"Work in the Church?"

  Headed to work or to the office is a daily routine for many. The day is started with coffee or a favorite breakfast preparing for the busy day. Planning, business meetings and the such are common place. In this daily walk everything is run by time and money. Company policies are held to and put in the mind of the staff.

  There is another common site. Those who work with a larger workforce find gossip, back-stabbing, lying, deception and anything goes in order to get ahead of another. Hatred is stirred because of the actions of another. Some that are lazy get ahead while the hard workers continue with little recognition. There are those who seem to be hyper-critical of anything done. The business world has become a place of power and people wanting that power. People want control. And to top it all off, you are on a clock that you come in and you leave the workplace behind until the next appointed time!

  Looking closely at all this, we come to the church of our Lord. People that have been redeemed by His blood, beset with weaknesses and failures. But looking closely, how much of what is going on in the business world is going on in the church? Even though it is stated that Christ is the head of His church, people act as if they are the head. They try to control everything and everyone. You have elders who forget that they have a greater Shepherd over them but they run things with a lording and iron fist just as a corporation. Members try to rule over the elders forgetting they will have to give an account to the Head for their lack of submission.

  And we worship by the clock! We punch in at all different times but we MUST be finished on the hour or we are upset. It's like our walk with Jesus and our adoration of His name is limited, very limited by our time. Too many songs to praise His name! The prayers offered to our heavenly Father are too long! The preacher spoke too long! The Lord's Supper where we are fellowshiping Jesus is long! Leave as quickly as possible to get back to our homes so we can get back to life.
  Money, we need money to meet our budget. We need to get people to give, give and give as we run short of funds. Let's serve coffee and donuts so people will be comfortable. The preachers must have a high degree in order to serve in our congregation! They have been trained for that position!
  Let's make our decisions by democracy! The majority rules and they have to be right and the policies filter throughout the body of Christ. Sometimes people are upset so they leave. They will find another location (job) to worship.
  Do you see the common place in the work arena and the church? Yes, maybe we don't want to admit it is there but it is! And it's killing us!! We need to take a sincere inventory of ourselves, His church, and see if we are really living Jesus and Him crucified or clinging to the world's ideas and standards?