Today I ran into someone who I have not seen in a few years. This person and their family used to attend the church where I pastor. So after catching up just a bit I asked if they were attending church now and the response was "we don't go every week but we do go now and then." I asked where they were going and then I said, "If you don't mind my asking, what made you stop coming to our church and what do you like better where you are now." The response I got was one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever heard as a pastor. They said to me, "when we went to Harvest (the old name for The Oasis) we always felt a heavy feeling when we left the church like we needed to change or something. But at (X,Y,Z) church, we don't. We can just be us and live our lives and when we go, no one cares how we live our lives or how often we attend. We always feel good about ourselves and we like that." Then they added, "and if we don't go for a month, no one pesters us like you guys always did. They allow us to be who we are and that's ok."
I was floored.
This person was raised in church and had a real relationship with God but was now saying they did not want a message that spoke the truth, but made them feel good about living their lives just as they are. That is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is heartbreaking to see people who have fallen into deception like this.
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