I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
I want to state right at the beginning that looking for a perfect church is a ridiculous endeavor.
It is a hopeless endeavor.
It is an unrealistic endeavor.
You may as well be looking for Shangri-La or the Fountain of Youth.
Any church can be picked apart.
Any preacher can be run down.
Any preacher’s wife or family can be criticized.
No congregation is beyond reproach.
Once you start down that road of looking for a perfect church, if you do not detour somewhere along the way, you will spend a lifetime on that road…and the road leads to nowhere. {except possibly to bitterness and regret}
I am not saying that all churches are the same.
I am not saying that all churches are right.
I am not saying that all churches are good places to attend.
I am simply saying…
Read my lips… “There is no such thing as a perfect church.”
Or as one poet wrote,
“If you should find the perfect church
Without one fault or smear,
For goodness sake! Don’t join that church;
You’d spoil the atmosphere.”
You are a unique individual and no one believes or thinks just like you do.
No one is going to dress just like you dress.
No one is going to speak just like you speak.
No one is going to like just what you like.
Churches have problems.
I have recently been studying the Church at Corinth and I have written down many of the negative aspects of that particular church…
Divisions
Contentions
Carnality
Immaturity
Envy
Strife
Pride
Puffed up
Fornication
Suing one another
Incest
Idolatry
Heresies
Abusing the Lords Supper
Abusing the gifts of the Spirit
Ridiculing the Apostle Paul
This is not a complete or comprehensive list of problems in that particular church but you get the idea.
I find it interesting that the Apostle Paul DID NOT say;
“Okay all you ‘good’ Christians leave and start or join another church because this one is a mess.”
I think rather than jumping around from church to church maybe we should, in all lowliness and meekness and with longsuffering, forbear one another in love and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Lowliness and meekness is the opposite of pride.
Please do not misunderstand me…
You should look for a good church.
You should find a church that teaches and preaches the Bible.
You should look for a church that most reflects what you believe.
But do not waste your time looking for a perfect church. You will only make you and your family miserable in the process.
Recommended reading: A Tale of Three Kings and Letters to a Devastated Christian: Healing for the Brokenhearted both by Gene Edwards
The Christian Excavator 