Was it, Is It, The Church or the church?

It all started...through Pain I cannot to this day describe in human terms.. I realized that day that I had spent 23 years of ministry in a system where the church may not have really been the Church. Oh in certain places with certain people -I saw the Church. But so very much of it was routine, stagnate and simply playing church. Oh so many looked like the Church but was it really the church? Or wasn't it?

Did we really believe in the Supremacy of the Great Commission?
Did we like church more than Jesus?
Did we give our offerings for our own ministry needs and wants?
Did we want our way, our minstries, our music?
Did we want to be served rather than serve?
Did we want to control or release?
Did we really want other ethnic goups hanging our with our kids, youth and even adults?
Did we focus on Sunday more than Monday through Saturday?
Did we hang out with the reached more than the unreached?
Did we like the holy huddle more than the unholy gathering down the street?
Did we like comfort of the Church more than the discomfort of the world?
Did we really believe we were doing it right when the world was so wrong?
Did we really expect the pastor to do what we said over what God was saying?
Did we do what was politically correct or did we do what was right?
Did we and I could go on and on and on and on.

I discovered that day that I didn't need to give my life to her anymore. If she isn't going to act like the Church - I will not call her the Church either. Is there more to this Christian life? Is there a real Church with really transformed people?

I am no longer committed to the church...I am more committed than ever to the Church.