Hebrews 10:25 "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near."
I love Sundays. There’s something about getting ready on Sunday morning that floods me with joy. I love the worship, the word, and the family time after church. I love going back home and taking that Sunday afternoon nap but nothing comes close to the joy of fellowshipping with others. My home church was celebrating its 38-year anniversary this past Sunday and as we congregated to celebrate the works of the Lord over the last 38 years, I got to thinking about how the church has changed the last 11 years of my life.
When I first started going to DCIU (Deliverance Church International Umoja), I was 14 , attending teens and I had just joined form one. I was so broken and I didn’t even know it. I was struggling with depression and because of that, I was not as outgoing as everyone else. I would leave immediately after the service and I never waited around for anything. It was not until four years later, after Highschool that I plugged in when someone reached out to me and practically pulled me in. I was always running, afraid that my darkness was way too much. I was afraid that people in the church- who at the time I was convinced were perfect and had no struggle- would see my darkness and banish me. But I am always so grateful to God for Job (the Teens director at the time) because he kept pushing me to attend the Bible study as well as Saturday fellowship. I didn’t know it then but that was just the beginning of my healing journey.
I have always believed in God. My dad raised us all to believe in God. But I never really knew God for myself until I started serving in the choir in 2016. It was there that I began to know God. I found out that everything I knew about God was either false or half true. I had always thought of God as a strict ruler seated on the throne in a white glowy gown holding His mighty scepter in His hand and waving it around as He commands the heavens and the earth. I knew that He loved me but I had never really opened up to receiving that love. I had never thought of Jesus as a friend and father.
I remember praying and telling God that I didn’t think I could love Him more than I love my parents. Right now I can hear Him say that it’s because I did not know Him then. It is through fellowship in the church that I came to know God through His word. I came to know that He is gentle and lowly and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). I came to know through His word that He cares about even the tiniest details of my life, even my struggle with eyebrows. I came to know Him as a friend I can laugh and cry with.
The church has really changed my life. My growth is evident over the last 11 years. The church has been a place where my spirit has been fed. It has been a place where I have found my healing. It has been a place where I have experienced God’s love through His people: pure, genuine, and intentional love. The church has given me a family of friends that have made my life even more joyful and have stood with me even in the most trying times of my life. The church has helped me recognize the gifts that God has given me. The church has given me a platform to use those gifts to God’s glory. The church has corrected me when I’ve strayed and encouraged me when I almost gave up. It is safe to say that I am where I am today because God uses the church in my life in so many ways.
There are a lot of controversies surrounding the church in this modern-day and it has made those thinking about joining a church family a bit skeptical. My reason for writing this today is to encourage someone who is thinking about joining a church family to take that bold step and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to a church that will feed you. That desire to belong and to fellowship has been placed there by God and you should not ignore it (Philippians 2:13). Trust him to guide you and lead you and open your heart to what He is about to do in your life.
I cannot ignore the fact that some of us have been hurt by the church. Some of us have given up on the church because it has caused us so much pain and hurt. I’m led by the Holy Spirit to encourage you to give the church a second chance. My walk hasn’t been the smoothest too. I have been hurt by people in the church but I’m always reminded that my faith is in God and not the church. The church will fail sometimes, but if my faith is in God then I will not fall. But if my faith is in the church, I will give up on God every time things don’t go as I had hoped. I’m also reminded that some people in the church are struggling too and spilling their hurt on others so instead of disregarding the church, all the same, pray for those that hurt you and extend grace to them.
My faith is in God and not a church. The church will fail sometimes, but if my faith is in God then I will not fall. But if my faith is in the church, I will give up on God every time things don’t go as I had hoped.
I remember asking God how I can make the church a better place and I heard him say, Jules, baby girl, just love. Love my people and keep loving them. Love is discipleship. Love is how you draw people in and keep them there. And then I asked him to teach me how to love as he does. And that is what I do. My encouragement to church-going believers is to love. Love that new believer with the same fierce godly love that the Father extends to us. Extend grace to them. Be patient with them. Reach out to them. Invite them to those hangouts. Do not be too quick to condemn them but make the church a safe place even when they stumble (2Timothy 2:24-26).
I saw a post on Instagram that said, Church influencers are talking about how the church has failed and at the same time, they are doing nothing to make it better. If you’ve been talking about how you stopped going to church because the church is hypocritical and keeps hurting people, my challenge to you today is, What have you done to make the church a better place? Whom do you have faith in? Have you built your foundation on sand or on solid ground? ( Matthew 7:24-27)
And to that new believer who is struggling to fit into a church, my encouragement to you is to hold on. Even after plugging in, I struggled to belong. I struggled to fit in. But with time, I lay down all my fear and anxiety and let people in. The same will happen to you if you just hold on. Fight a little longer. Allow God to lead you to a ministry that suits you and plugin. You will feel unseen and overlooked but one thing is for sure, the savior of the universe sees you and loves you. He smiles every time He sees you. Allow Him into your struggles and fear. When you feel like giving up, go to Him. It’s okay to get weary and it’s okay to struggle. What’s not okay is staying there and going through it alone. It will get better and this is the beginning of something beautiful.
Give the church a chance. Make the church a safe and better place. Do your part and do it with love, expecting nothing from men. And like the writer of Hebrews tells us, let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. We need each other now more than ever.
This is profound Julie,i looove ♥️♥️ timely too. I agree we need each now more than never.🤗
We were built for the community; to love and be there for each other in every way!
Aaaah aaaah,message well passed,you’ve tackled it all,’do your part and do it right,expecting nothing in return”,my take home. Allow Jesus to work in us…thank you Julie for this piece❤❤
…and God is always working in us each day
Thank you for your feedback Renee
To say I loved this post is an understatement! It was a good read.
My take out is to make the church a better and a safe place!
Thanks Jules! ❤️
Thank you Florence
❤❤