With all due respect, sir, I am afraid that you have missed the point entirely. We are not trying to establish slick professionalism in our Christianity. We are following a person. I appreciate the fact that you have come, and that you are desirous of giving up 2 hours of your week on a Sunday. But you think you are doing God a favour by coming to His church and gracing His body with your presence. You have misunderstood us entirely. We are not comfortable. We are not smooth. We are a little rough around the edges. We are a lot like you, in fact - not entirely comfortable to be around. That means we should get along just fine. Do you really think it was comfortable following Jesus and being a part of His inner 12? Do you really think it was smooth and 'professional'? Do you really think Jesus' crew was light on robust and confrontational realtionship and heavy on projected and manicured image? Do you really think His inner 12 went more than a month without having their hair severely ruffled? And yet, what they found was someone real. Someone loving. Someone who challenged their selfishness and someone who promoted God's glory. The very fact that you are self-centred and Jesus is God-centred is a pleasant confrontation waiting to happen. You are welcome to live in avoidance of this confrontation in the name of comfortable Christianity. But we do not serve that product here. We are following a King who takes us seriously and knocks the rough edges off us with blunt tools but a loving hand. We live like we want God to shape us and change us. It is not comfortable Christiantiy. But it is real Christiantiy. We do not guarantee comfort if you walk with us; rather we offer you something of infinitely greater value: An adventure with a King who converts comfort-seeking junior-schoolers into men and women who will change the world one junior-schooler at a time.
--
Andrew
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