Church Mafia

Yes this sign is true about me, I've been caught red-handed ridin' dirty on the Lord. You see, the reason is, yes I have a reason (I know you're mumblin 'Excuses'). So far, I've haven't had luck finding a church I can call my own. Most of the churches I've visited have lacked something. Either a surface level sermon with no conviction, rude members, or not a real sense of praise and thanksgiving.  You may ask, have I been entering with the right mindset. That answer is yes, I at least try to give the churches two tries before I rule it out. The issue of finding a church has been weighing heavily on me since I've moved, now I'm no Holy Rollie but I do have a personal relationship with God (and you know he ain't through with me yet). In my nightly prayer I always ask God to lead me to a church that I can grow and learn at. I would really like a church like my last in the 'Bany...Shout out to Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church where Rev. Hill is my pastor (I miss you all)!!!  

Well today I visited a church, quit like the church I grew up in, in Columbus. You know, the ole school type. The type with the infamous velvet colors of burgundy & gold, wooden pews, stained glass windows, and the thick aroma of peppermint... hot off the breath!!! The preacher preached from one of my favorite passages 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV.

                 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is                      not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.                      Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always                        protects, always trusts, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are                            prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there                  is knowledge, it will pass away.

The sermon was really convicting, the pastor spoke on how we sit right next to each other and hold grudges, yet, we say we love God. The passage above is one of my favorite because God's greatest commandments is to Love. Love is one of those things that is so easy to do, yet, we make it so hard.   

Are we fully embodying God's commandment to love or are we members of the church mafia? The type that preaches one thing and practices another. Although Jesus sees us riding dirty, he gives us an opportunity to change directions.