The World Doesn’t Need a Pretty Church
- This world needs a holy Church, a sanctified Church, an honest Church, a repentive Church, a Godly Church.
Hey Church, it doesn’t matter if you’re pretty on the outside if you’re ugly on the inside. This new generation isn’t impressed by suits and status, they would rather know us at our worst then be held at a distance in our best.
They love our ripped-jeans and messy buns and awkward parenting and messy cars and cracked voices. They are okay with a lost lyric, a missed slide, coffee stains on our shirts and the fact we unapologetically watch Stranger Things.
They want a Church they can live in and a Kingdom family they can live with, not a place to be entertained by well-dressed performers who know a script but not their name. They want to see us laugh and cry, play and rest, worship and lament. They want all of us, not just the good days but the bad ones, too. They want our humanity and the anointing and when we’re lucky the two collide.
Because it’s there they find Jesus, the true power behind the persona, the hope behind the hype, the truth behind the smoke and mirrors. They don’t want magical, they want tangible. They want leaders they can follow and voices they can trust and shoulders to cry on and necks to hug and ears that will listen and hands they can hold.
They don’t want what we do. They want us.
A broken Church who knows how to make beauty from ashes and understands the role of a remnant, who knows what to do with leftovers. They are looking for our creativity, innovation and above all, love.
The world doesn’t need a pretty Church.
This world needs a holy Church, a sanctified Church, an honest Church, a repentive Church, a Godly Church.
Who is that Church?
That Church is found in you and in me.
1 Corinthians 3:16 in The Message translation reads,
“You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred- and you, remember, are the temple.”
As you prepare to serve your local Churches, cities and even your own families, remember that no matter how big or small your role or position may be, you are a vital part of bringing God’s Kingdom to earth. We won’t always have the right things to say, we will make mistakes and be clumsy in our delivery of the perfect Gospel, but people aren’t looking for perfection. They are looking for hope and we know the Living Hope, Jesus Christ.
Pray this with me today,
“Holy Spirit, come. Use every broken piece of my life and shine your light through my cracks to reveal your beauty and presence through me as I surrender my will and my ways. You love your Church, thank you for giving me so many ways to partner with you in serving and loving your people with authenticity, strength and passion.” Amen.
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