Christ-Like Vibes
By Troy L. Peck of NtoU Magazine

“I Don’t Like Church Folk, But I Love Christians”

Mark 7: 6&13
He answered and said unto them, well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Back in the days when Jesus Christ walked the earth they were called Pharisees.  Now I call them church folk.  In the scriptures, the Pharisees were bound by their tradition and man-made religion.  They were so focused on what they considered to be holy that they were blind to what Jesus was trying to say.  Church folk today are the same way; they get up in church and shout with the best of them, then rebuke the rest of them as if they are holier than thou.  I thought I would be through with dealing with clicks when I got saved, but that is not the way that it is.  Church folk have created a pecking order within the church that is based on money, status, looks, dress code, and anything else that they can use to elevate themselves over their Christian brothers and sisters.

You have pastors and other ministry leaders who speak out against judging others because of who they used to be before coming to Christ, calling their “change for the better” a testimony.  Yet when it comes to accepting them as their brothers and sisters in Christ, these leaders won’t take time to speak to you unless you address them in the presence of others and they’re forced to speak; putting on as if they really care about you.  I have heard preachers bash church members from the pull pit in an effort to get rid of members who they don’t like.  I don’t have a problem with discipline and correction from our leaders, but you can tell when it’s personal or when it’s good pastoral leadership. I would have gotten saved a long time ago if it had not been for church folk giving me a bad impression of what Christians are supposed to be.  You have preachers laying hands in all the wrong places, saved women using church service as a man hunt, prayer meetings used as gossip sessions, going to my favorite night spots and running into church folk who held positions in ministry at my church, and the list goes on.  Church folk have been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in my life, and they would probably curse me out if I questioned whether or not they are truly saved.  You have people who are in the world and they are confused about what a good God fearing Christian is.  I once had someone tell me that they wanted to join a certain church because they felt as though they could still wild out a little bit and still be saved, and they based this assessment on the lifestyle of someone in ministry that they knew.

Being saved is a lifestyle that is based on a personal relationship with Christ, not on the way church folk want you to be.  We are guilty by association, so if we walk with God, we will inevitably be more Christ-Like.