Church can be scary!

John 2:13-17 - When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Since it was the passover the moment and the temple the place to sacrifice animals, it was probably expected that they would have some animals for sale in there... in the same way, since during that week people from many regions were coming to pay their tribute, it was obvious too that people would exchange the currency in there too; then why Jesus got upset?
It was when people would sell animals with defects as ‘holy animals’ for sacrifice, that Jesus got upset. It was when people would take advantage of the foreigner that comes to worship, that Jesus got angry. It was when Jesus notice that the spirituality of His father house was exchange for spiritual rituals that he rebuke them... when he saw that the remembrance of God’s love, power and grace, was now cheapen by tricks, humans re-interpretation of the law, that it is used to take advantage of others that He didn’t hesitate to kick people out of the temple.

The point is not judge the people from this story, but to be aware if by any chance in our churches we are doing the same thing.

My five questions about the church practices of today:

1.- When did we change the definition of being Christian as the witness of the guidance of the Holy Spirit within people, to just a merely membership.
2.- How did we distortion ‘worship’ from being an encounter with the living God, to just a merely religious activity that by any means cannot last more than 59 minutes.
3.- Why does discipleship do not implies anymore to deny ourselves and follow Jesus, but now is a matter to watch a dvd study course.
4.- Who wants to be part of the leadership that would reflect the empowering of the holy Spirit to serve others, and not a position to shape a church in the way we like it.
5.- Where is the church that would stop consuming ministry, but doing ministry.

We often wonder in church when Jesus is coming back; and how is going to look like his return; and who is going to take part of it...but the real question that we need to ask in our churches today is...when Jesus comes back, what is he going to find in his church...hopefully he can have a better experience than the first time.