I usually wait to write my posts (especially the more passionate ones) until after the initial wave of emotion has passed. I’m not doing that today. We’ll soon find out if that’s a horrible idea or not.

A fair amount of my time is spent reading, listening to or engaging with Christians. For the most part we’re a tame lot interested in the betterment of others and serving Jesus with our whole hearts. Most of the folks I’ve met through social networking, the worship and music industry and missions work are people truly committed to Godly relationships and friendships. With that being said, there are things I read or hear on a weekly basis that literally make my stomach turn.

I grew up pentecostal and have worked in the charismatic church world most of my adult life. I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit inside of believers and long for God’s voice and work in the lives of all Christians. However, if there was a dollar for every time a “charismatic” believer celebrated the gift (or their gifts) more than the giver, there would be enough money to make Kenneth Copland blush. I remember being in a meeting once where someone went through a list of things to give God praise for. Salvation (small cheer). The Holy Spirit (nominal response). The “fact that some of you will get out of debt this year (WILD, enthusiastic praise). I wanted to puke.

I hate our judgmental attitudes but think it’s a loving thing to talk about sin plainly. I hate when we sell people on a God who’s biggest asset is His ability to solve their money problems. I hate when we think tearing each others theology apart is the most important thing we can do. I hate it when hype stops us from pressing in and truly experiencing the life-giving presence of God together. I hate it when people pimp spiritual giftedness for personal recognition and ego stroking. I hate when we elevate our “thing” to be a God thing. I hate ridiculous book burnings, sign holding and preaching solely about how much better believers we are than those folks at that “other church”. I hate feeling like we’re better than others because of what version of Scripture we read or whether or not we were predestined to read that version or not. But the thing I hate the most is when people say things that are “God” when they clearly aren’t.

I know I’m going to get ripped that this isn’t loving enough so let me end it this way. The reason these things make me sick is that I deeply want people to know and be engaged by God. And the crap that goes on only serves to distract people from the most rewarding and life giving relationship they could ever have. It’s been said before, but Christians can certainly be the biggest obstacles to people experiencing Christ there is.

I love Jesus. I love His Church. I love His people. And when we are so off-centered we distract people away from His all-surpassing glory it makes me sick to my stomach.

God save us from ourselves.

The guys over at Church Crunch have posted a dynamite blog today. Check it out below and sign up for their rss feed and continue to get great stuff from John and crew.

This is a Guest Post by Nate Beaird.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to make a historical film for the 75th anniversary celebration of some local churches. Reviewing the script, I read about the power of the Great Commission and the momentum it gave the individuals who followed it.

It was an unforgettable experience. After completing the project I walked away amazed.

I learned about the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the birth of these churches. My generation knows very little about the stories of old, yet, I believe to work together effectively, the different age groups need to become acquainted with each other.

Some from my generation call the “older” generation “out of touch,” but I know the truth: The older generation has been more in touch with the heart of God than I may ever be. These are the people who have lived through the history I read about in school, the open range cowboys, the civil rights activists, the veterans of wars fought for my freedom, those who knew and loved Christ before I ever lived.

They have been faithful to their calling, and are cheering me on to be faithful to mine.

What is my calling? My generation, just like Noah, Moses, Esther and other heroes of the Bible who had a heart for their home, and their generation. No one is going to be able to reach my generation as well as… my generation. That means new methods must be used, “out of the box” ideas, maybe even ideas that are possible and feasible, but previously unheard of.

More thoughts after the jump…

Just as the pioneers of these local churches were trusted to build a church, so must we be infused with trust to push forward for our generation. We are visual. We are relational. We are unlike any previous generation before us, which is probably why we’re misunderstood.

We pierce our face and buy jeans with holes already in them.

So!? It’s time, Church, to let appearances go. Our passion for Jesus eclipses the naysayers and bonds us to any age group that lets us worship by reaching people on a different level. We may need to be patient at times. We don’t want to just attend church, we want to be apart of something that’s making a difference. We don’t pledge our commitment lightly, but once we find something to live for, we’ll die for it.

For the past 15 years God’s been breeding an army so massive, so passionate, so united, that Christianity as we know it will be rocked to the very core. We are kingdom-minded with no strings attached. As the older generation is like Elijah, we are like Elisha, asking for a double portion of God. We are reckless and fearless for God. If he says we can do it, we believe we can.

Peter Craig, of the 24-7 Prayer Movement, writes in “The Vision”:

Their DNA chooses Jesus.
(He breathes out, the breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings.
They’ve had a blood transfusion with Jesus.

Their words make demons scream in shopping centers.
Don’t you hear them coming?

Herald the weirdos!
Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes!
They walk tall and trees applaud, Sky scrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.

I realize there are issues we all could work on. The older generation worries about how low my jeans hang and I can’t get up to go to a prayer breakfast at six in the morning.

Nonetheless, we will not unite our generations by bickering about our weaknesses, so, what if our strengths got some talk time? If we were to combine the older generation’s wisdom, knowledge, and experience, and our networking, strength, and passion the possibilities would be endless.

“We” are not the future; we are the today. “They” are not the past, they are the today. We are not the next of “them,” we are the first of “us.”

We don’t want them to pass the baton to us, because that means their race is over. We want their blessing on our baton, so we can run together.