Waiting for a Miracle

Published: April 6, 2022, midnight

b'Have you ever been mad at the church? I know I have. And sometimes, that\\u2019s okay. Now, when I say \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153the church,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I mean all of God\\u2019s people around the world and throughout history. And I absolutely LOVE the church. Walking alongside my brothersand sisters in Christ as we live into our new God-given identities is one of the greatest blessings I can imagine. Without the church, I would not be who I am today.\\nBut sometimes, I get furious at the church. I see corruption, power trips, greed, false teaching, apathy, assault, division, and so, so much sin and brokenness. And it hurts. It leaves me wondering how we wandered so far away from the gospel. Where is Jesus in all of this?\\nIn these moments, Jesus grieves too. We see this in Luke 19:41-48. When He saw the lack of peace among God\\u2019s people in Jerusalem and the corruption and greed in the Temple, He was overcome with grief and anger. And in Revelation 2-3, Jesus demonstrates His anger, grief, and love as He critiques seven specific churches. Jesus reminds me that He is angry at sin, yet He has mercy on sinners who turn to Him. He shows me that I\\u2019m not the one in charge of fixing the church\\u2014that\\u2019s His job. And He is a God of restoration and wholeness. He died and rose again for the church\\u2014including me. My job is just to follow Him.\\nThe church\\u2014including me\\u2014is broken. It always has been, and it will be until Jesus returns to make all things new. And until then, I will probably always be angry atthe church\\u2019s sin, because there will always be sin to be angry at. But I pray that this anger flows out of love. A deep, deep love for the church and a desperate desireto see the church whole and holy, healed of every hurt and sin. And I pray that my anger is always wrapped in humility, knowing that I am just as sin-stained as everyone else and my judgment is far from perfect.\\nWhile I may not be able to fix the whole church, Jesus can help me bring healing\\u2014 which sometimes includes correction\\u2014in my circles. As I follow the Holy Spirit\\u2019s leading, He shows me where people are hurting and how the gospel can bring them hope. And He uses the people around me to bring healing to my heart. This is the beauty of the church\\u2014people who love Jesus and each other, following Him together. That is the church I love. \\u2022 Taylor Eising\\n\\u2022 Do you see injustices in the church\\u2014places we lost the gospel? You can bring these to Jesus. \\n\\u2022 What have you seen in the church that you love? How does this reflect the gospel? \\nLet\\u2019s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works. Hebrews 10:24 (WEB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nLuke.5.12-Luke.5.16|John.11.1-John.11.45'