreaking issues cuts us off from each other, stops authentic relationships from developing, inhibits growing our faith stronger, and denies the human condition and our desperate need for redemption and restoration. These types of responses can make the church mundane and insignificant.
If we want to be relevant to the world and make a significant difference, we must be willing to wrestle with our own darkness (Romans 7:18-25; 1 John 1:6). Our gossip is just as serious as the young person who is confused about his sexual identity. The hate and evil thoughts we have towards one another is as wrong as murder. A man or woman with lustful eyes that never technically “cheats” is just as adulterous as a prostitute. A Christian that cusses out the McDonald’s employee, who tells white lies to get out of obligations, or who uses unethical business practices has not been changed by hearing the Word of God (James 1:22-27).
We not only need God’s forgiveness, but we also need the love, peace and healing that comes from Jesus (Romans 5:1; 15:13). He uses the church to restore in us what we’ve lost through the sins of others and through our own struggles with sin. It is within the family of God, the church, that we can experience this restoration of our hearts. Church, then, becomes a safe place to struggle and to grow, not a place of condemnation and judgment (Romans 8:1; Luke 6:37).
We’ve first got to look within our hearts and face what’s there before we can be of any help to others. When we can humbly admit that we also struggle, we can offer hearts of love and compassion to those who are hurting, and then become the beacon of light in a dark and lost world (Matthew 5:14-16). Then the church will have something of great significance to offer.
