Imperfect Churches and Finite Minds

I have been offended, grieved, and embarrassed by some things that have happened in churches.  Even more grievous, I confess my own contributions to these offenses at times.

At times, the failures of churches and individual Christians have been a barrier to me to seeing God clearly, and the barrier seemed even greater when I was struggling with scrupulosity OCD.  But as I persisted in seeking God, I realized that the church and my own mind were not adequate to "figure God out".  I finally had to admit I had finite understanding, and my only hope was for the infinite God to help me to know Him.  More than that, I had to come to the point of being willing to wait on God's own ways and own time for me to know Him.  I had to let go of my arrogant pride that God should do things my way.

Though letting go of my pride has required humility, what a freeing thing it has been to look to Christ Himself, not individual Christians or the church, as the perfect representation of God (Hebrews 1:3).

And though waiting on God's ways has required patience, what a beautiful picture of God's work I now enjoy as I reflect on the years in which God's ways and timing were so much better than mine (Isaiah 64:4).

I believe God delights to use the church and my mind to accomplish His purposes, but my hope cannot be in the church or in myself.  I must humbly ask and depend on God to guide me into truth and to reveal Christ to me (Luke 18:9-14; Luke 24:45; John 16:5-15).

I'm so thankful that God works through sin-struggling individuals, imperfect churches, and even mental challenges to "show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Cor. 4:7).  His power is perfected in weakness!

Power Perfected in Weakness...In The Church

I have attended or visited several different churches over the years and have yet to find a perfect one. God is perfect, yet people and churches fall so short.   

In both history and our present culture, there have been leaders and members of churches who have sinned horribly and have even used their position in a church to harm others.  And even those who aren't engrossed in sin still aren't perfect people.  It can be hard for me to see God in some people and churches who claim to follow Him.

But when I look to people for perfection, I am looking in the wrong place.  Perhaps the principle of "power perfected in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9) applies to churches as well as individuals.  After all, it's individuals coming together that make up a church, and each individual is imperfect.  Several imperfect people together in a church results in an imperfect church from the very beginning. And as the saying goes, "If a perfect church existed, it wouldn't be perfect anymore if I went there."  In the light of my own flaws, how could I expect any church to be perfect, much less hundreds and thousands of churches around the world?

A church sign says, "Messy People.  Real God.  Changed Lives."  I think here we find an expression of God's power perfected in weakness in the church.  It is the beauty of the gospel.  Because of people's sinful choices, people and churches are "messy".  But Jesus loves us anyway and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.  He did this so that we could be forgiven and made right with God, and to live forever in perfect fellowship in Heaven.  When someone's heart is truly open to the gospel and allows the real God to work in their life, life change happens.

Messy People.  Real God.  Changed Lives.