A Pastor Who Hated Going to Church
I began to ask the question. Do you know the question? It is the question of reformation. It’s what Martin Luther asked that fateful day as he was crawling up the stone stairs of the cathedral, paying penance for his sins. With bloody knees, he asked himself, “Why?” “Why am I doing this?” “Why are we doing this?” …
I began to experience distaste for organized “Christianity.” I found myself asking why incessantly … I didn’t know it at the time, but God was leading me into disillusionment, where I’d long for something different. He was positioning me to be right where I needed to be.
The question continued to haunt me, and I asked myself, “Why?” every Sunday morning as I drove to “church.” For a whole year the depression would hit me each Saturday night, as I anticipated the church service the next day. What was happening to me? My belief in what I was doing was diminishing …
As the “pastor” I was under a tremendous pressure to make things happen. I hated the feeling that I was a performer. No matter how much I preached about all believers being ministers, I was fighting against hundreds of years of tradition that said otherwise. It was bigger than me. I also felt that the people I was leading didn’t need any more “feeding.” There comes a time when believers should mature to a point where they are able to feed themselves and others in need. We know so much today. Why are so many Christians staying in infancy? …
Everything inside me was saying “Leave the building!”
Paul Vieira
Jesus Has Left the Building
Pages 20, 21, 33
Tags: Body of Christ, Church, Ecclesia, Outside the Camp
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