Pat Stark

Do you know how sometimes there is an elephant under the rug and nobody talks about it? Well It appears like there’s an elephant under the rug of the church at large.  I’m not specifically talking about TCC, but we’re part of it because we are part of the church at large.

This might seem strange to some of you, but as I talk with serious Christians from different parts of the country, the central Florida area, as well as Lakeland, I hear them  struggling. These people aren't just ordinary Christians going through the motions. They are desperately hungry Christians, truly trying to hear God, and walk with Him into this next year.

What they are struggling with disturbs them because feeling this way is not what they are used to and most think there is something wrong with them. They even struggle to put words to it and often feel guilty for even feeling as they do. When I tell them I’m hearing the same thing from all over the place they are shocked. What they are feeling that they struggle to put words to, is that, “THEY DON’T WANT TO GO TO CHURCH”

This is not about a specific church. Their churches are fine.  It’s not about that. It’s   about their hunger, and the old church model that they can’t do anymore. We have tried to tweak it and make it more relevant but that has done nothing because the hunger is for something far deeper.

MAP AT THE MALL

I believe strongly that unless we know where we are, we can’t get where we’re going. So as much as I hate to share this message of people not wanting to go to church, I feel like we need to be real with where so much of the church is, instead of just trying to bury the feelings.

I don't know if you remember a prophecy that was given a few years back — I wish I had the date and a copy, but it generally said, “ The church as we’ve known it will never be the same”.  I believe we are in that season of change. We have no idea what that change actually looks like, so how do we do it?  As a result, we often just keep doing things as we’ve always done while just trying to get over the dissatisfied feelings. However I believe we are not meant to just get over it but he use the time to cry out to God for more with surrender to His ways. Owning the reality that we really don’t know how to have church in this new season is a good starting place.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Being poor in spirit is a teachable spirit, a humble spirit, a spirit willing to be taught a new way.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “

We are mourning many disappointed desires right now. Things are not as we had thought or had hoped and we have to let them go through mourning the losses in order to experience the new things God has for us.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6 NIV

We need to allow our hunger and thirst to come to the surface even though it can be confusing, difficult and painful.

HUNGER & THIRST

Think of a starving person — they are DESPERATELY HUNGRY!

Isn’t that the way we are meant to be? I know for me, the more I had realized that I didn’t really know how to do life, love, family, church, relationships; the more desperate I became for God to teach me His ways. I believe we are in a time like that now. We need to cry out to God to reveal what church is meant to look like in this new season. We need God to teach us what He is doing right now and be willing to surrender to His ways both individually and corporately.

It has been said that we are at the END OF THE CHURCH AGE & THE BEGINNING OF THE KINGDOM AGE.  Is that why so many people are struggling with church the way we have always done it?

We have a choice, either remain the same and do things the old way or desperately cry out for God to teach us his way for the season we are in now. When we have an internal struggle, and if we don’t face it, we will usually grumble with dissatisfaction.

I think most people are aware that we have been in a season of transition. God has been shaking everything. But much of the shaking has been in our personal lives through circumstances like health, finances, relationships, as well as in other areas of false security. Now He is shaking the church. Lots of dysfunction has to go; dysfunction in our own lives, our families, our government, but also in our churches. Circumstances we go through force us to face ourselves and begin to heal from past hurts instead of just burying and then acting out of them in unhealthy ways.

In an interesting scripture from Isaiah 28, God says, ”… we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”  But God continues, “…hail (or CIRCUMSTANCES) will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.“

We have hidden ourselves in many things, things like performance, perfectionism, our careers, ministry, relationships, etc. Dysfunctional people produce dysfunctional families, produce dysfunctional churches, produce dysfunctional government. Until we face our own dysfunctions, nothing really grows or changes.

God is preparing a people, a church that the gates of hell will not prevail against. I wish He would make it clearer as to what He is doing, but the not knowing is meant to break our control and cause us to desperately cry out for Him to teach us His ways and create a willingness to cooperate within us. One thing I do know is that “Unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain who try to build it”.  (Psalm 127:1)  And that “house” that He builds, the gates of hell will not prevail against.  (Matthew 16:18)

There are several things that I do hear people crying out for, and one is for real community. They want more than just sitting side-by-side in church or even just coffee gatherings before or after church. People are hungry for real connection with other people, for heart-to-heart openness, transparency, and honesty. They want to know others and be known. COVID Isolated and separated people and now they are hungry for small gatherings where genuine connection is possible.

They are hungry for worship where they can pour their hearts out to God. 

Another thing I hear them cry out for is to experience the manifest presence of God and his glory in their midst. There is a longing for the life, light, and change that comes out of the glory of God’s manifest presence.

How do we get there? I have no clue, but I do know that I too am hungry and thirsty for more than just the same old way, and prayerfully we need to join together to cry out for the release of God’s Spirit in our midst.

Pat Stark is the author of Born to Fly: Pursuing the Life You Were Meant to Live…Free; Lost Heart: A Guide to Living From Your Heart in a Broken World, and The Story of Life: The Life We All Try to Find,” available on Amazon, as well as The Covenant Center bookstore. Her message brings freedom and hope in the midst of a world of uncertainty. Her desire is to see people restored to who they were originally created to be before they were wounded by the hurts of life. She is gifted in dealing with root issues lying beneath the surface that have kept people trapped and unable to experience true freedom. Pat has worked with people for over 40 years in the area of deep spiritual and emotional healing. She is an ordained minister through The Covenant Center, Lakeland, Florida.

Contact: info@thecovenantcenter.com