"..... God was clearly weary of our worship without works of compassion. And just like Jesus with the money changers, we must be willing to fight the natural consumerism of our culture both inside and outside the church that asks us to provide a safe place of spiritual encouragement while millions face daily trauma, sex trafficking, bloated hunger, and treatable diseases.
God designed the church—but not a church that functions for itself. The church is the “people of God,” and therefore it shouldn’t have to cost that much. Programs, pastors, and sanitized churches cost a lot. Therefore, anytime we let “church” become the recipient of its own giving, we are dangerously close to the same exploitation that Jesus turned over. He wants His church, His people, to be released from all that hinders true love and true help from reaching those who need it the most. I am so proud to know hundreds of church leaders who are courageously reevaluating their level of consumerism and making painful and personal adjustments to avoid the money-changer scenario. In order to gain the respect of the culture around us, I think it’s fair to get a little cranky at the cost of organized religion.
Jesus did.
(Hugh Halter. Flesh)
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