Get Your Pretense On!

58 • Get Your Pretense On!

like without our mother, our strength, and our home, the local church. The pastor was not only the spiritual leader of our congregation, but the point person for our social lives, our advocate in all issues of well being, and family, and life. Contrast this role with how the local church is faring in the lives of many Christ followers today. I cannot express how shocked I was to read the noted George Barna’s reflection of the role of the local church in our spiritual journeys today. Here is an extended quote from his book Revolution , written (I think) to provide new clarity of the role of the church in the community and the world: The point here is simply to recognize that if we place all our hope in the local church, it is a misplaced hope. Many well-intentioned pastors promote this perspective by proclaiming, “The local church is the hope of the world.” Like most advertising slogans, this notion is emotionally appealing. The trouble is, the sentiment is not biblical. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the hope of the world. The local church is one mechanism that can be instrumental in bringing us closer to Him and helping us to be more like Him. But, as the research data clearly shows, churches are not doing the job. If the local church is the hope of the world, then the world has no hope. There is nothing inherently wrong with being involved in a local church. But realize that being part of a group that calls itself a “church” does not make you saved, holy, righteous, or godly any more than being in Yankee Stadium makes you a professional baseball player. Participating in church-based activities does not necessarily draw you closer to God or prepare you for a life that satisfies Him or enhances your existence. Being a member of a congregation does not make you spiritually righteous any more