Waiting for a Miracle

Have you ever been mad at the church? I know I have. And sometimes, that’s okay. Now, when I say “the church,†I mean all of God’s people around the world and throughout history. And I absolutely LOVE the church. Walking alongside my brothers
and sisters in Christ as we live into our new God-given identities is one of the greatest blessings I can imagine. Without the church, I would not be who I am today.

But sometimes, I get furious at the church. I see corruption, power trips, greed, false teaching, apathy, assault, division, and so, so much sin and brokenness. And it hurts. It leaves me wondering how we wandered so far away from the gospel. Where is Jesus in all of this?

In these moments, Jesus grieves too. We see this in Luke 19:41-48. When He saw the lack of peace among God’s people in Jerusalem and the corruption and greed in the Temple, He was overcome with grief and anger. And in Revelation 2-3, Jesus demonstrates His anger, grief, and love as He critiques seven specific churches. Jesus reminds me that He is angry at sin, yet He has mercy on sinners who turn to Him. He shows me that I’m not the one in charge of fixing the church—that’s His job. And He is a God of restoration and wholeness. He died and rose again for the church—including me. My job is just to follow Him.

The church—including me—is broken. It always has been, and it will be until Jesus returns to make all things new. And until then, I will probably always be angry at
the church’s sin, because there will always be sin to be angry at. But I pray that this anger flows out of love. A deep, deep love for the church and a desperate desire
to see the church whole and holy, healed of every hurt and sin. And I pray that my anger is always wrapped in humility, knowing that I am just as sin-stained as everyone else and my judgment is far from perfect.

While I may not be able to fix the whole church, Jesus can help me bring healing— which sometimes includes correction—in my circles. As I follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, He shows me where people are hurting and how the gospel can bring them hope. And He uses the people around me to bring healing to my heart. This is the beauty of the church—people who love Jesus and each other, following Him together. That is the church I love. • Taylor Eising

• Do you see injustices in the church—places we lost the gospel? You can bring these to Jesus.

• What have you seen in the church that you love? How does this reflect the gospel?

Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works. Hebrews 10:24 (WEB)

Read Verses:

Luke.5.12-Luke.5.16|John.11.1-John.11.45