Fight right

So remember I told y’all I took this sabbatical from church right; I mean I was really in these streets. I was having hot girl seasons okay! Just doing any and everything I wanted to do! But one day I decided that I would at least start ATTENDING church again. I wasn’t making any leaps back to FULL TIME church church but I could at least go. Church has always been about community for me. I didn’t come to church to find or experience God because I had my own personal relationship with him that went beyond a weekly gathering. So when I felt that I was being hurt more than helped by the “community” I came for, I bounced. And the reason why was because I had literally had enough of the church and felt that my life was better outside of church. I met people who treated me better and who cared about my well-being more than some of the people I went to church with every week. And some of them had never stepped foot in church a day in their lives. So I didn’t see the point of returning to church full force. As soon as I left, here came the saints, “oh you don’t come to church for people,” “it’s not about the people, it’s about God,” and “if you leave church because of people you’re not really saved.” And let me just tell y’all that think saying those statements are true, they aren’t. You do in fact come to church for the “gathering” or “the assembling of the saints.” (Hebrews 10:25) I’m not saying it’s the only reason you come but we have to stop using that excuse because not only is it not helpful, it’s not biblical. It’s an excuse we use to avoid addressing the REAL issue. The real issue is our un-Christ-like behavior that makes people not want to come to church. And instead of addressing and correcting that behavior, we let people leave and then condemn them to hell for doing so. We are all dealing with different issues and battles outside of church. And I’m sure I speak for a lot of people when I say this, I didn’t come to church to battle with y’all too. I refuse to let people “just keep showing up” when every time they get there, they gotta fight people. The church isn’t supposed to be a war zone for us to fight each other. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...y’all know the rest (Ephesians 6:12). We are walking through one of the most difficult years some of us have ever experienced and if this hasn’t shown us that life is really but a vapor, I don’t know what will! We HAVE to treat each other better! Why, because someone’s life may depend on it. Something I say or do could be the make or break it point in someone’s salvation. And I don’t want to be the reason someone doesn’t want God anymore! No one should be comfortable with someone leaving God and community because of something WE did! So if you do something wrong to someone, (because we’re human and sometimes make mistakes) apologize. Those emotional hugs, you know the ones when you go up to someone during service that you did something wrong to and just cry, speak in tongues etc, yeah stop that! I don’t need a hug, I need an apology. So my challenge to all of us is to love BETTER! The Bible says that people will know us by the love we have for one another. (John 13:35) Love is going to draw people, and keep us going when we want to give up! So, love people, fight demons.! Fight Right.!