Musiq Soulchild said it best in one of my favorite songs: Love. So many people use your name in vain. Then Trin-i-tee 5:7 (the church girls know this oldy but goodie) followed and remixed up by singing: Lord. So many people use your name in vain. I believe that both of these songs somewhat sum up Church for many people. It’s this combination of a version of God and a version of Love that is taken out of biblical context and often misused and abused to profit some and harm others for the “greater good”. I’ve heard some leaders refer to this “greater good” phenomenon as their  “skeletons left in the wake” or people left on the side as the “ship sails on” so to speak. It’s also been termed and misused as leaving the 99 to chase the 1. Leaving the 99 to chase the 1 is not the same as selfish ambition masked as empathy for the lost. Fortunately, God doesn’t model this behavior or condone it.

If you happen to be still on the ship and not a skeleton in the wake of “ministry” then the hurt felt by the Hurt aren’t life altering. You might “pour a little” out for the homies, pray for the “lost soul”, send a few texts to “check in” but the loss or desire to understand is meniscal. Often times the Hurt are left to figure out life without Love (a version of family ) or Lord (a version of God) that they have become accustomed to. 

“Whatever happened to such and such?” Or “Girl, such and such let the devil make him leave church (God) and all we can do is pray for them.” Or even worse “I don’t talk to them anymore. I’m too busy doing the work of God with my church family.” If you have found yourself saying or thinking anything even close to the above, then I invite you to repent and open your bible to Matthew and read about what we are called to do. Go to Jude or Acts to see what a church body is and how it is commissioned to be. Go to Corinthians and read what Paul says about the body of Christ. Idealization of the local church is beneficial and healthy when we remember who the real “head” of the Church is and what He stands for.

Empathy doesn’t need to only be fostered after you or your loved one are the skeleton or long lost person on the dock. Tension should be felt and moves should be made towards repentance and/or correction long before the bleeding starts. Unfortunately, the juxtaposition that power, comforts, luxuries, desire for community, connection, fear and ultimately the type of self-preservation that leads to people pleasing can births-becomes all powerful, paralyzing and blinding.

Lord send your love which is the only thing that can lead to true healing, reconciliation and redemption. -Amen