Your post was excellent and I appreciate your honesty and candor. I look forward to
engaging with your post and what you have written. I especially took to heart your
discussion of needing to teach on what membership to the Body of Christ really means. I
have to commend your maturity and compassionate attitude towards the parishioners that
were so hateful towards you. Your thoughts about how their actions and attitudes were
part of their not understanding what it meant to be part of the body of Christ was spot
on. As Brothers and Sister in Christ we are to build each other up and not destroy. Their
attitude reminded me of the old adage, “Christians are the only army that shoots their
own wounded.” As sad as that is, it is true. I try to imagine what the Church could
accomplish if truly built each other up as we are commanded. A house divided cannot
stand yet the Lord maintains the Church even as we are caught up in infighting and
drama. It is a rather sad but amazing fulfillment of Christ’s promise that the gates of hell
would not prevail against his Church. in your reference to the unhealthy aspect of your
current church you indicated that one of the unhealthy qualities centered around the lack
of teaching the gospel. a That is unfortunately when scripture tells the pastor that proper
exegesis of the text requires the pastor to allow scripture to interpret scripture, “All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV). Unfortunately, too often preachers today tend to
approach teaching scripture from a topical approach, rather than from expository, they
would rather have a topic and make scripture fit there topic as opposed to breaking the
gospel down in such a way to make it relevant for the congregation today. When the
pastor of your church finds meaning and purpose in allowing the gospel to guide his
sermon prep the church when begin to operate as God intends.
