We have been living a lie, as a community of “believers.”
We have become lazy in challenging the beliefs that are being shoved into us.
We have trusted trends of Christianity and have put miles between us and the Truth.
If we go back in history, church didn’t start from the need of a social club. From the need to “have a group to identify with.” To meet up once or twice a week and be nice to each other over a cup of tea and a lukewarm sermon.
Church started out of pain.
Pain of Jesus on the cross.
Pain of children losing their families to persecution and lions.
Pain of losing social status over following Jesus.
Pain was always in the plan.
This has been my revelation this weekend.
Only the church grew out of pain.
At some point, it actually started causing pain.
Crusades and such.
It never stopped after that.
It took different shapes and it was called different names.
And then, pain and death become associated with punishment, since it had been used as punishment for not belonging.
We explained His death and pain away.
We removed pain from the picture.
We became paranoid with pain.
Anything that is excluded, ignored and unexplained grows into fear.
So, from pain being part of the story, pain became the part of the story we pretended never existed.
Yes, Jesus died IN PAIN but for some ridiculous reason, we decided we should be exempt from pain.
Actually, we twisted the story so much that we became convinced we are entitled to a pain-free existence.
And we then declared a pain-free existence a blessing.
So, here we are, in our own mess.
We have replaced the Blessing, who came to us in the most abject of conditions, lived in humble conditions and died in pain with a Gospel of fake blessings and foolishness.
Church, it’s time to wake up!
Remember what you were called to do and promised as a reward.
You were called to be a blessing and you were promised heaven.
You were not called to “blessings” and promised heaven on earth.
Go back to the beginning.
Acknowledge that pain was always meant to be part of the plan.
And that the only good news is that one day, in Heaven, He will take all our pain away.
This is our reality.
Can we face it or will we resort to recreating parallel realities?
Mama's Haven 
Well said Oana so so true! Those of us in pain should not have to hide away till the pain passes and we’re happy smiley people again! Where is there space and time for true lamenting? True sorrow? And grief to be expressed public ally? Why is it not allowed? I find the church so loose that probably a secular AA club would have better guidelines in place and understanding for pain than that event we call church that takes place on a sunday morning!
It’s because pain isn’t popular, Becca. We have had Christian “friends” who either:
1. Never mentioned Georgie to us, for fear of “not causing us pain.” Hello, we are in pain. Constantly…
2. Stopped being our friends, for fear their children will die too. Aha, yes, talking superstition at its best, in 2015!
3. Stopped being our friends, for fear of coming too close to the truth in their own lives and having to accept pain and death will happen one day for them. It can happen for anyone, at any time. But we choose to believe that if we pray and play nice, God will spare us it. As if He did for Jesus. Hello…
Wow. Wow!! Spot on.
Very uncomfortable reality, Val. Not easy to accept. Hence the lack of response. This has been one of my most ignored posts so far. Which sort of demonstrates the point and confirms the reality. Thank you for your encouragement. It means a lot!xx
Very honest post Oana – a lot of the deliousin seems to seep in from extreme prosperity ministry from what I can see 😦 A lot of people seem to be twisted inside out with all sorts of beliefs about God’s blessings and punishments that make no sense to me and don’t relate to what I read in the bible – The disciples meeting horrendous deaths seems to be ignored with this approach 😦 xx