#WordsOfWednesday
Take Me To Church
“Offering Time!”
“Blessing Investment time”
“Offering Time”
“Blessing Investment time”
Deacon Ade reads the world famous Malachi 3:10. So predictable.
I reach for my offering inside the left breast pocket of my Asos jacket without looking. Muscle memory.
That’s how my existence with the church is now.
Not what I am getting or gaining from it now but what I learned as a child and my days at Redeemer’s High School. Think Philippians 4:13.
My relationship with the church is not symbiotic (denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups).
It feels very one-sided. But to which side does the current flow?
There is a disconnect.
Growing up a Pastor’s kid exposed me to much of the insights and inner workings of the church.
I saw the politics, the hypocrisy and the far removed behaviors of the people of God.
Sometimes knowing too much is a curse.
I soon became jaded. Unable to tolerate the glaring flaws of the church and its people.
I saw them for who they really were, who we really are. A bunch of liars and hypocrites all trying to figure it out.
Convenient Christians.
I hear more about tithes than I hear about love and spiritual growth.
Everything is tied to the money.
Don’t get me wrong, pay your tithes. If you are lucky to attend a transparent church, you’ll most likely see the tangible benefits of your tithing.
But why do churches make themselves seem so thirsty for the money?
I watch my Pastor every week and sometimes I don’t think he realizes it. How slowly, he gets sucked into speaking about tithes during every sermon.
He wants to rally the troops to do the right thing, but inadvertently, he turns away folks who want more than “make your check out to RCCG Solomon’s Porch”
It almost feels like the eyes of the world are open but the sacred lair of the church remains impenetrable.
The misogyny is toxic and choking. Almost every conversation or teaching reeks of it and saddens me a great deal.
From teachings like “there is no such thing as marital rape” to the debilitating pressure placed on women to seek marriage. It is too much.
I find myself in a state of rage in a place that should foster peace and safety.
Women are told what to wear while men are free to do as they please.
We have a lady in the choir. Beautiful and extremely talented. Making her an easy target for the “older women of God”
Let me not forget to mention that she is well endowed all over her body. Curves to match her talent.
If it’s not forcing her to wear a robe, it’s pulling her off the altar in the middle of ministering because they feel like her body will tempt the men.
Or the absurdity of a recent incident when they made her go into the bathroom to prove to them that she was wearing panties.
Are we serious?
In 2018? People of God!
That would be fine if the rules were fair but in that same congregation, there are men that are committing adultery and stepping outside their marital homes, but who pulls them off the altar?
Who checks their withered penises to make sure they are not having sex?
Nobody.
Because the church doesn’t want to move forward and see women as free and equal.
Let’s not get into how the church is always screaming for young adults to get married but doing a poor job in preparing them.
Nothing on money management, counseling, patience, and family planning – but every Sunday it’s “we are waiting to come and eat rice”
Rada Rada!’’
The church is not all lost.
It is still a place of true fellowship and in some places, it is a safe haven but the church right now is losing its people.
People are disconnected.
We need a recharge.
This is my 200th post on my blog. Thank you to every single person that has supported me. I appreciate you.
God will never forget you and anything you do will prosper.
Thank you!
~ The Wordsmith
Thanks for reading as always! And don’t forget Part 3 of Lipstick Stain is coming on Saturday!
Thank you for reading and commenting. You are highly appreciated.
#WordsOfWednesday
© 2018 #WhatTheHeckMan
It’s me again don’t find it weird when you get notifications of my comments on all your stories so far,it’s just me catching up on the reading I have been slacking on. Speaking about the church I experienced the same thing the only difference was my own experience was more of a sense of belonging and being myself in the house of the Lord.
I grew up with my grandparents going to the Baptist Church then when they both died,I started officially staying with my mum,she attended Christ Embassy and boy!that was a bittersweet experience. Don’t get me wrong I learnt how to put my whole faith in God, trust in the word of the Lord, pray fervently, have a relationship with the Holy Spirit and just embrace being a lover of God without a remorse.
But then as I got older my spirit didn’t sit with so many things happening around in the church,it became a constant competition on who gives the best and who brings more new comers to church,then the one thing that made us change church is when my mum got married to her first husband,the church insisted that he has to be a member for them to acknowledge the marriage and all. It was quite the issue back then.
We changed churches and the growths that came along after were amazing!that situation taught me one thing it’s not the building that makes the church it’s the people who make it up. And sometimes as humans we tend to be loyal blindly which leads to delayed blessings. God steers us in the right direction even though physically it looks as confusing but you get the beautiful blessings he has planned for us.
Lastly, salvation is a personal journey, relationship and walk with God,so don’t let anyone take that away from you!