As a person that has fallen into that category, those posts didn't sit well with me. They made me angry. Most would say this was because I am in the wrong, that conviction is unpleasant. Touché, but allow me to continue.
I pondered whether that was the case. Is God using these fellow Christians to sharpen me? To point out where I am weak spiritually? Undoubtedly. It is a weakness I am well aware of. Conviction is good. Unfortunately, I cannot simply let it end there.
I felt these posts as guilt. Guilt heaped upon my head by men, not by my Lord. True, our culture is a shop around culture, driven by the search for entertainment. But please do not assume that because someone only attends church on Sunday mornings that they are not committed to the church or Christ.
A lot of it has to do with many people leaving spiritually abusive churches.
You're driven to wear yourself out, to prove yourself by good works without a proper understanding of the gospel of grace. You're judged based solely upon your appearances and how well you follow man-made rules. This is especially hard if you're a person that struggles with mental disorders, if you are an intellectual, or an extreme introvert. It makes you a little gun-shy. Those of us who still believe, struggle, knowing ourweakness.
We're still trying to soak in all the freedom we have in Christ and figure out that line between grace and works. We're wondering why we should trust anyone else's interpretation of scripture because we were led astray before by "men of God." We don't know what to believe.
And then we're judged to be superficial, noncommittal Christians.
We want to be a part but we don't know how. We're afraid. Some of us smile warmly on the outside, while the inside is scared stiff and holding back. We want to be in church but every service is a struggle against old fears, anger, hurt, and perhaps even bitterness. We're trying. That we're there at all should be counted a victory.
The seemingly half-hearted in the church may simply be hurting people. People that may need your help in relearning how to study the Bible. People that are afraid to be themselves in the church setting. People that recoil inwardly at words and concepts like submission and putting on good works, not because those ideas are unbiblical but because they've been taught those ideas without Christ as the center. People that are unwillingly disconnected from their brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you see us faltering in our commitment, discipleship and love will go far. We really do want to love the church, however broken she is. We know we should.
Please reach out to us. Include us. Allow us to vent our frustrations and process our hurts without trying to fix us. Let us question. Most of all, keep pointing us toward Jesus Christ, the One who heals the broken-hearted.
