Religion versus Christianity: Is the Church Following Jesus?

Religion versus Christianity

As I look around and listen to stories from in and around the church, I have to wonder: are we as the Church trying to mimic Jesus, or are we replacing Him with our own idea of what we want Church to be? Are we following religion versus Christianity?

I know. That probably just offended some of you, but honestly, if that question offended you, you may want to stop reading.

If you are still reading, I want to start off by saying that we do not claim to have all the answers. This is based on our studies and experiences.

The Image of the American Church

I’ve struggled the last couple of years with the American Church and the image that goes along with it. If you don’t know what I mean, let me ask you this:

What do you think about when someone says church?

What do you feel when you walk into a church or think about walking into a church?

I know your answers will be based on your perceptions, but isn’t our perception also our reality?

Common Perceptions of Church

One common perception is that the church is a social club.

You get different levels of membership that could be based on many factors like length of attendance, tithing, who your friends with, the ministry you serve in, and the list can go on. Maybe it’s just me but I can’t find any of these things in my Bible.

Some see the church as an entertainment business.

People come to be entertained and church leaders feel like they have to put on a great performance. I’ve heard a pastor talk about making sure the service was worth the price of admission. His thinking was that people are more likely to spend their money at the club than give it to the Church.

This may be true, but when I read about Jesus, His focus was never to entertain. He didn’t travel with a choir. Although, can you image a choir of angels following Jesus around, breaking into song right before He started teaching? That would have been awesome, but once again, that is nowhere in my Bible.

Another perception is the illusion that the church and its people are perfect.

People believe they can’t share struggles or show that there is anything wrong in their life. If they do, there will be judgement. People will talk behind their back, or they will lose status at the “social club”.

When I read my Bible, I see the broken flocking to Jesus. They were unashamed and unafraid to be who they were, even in their lowest moments.

More Observations on the American Church

There are so many things that come to mind when I think about the American Church. Like politics, although according to the Bible, Jesus was not political.

The lavish houses of worship.

All the different denominations.

The hypocrisy.

The fighting among Christians.

The crazy thing is that very few of us think of Love, Grace and Mercy when we think about church, even though that is what Jesus was all about.

It is sad that the institution created to mimic Him looks nothing like Him.

Broken by The Church

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to say. I LOVE JESUS. I’m just broken hearted when I look at the Church and see where it is and the perceptions that surround it.

I want to draw attention to it because I have hope that the Church will get back to Jesus, back to where people see only Love, Grace and Mercy when they look at church. It is out of those things that Jesus flows.

I decided to follow Jesus. I just hope the church will too.

Don’t Give Up on Knowing Jesus

If you are not a believer and you’re reading this, please know that there is no perfect church because they are all made up of imperfect people, me being one of them. But take note that there are people in the body of Christ that see the issues and are working to be part of the solution, rather than the problem.

Don’t give up on Jesus because of what you’ve seen or experienced from some people in the church. Christ loves you and He has not given up on you. 

Be Part of the Solution

If you are a believer reading this, PLEASE be part of the solution! 

Dive into Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and study how Jesus operated. 

He embraced the broken (Luke 7:37 – 50). He sought out some of the most unlikely people and utilized them to build the Church. Uneducated. Fishermen. A tax collector. A zealot. These were among some of the closest to Him. 

A woman that had such a bad reputation that she didn’t even go to the well at the same time of day as everyone else (John 4). 

A man that went around persecuting Him and His followers (Acts 9). 

The book of Acts shows us how people responded to those Christ chose and how fast the church grew. It’s crazy when you really think about it. Nowadays, we wouldn’t want someone like Peter even serving as a deacon in today’s churches, let alone pastoring one. 

We definitely would not send the woman at the well on a mission trip, but they were the people Jesus chose. 

How do you become part of the solution?

STOP overlooking the people Jesus chose to build His church and remember that you are no different in His eyes.