DISCLAIMER: What I’m about to say is not anti-church or anti-Christian school. I believe in both. However, I see a danger in both if we are not careful.
Because I have grown up and worked in both, I know the inner workings. When both function correctly, it can be a beautiful thing. The biggest problem I see in both is that many teach outward conformity without inward transformation.
Romans 12, in its first two verses, speaks of how we do not need to conform but be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This means that we do not need to outwardly conform to the world’s or the church’s standards. Our way of thinking needs to be transformed (changed) by the Holy Spirit.
I have seen people in both organizations look the part and go back to who they really are once they get away from the pastor or Christian School teachers. Sadly, I have seen pastors do the same thing. This breeds hypocrisy. Eventually, people get tired of living two lives and decide to live the one that is most comfortable – the one they live outside the church or Christian School.
For me personally, the thing that almost turned me away completely was being taught that a ton of things were wrong without receiving Scripture to support it. I heard this list of wrongs presented in a hateful, condescending spirit. Who really wants that when the Bible says to “speak the truth in love” and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”?
It is high time that we balance grace and truth (John 1). Jesus came full of grace and truth. The “do as I say not as I do” has been turning out hypocrites for years. People are tired of the game. The same game is played at home. Some children grow up and choose right anyway and some don’t. The bottom line is that as long as we teach people how to fake it, there will be many who stand before the Lord Jesus and will be sadly disappointed that the “fake-ianity” didn’t get them into Heaven when they truly needed to be changed by the power of His Holy Spirit through a genuine relationship with Christ.
Ask yourself these questions today:
Is what I have fake or real?
Have I conformed to someone’s standards or has Jesus changed my life?
Matthew Winters (Honest Thoughts from a Pastor) 
Thank you for sharing your walk of faith! I left the church after seeing the ” business ” side of the denomination and how one pastor was on a mission to destroy the credibility of another…he wanted that pastor’s position. Thankfully, through kind and gentle invitations of two loving friends, I returned to church with them. They never gave up on praying for me and my return!
I love hearing stories of return like yours. We have to come to a point when life is all about living for Jesus and not about trying to impress and gain position.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Great post. He is changing our for sure and the changes keep coming. As we reflect on our journals He reveals Himself so wonderfully.
couldn’t agree more!
you are right..transformation for GOD is better than confirmation of systems of this world.