Christian Failings - Miserable Failings

Christians who are blaming the results of this election on everything but themselves really need to stop and take a genuine stock of themselves...

IF, and I'm not saying it's exactly why, but IF, as many of you are saying, this election was lost to Romney and conservatives and won by Obama and liberals because there are millions of "dependent" people in this country - people who rely on the government to pay their rent, buy their food, and provide their medical care - IF that's really why...then we honestly have no one to blame but ourselves...

Let's take a look at this as a problem and solution.  IF the United States has millions of people who are dependent on the government support, then the church has failed miserably in several areas...Let's look at the most practical way for now - So, let me ask you a few questions - WHO did Jesus say was responsible for the poor? The church.  Who does the Bible say is to take care of the poor, the widowed, and the orphans - to provide for their needs?  The church.  In what way is a Christian supposed to love someone else?  As they love themselves. 

When the rich, young ruler desperately wanted to be a "Christian," and he asked Jesus what he needed to do...Jesus said, "Sell all that you have, give to the poor, take up your cross and follow me."  The Bible says Jesus' words bothered the young man so much that he left without becoming a Christian...Yet, many of us try to be Christians and still hold on to our possessions with gripped, white-knuckled fists...at least the Rich Young Ruler had the honesty to walk away...

The Book of Acts says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need."  Acts 2:44-45  Have you ever seen a church with a congregation that loved each other so much that they literally sold (on a regular basis) things they owned to take care of each other in the church...and outside the walls of the church?  I haven't...and I've attended many different churches and denominations over the years...I do not know any Christian - as good as they may be - and many of them are very good people, don't get me wrong - but I do not know anyone who would sell all that they own, or even part of what they own on a regular basis to give the money to those in need...

We, as Christians, have many excuses for not doing these things...and I'm not even going to get into those here, but suffice it to say, as you were reading what I just wrote, things popped into your mind that said, "I/We/Christians can't do what Tammy is saying here because............."  Or "Tammy has misinterpreted this because................."  So, there's your excuse......my excuse runs along the lines of something like, "I don't have that much anyway, so how am I supposed to give anything away?" What's yours? 

Whatever the reason, we don't and haven't taken care of the poor and needy, and so someone had to...and the government stepped in...why?  Sure, many in the government say they do it because they "care" about the less fortunate...and I'm sure many actually do...but for the most part, the reason a government as a whole becomes involved in this sort of thing is because they know they have "ready voters" by doing this...Think about it...if you provide food, housing, clothing, and other needs to a creature that's not a part of your family for its entire life...what is the relationship there?  That creature becomes your pet...or your slave...or whatever you want to call it, that creatuere becomes indebted to you...and there's the rub...the government knows that these people are "dependent" on them...and that these people are "indebted to it" - so it expects something in return for what it gives - loyalty...in the form of votes.  The reason that isn't the way it works if a Christian or church takes care of the poor, is because God says we are to NEVER expect anything in return...

I have been needy in my life...I have been very, very poor.  I have watched my parents cry with despair, wondering where they would get their next meal...or their next rent payment...I have gone hungry...I have went without heat in 18 degree weather...I have worn clothes that are too small and old and ugly - clothes that I found in a bag that was given to the "poor" - I have, as an adult, had to choose between getting groceries and paying the bills...I have had to choose between buying medicine and paying the rent...I have had to move to another state just to find a job...I have lost my house...and my car...and yet, though all of these things, the "most" help I ever got from a church was half of my rent paid one time...the "worst" I ever got from a church...a "loan of $200 to pay the electric bill and overhearing a secret conversation that the deacons had saying how "pathetic" we were...what a "wimp" Tim was...what a "hen-pecker" I was...and on and on...either that, or maybe the worst was a church finding out we had some returned checks...their secret conversations, secret plans to boot us out of their congregation...and finally being confronted in Ingles in Marion by one of the members, and reamed out loudly in front of cashiers and customers for being such "lousy Christians" and "pathetic people"....they never once offered us help...just judgement...

And, unfortunately, that's the majority of the "church."  We are greedy...we are suspicious...we are judgmental...we are stingy...we are smug...we are "disgusted," and we say we're doing it "all in the name of God."  We say, "Well, HE wouldn't want us to waste HIS money....we have to be careful who we give it to...we have to....we have to....we have to..." Really?  Seems to me, he said TAKE CARE OF THOSE LESS FORTUNATE, period.......and we don't...

And until we do...we can keep living in the world we do...we will continue to reap what we sow...because there will always be poor people.  (Jesus said, "The poor you have with you always.")...and they will always need someone to take care of them...the question is - who will?  If not us...someone will...

Just to mention the second big failing for those of you who are thinking about already...("Well, Tammy!  People are lazy...they're takers...they're dishonest.")  Again...comes back to us in a lot of ways...we haven't taught people...we haven't discipled them...we haven't loved people...we haven't taken then under our wing...we haven't included them in our groups, our congregations...we have acted like a country club or like a junior high social clique...not a hospital for the sick...On the other hand...there are many churches that do go outside the walls of their buildings on a regular basis...they witness to people about salvation - they knock on doors and invite people to church...they run bus ministries...they preach on the street...they hand out tracts...all in an attempt to keep people from "going to Hell"...but as soon as someone "makes a profession of faith" and "gets saved," the church dumps them...the church doesn't teach them...the church doesn't mentor them...we don't build personal relationships with them...Why?  That's a harder question for me to answer...because I tend to try my best to get along with everyone...and there have been MANY Christians who haver NOT LIKED me in the least over the years...and I've never quite understood why...I think the reason why people aren't taken in and loved is because they're "not like us" and we can't "imagine" letting that person in our "social circle"...in other words...churches are very elite and very snobby and very judgmental...but, that's an entirely different blog...just suffice it to say that, if you don't teach a man  to work so he can have dignity and a better life...then, of course, he's going to just want something for nothing...what do you expect? 

There will be more on this topic later...but I've said enough for now...and I'm anxious enough already, just thinking about this - revisiting some of the most painful days of my life - inside churches...and I need to stop...but, do ask yourself one question - What would it look like if you were to live by Jesus' model and "Go sell all you have, give to the poor, take up your cross and follow Him."?

(Oh, and for the non-Christians reading this...why am I still a Christian after everything my life has seen?  Because I KNOW that God is NOT like people...period.)