NOTE: A British minister I know said he took his Bible to the nearest pub to get out of the house while his wife held a woman's Bible study there. As he sat reading the Word of God, drinking his Guinness beer, a man approached him. Later, another. In time, after several visits, he not only made converts of the entire bar staff, but the owner offered him the upper room for the establishment of a church! Personally, I've been part of three churches established in or over a bar, the last one provided rent-free by the bar owner.

Selah.

CHURCH, AMERICAN STYLE

Here in imperialistic America, it's easy to get distracted from the Great Commission. We have WAY too much time on our hands. We forget that we are only about 20% of the Body of Christ worldwide and that the other 80% is flourishing, most of it amidst persecution. While we're supposed to be making the world jealous for what we say that we've found in Christ, what we Americans call "Christianity" is probably our nation's #1 cause of atheism.

God hates division. Unity and unconditional love draws the power of the Holy Spirit. Though a woman is caught on tape (reminds me of the woman "caught" in adultery), I cannot help but focus on those who caught her. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," a wise Teacher once said. Pastors, deacons, elders...let's talk about YOU for a moment. Lust, doubt, worry, rage, porn, hatred, criticism, gossip, dissension...these are all sins, too. If we were a fly on the wall in your home, would you want THAT video taped? Are we running the church institution so much like we are the Board of Directors for some ungodly secular business entity that we forget about our job description as leaders: prayer and service to God's people?

A young couple had been living together for several years. Everyone assumed they were married but when the elders of their church learned the truth, they stormed in on them one night, unannounced, and confronted them regarding their sexual sin. The couple ultimately left that church - hurting, feeling unloved and unaccepted, condemned - and attended elsewhere. In the meantime, I was privileged to counsel them and officiate their eventual wedding. I began the counseling by saying, "I won't throw stones at you if you'll promise not to throw any at me." They laughed, agreeing. We met for 6 weeks straight and remain friends to this day.

MORE, OR LESS, THAN MEETS THE EYE?

We have a Holy Spirit, the One who convicts us not only of our sins but our righteousness as well. Far too many church leaders are trying to play His role, too often administering guilt and condemnation rather than conviction. Though others may see us as a pillar of faith and holiness, of all the places upon which we should focus our self-assessment, the level of our personal brokenness and compassionate love for people, is a great place to start.