visiting a sour church

We visited a church. It makes me glad we attend the church that we do. At this one, God seemed sneakier. He was going to be checking up on people A LOT. He was seeing if we were being good girls and boys. Seeing if they were being naughty or nice, checking a list, twice. WAIT A MINUTE!!!!

Maybe that was a false god! I think we were learning about Santa, and it was being presented as the coming Christ. That's the trouble with dogmatic prophetic teachings. You have to do gymnastics to make them all work out, and God comes off looking like a total jerk in the process.

I just kept thinking, if this was my first time at church, I would NEVER return. How sad that God is depicted as such a bad guy, or a sour fragrance.

It is the message of grace that is transforming. The message of "checking up on you" is already covered by speed trapping police hiding in the bushes. That sort of thing is nothing NEW. It doesn't bring people to repentance-- it brings them to resentment. On the contrary, it is the message of amazing love, abounding grace, and reconciliation that melts the hardened heart. It changes the command center of a person to wish to unite with acceptance and love, and feel connected and free for the first time ever.

I think as followers of Jesus, we have to pour out THIS fragrance to an unbelieving world.