Some People Just Don’t Want God in Their Life

Try as we might, there will always be some people who reject the Gospel. There will always be ‘that one person’ who fights against the Church. There will always be a ‘group’ that thinks they know better than the clergy. There will always be because there has always been.

The Lord said to the Jews who had come to him, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

Matthew 23.29-39

Whenever I read the “woes” verses, I am reminded that the struggles of the modern Church are not modern. Christ fought against a group of insiders just as the prophets did throughout the Old Testament times. The pattern has continued through today, unfortunately.

As the old saying goes, the first step to solving the problem is admitting the problem. Ok. The Church has a problem. The Church has members who don’t really want to be here. At least, that is how their behavior makes it seem.

Every time the Church presents the desires of God for us to change our lives, we fight the Church. The Church says fast, and we rebut with “It isn’t what goes in your mouth, but what comes out.” (see Matthew 15.11) The Church says repent, and we respond, “I don’t sin.”

I’ve been a member of the Church since I was born. I have watched this play out in real time against clergy. After all these years, more than thirty in ministry myself, I still am surprised when I see people in Church every Sunday who never embrace the life of the Church.

So long as they are ‘left alone’ there is peace. As soon as their lifestyle is challenged, they put up a fight. “How dare the Church tell me how to live!” Here’s the thing. The Church isn’t telling anyone how to live. The Church is telling us how to get to heaven, IF we want to get there.

After all these years I have also discovered one of the greatest things about God. He NEVER forces us into anything. He invites us and He waits for us to respond. IF we want to be with Him, the Church has the way to get there. If not, then we are indeed free to walk away.

That’s the part that confuses me. Why not walk away? Why stay ‘in’ the Church and fight it every step of the way? What makes someone reject the Church, but remain ‘part’ of the Church? The answer is, “It is our birthright that nobody can take away.”

That was the defense of the Jewish elites against Christ. Being ‘in charge’ was their birthright. Being Israel wasn’t a choice; it was a right they had been given by virtue of their birth. That was the promise of God. Nobody was going to take that right away from them, not even God.

Ok. That makes sense to me. For the most part, the modern struggles in the Church are from those ‘born’ into the Church, so the birthright defense is understandable. It isn’t a good defense, but at least I understand it. The REAL birthright is free will salvation, not defiance.

So, here’s our challenge as those born into the Church and those who found the Church later in life. Christ is calling ALL of us to salvation but forces NONE of us to follow Him. Our job isn’t to force people to follow the Church.

Our ‘job’ is to follow the Church ourselves, and allow our life to inspire others to join us. If there are those who enjoy sitting in the pews every Sunday without embracing the life of the Church, they are like those whose seeds fall on the path. At least God keeps giving them a chance.

You see, God NEVER gives up inviting us. He keeps throwing out the seed. Eventually we will either get tired of passing it up, or we will take the seed and begin to nourish it in our hearts. Even then, our hearts might be like rocks or weeds, making it difficult to remain strong.

Either way, today we can be thankful that God hasn’t given up on us in our bullheadedness. We can be thankful that He has given us another chance today to live like He wants us to live. Truth be told, we are not that much different from those who reject God outright.

We ‘say’ we believe but still fight to live the life. Does that mean we don’t want God either? Maybe we all want God, but don’t know how to express that desire properly. Maybe our hearts are calling out to Him, and we aren’t recognizing His response. Maybe not. Only God knows.