"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,' he said to them, ''My house will be called a house of prayer,'' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'""
Matthew 21:12-13
Today I spent some time thinking about whether we are being the church we are called to be, or if we are the "den of robbers" that Jesus talks about in this passage. Are we known for our prayer and service, or are we known for taking money and only serving ourselves?
I have no intention of going into a church and overturning all of the tables and chairs, but I do think it's important for us to have a critical eye on our churches. We are called to love, to serve, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. If we are not these things, if we have become more about who is upset with whom, what is the right protocol for lighting the candles, and our outer appearances, we have become just as bad as the temple Jesus entered during his ministry.
I think that the Christian church as a whole has become more of the latter, ignoring the former. We're more worried about the way we want things to look today than we are about whose life we could change tomorrow. We forget that Jesus didn't care how the sacrifices were made/how much they cost, but about the sentiment behind the sacrifice.
We need to refocus as a church, and that starts with each one of us refocusing. That's one of my goals with this project, and I challenge all of you to do the same--remember what we're called to be, and act on it each day of your life.
Also, my cat would like you to know: 7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
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