The music is too simplistic. The church is too relevant. Discipleship is nonexistent or has become just discussing doctrine. The church is too big. The church is too small. The pastor needs to do this. The pastor needs to do that. There is too much of this and not enough of that. This is killing the church. That will cause it to die.
I think we have taken “test everything” and “do all for the glory of God” to extremes they were never meant to be taken. We criticize everything in the name of glorifying God while being hearers, if that, of the word only. It is just my opinion, but I think many of us have become like the people Paul warns about in I Tim 1:6-7. Paul says, “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” We do not desire to be the false teachers Paul is talking about here, but in our ignorance and through our criticism, we have. I think back, personally, to countless discussions about the things of God I participated in, despite not even reading his word. I made “confident assertions” about things because I elevated my reason above the word of God. I knew a few verses and constructed whole ideas and arguments using them.
This is the real problem. We know a few verses and use them to critique everything while failing to be obedient to the rest of God’s word. We criticize worship music and cause others to stumble, and so neglect all of the verses about loving our neighbor and not causing a sibling to stumble. We criticize bible studies for being too shallow, while not delighting daily in the Word ourselves. We think some people talk too much about prayer, while knowing that the last time we really prayed was a week or two ago. We believe that the church will die, failing to trust in the sovereignty of God to work all things together. My friend let us not get so caught up in these criticisms that we spend more time on them than with our Heavenly Father. We have distracted ourselves and thus neglected the One person who is supposed to be at the center of all of this. How much more would the Lord be glorified and how many fewer controversies would there be, if we fixed our eyes on Christ and actually spent time with him daily? When only about 12% of Christians, in America, read their bibles more than three times a week, it’s no wonder there is much to be criticized.
I am not suggesting that none of the criticism is valid, but that the criticism is unhelpful. It is unhelpful because it comes as a result of people not seeking the Lord and furthermore, is in many cases given in such a manner that it causes others to be hurt and to stumble. It’s time we quit wasting our time criticizing everything and start spending time with our Heavenly Father. Only then will you be able to hold others accountable for their actions. Next time you hear some criticism remember that Christ is still in control and he will not let his children be put to shame. There may be some issues in the church, but the Holy Spirit is faithful to convict us individually and teach us the way we should go.