Or at least that’s what they were being told.
I was a sophmore in high school and we had already been through the ringer. My dad hurt his back. He ended up losing his job through the ordeal. We were living on my mom’s income as she was working at K-Mart. God had done some really amazing things for our family. Although we had been through hell and back we were pretty content with what we had and how things were going or us. God truly had his hand on us as a family. I’m not sure why but we were (and still are) thankful for that. It really is true that what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger. Especially if your faith rests in the hopes and promises of Christ. Sounds corny I know but it really is true.
So here I was as a sophmore hearing bits and pieces about things going on at church. Some of the leadership had said some things about my parents and some other families in church that just weren’t true. Honestly the whole topic of spiritual warfare I tread carefully around. It’s not that I don’t believe in it becuase I really do. I have seen it first hand. But I learned that’s its’ something you just don’t go throwing around becuase it is serious stuff. My parents did a pretty good job at keeping the lid on their problems with the leadership of our church at this point. Very rarely did we hear anything about it at home. There did come a day when I found out a lot of stuff that was happening. I’ll never forget the day my dad said, “They told us we are oppressed by demons and we are windows letting them into the church.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Talk about hurting beyond comprehension. What were they doing that was so terrible? They were part of the junior high ministry team and the junior high ministry was thriving. They were averaging about 100-125 students every week. They had a vibrant bus ministry where we went and picked up junior high kids every week. Kids were being saved and things were going really, really well. That’s what was so terrible about the ministry they were part of. Students were being added to the Kingdom.
So what started all of this? I’m not sure. I do know that our church hired a new youth pastor. When he came in he stopped the bus ministry saying, “If these students parents want them here they will bring them on their own or they can ride their bikes or walk.” No one was allowed to go and pick them up anymore. Within a month there were only the “church kids” attending the student ministry. As a high school student I was having a really hard time with this. Verses like John 3:16, Acts 1:8 and Matthew 9:10-13. I was getting confused becuase according to these verses we are supposed to be the hospital for the sick, go into all the world starting in our hometowns and that Jesus died for the WHOLE WORLD. I took John 3:16 literally and wasn’t I supposed to?
I have found over the years that yes John 3:16 really means that Jesus died for the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD NOT JUST A FEW QUALITY OR SPECIAL PEOPLE. This is a truth that has rocked me to the core ever since that time. I’m not talk about attractional ministry or event driven ministry. I’m talking about ministry where people are authentically drawn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ…not the Gospel of man.
You can read the first several installments of my life journey by clicking one of the links below.
- When I made my 3rd grade teacher retire
- The day I tore a water fountain off of a wall
- I told my dad I wanted a new dad
- The day we got evicted
- Beating down gangstas, football and soccer
- I was invited to my own church by a non-Christian friend
- There is a reason why I HATE the dentist
- When my faith became active
WoW…that is one reason why churches aren’t growing…they go crazy with stuff like this and actually hurt people…just the other day I was talking with some parents from my school and they were telling us that they told their son that when he got a tattoo he was letting demons have control of him and that something bad was now going to happen. Guess what they told him when the first bad thing happened???
Like you I don’t want to minimize spiritual warfare. I personally have casted on demons from someone. I have seen and been part of so many things but telling people they are the windows to letting demons into the church…that’s just messed up.
Jason how right you are. It was umm…weird. I remember being interviewed for our student leadership team for our student ministries and being asked point blank, “Now what is going on with your parents and the youth pastor won’t affect how you do ministry with him will it becuase if it will we can’t accept you.”
Wow. Of course it will affect me on some level. However through it all my parents showed us how to be Godly in dealing with it and how to extend grace towards people who had wronged us. They weren’t always perfect in the whole ordeal but they did the best they could. They are still there and now the church is healing old wounds and is picking up some steam.
When I tell people my story they always ask, “So you pretty much don’t like that church anymore huh?” and my answer is always, “I love those people more today than I did then. True some wrong things happened but regardless they are my brothers and sisters in Christ.” Man that’s where so much of my spiritual formation happened both good and bad. you can’t just turn your back on that.
“Man that’s where so much of my spiritual formation happened both good and bad. you can’t just turn your back on that.”
Dude, I totally know where you’re coming from. Thats how I feel about my church….or old church…not sure what to label it right now. I mean, my entire spiritual journey was there. I love those people, yet…highly dislike a few of them. But yeah, I catch your drift. Sometimes its hard to let go.