Just because you fit it doesn't mean you belong there

Everybody wants and needs to belong. That is so basic that when God created Adam, He also built Eve from his ribs, to be his companion, “For it is not good for man to be alone.” Even in the spiritual creation, when God saved the believing man, the Holy Spirit places him into Christ, along with other believers forming a new body the church. Both believers and unbelievers wanted to belong. To something, to someone, to anything.

Kaya nakalulungkot kapag kailangan mong ipilit ang iyong sarili just to belong.

Just to fit in.

Because it is not good to be alone.

May mga believers na ipinipilit ang kanilang sarili sa sanlibutan. They think because of common interests or common backgrounds, they can fit. Probably. But mayroong fundamental differences between believers and unbelievers. One have Christ, the other doesn’t have Him. One is bound for Heaven, the other for Hell. One is in Christ, a new creation; the other is in Adam, in the world of old creation. One is the son of God by faith in Christ, the other is the son of the devil due to unbelief in Christ. So naiintindihan natin kung bakit hindi nagpi-fit ang believers sa society of unbelievers.

May fundamental differences. Hindi ito madaraan sa pag-gloss lamang sa mga ito as something minor.

Except probably if the believer hides his own identity just to fit. But even then, at death or the Rapture, makikita pa rin ang kanilang pagkakaiba because the believing one will be taken to Christ.

No wonder the world is hostile sa mga believers. The believers are “the others.” They don’t belong.

Understandable. Perfectly understandable.

Ang hindi understandable ay kapag ang believer ay hindi maka-fit in sa kapwa believers. Hindi mo kailangang magtagal bilang believer to realize na ang mga believers ay hindi rin nagkakaintindihan. Na while positionally they are fundamentally different from unbelievers, in practice they cannot be distinguished. Kung paanong ang isang believer ay hindi nagpi-fit sa society of unbelievers, unfortunately, may mga believers na hindi mag-fit sa society ng mga believers.

Unbelievable. Superbly unbelievable.

Ayon kay James sa 3:13-18, ito ay direktang may kinalaman sa pagyakap sa karunungang hindi buhat sa langit. Kapag ang pananaghili at paninibugho ay hinaluan ng ambisyon (which by itself is not bad) at kapalaluan, ang resulta ay kaguluhang hindi dapat masumpungan sa mga naligtas sa pananampalataya sa Prinsipe ng kapayapaan. You will expect na ang mga mananampalataya kay Cristo, the Prince of Peace, na nagkaroon ng peace with God at pinananahanan ng Holy Spirit na nagbubunga ng love, joy and peace among others, AY magkakaroon ng peace among themselves. It is unbelievable but peace is absent among many believers.

Ang mga believers ay hated by and in the world; and for solace sila ay lumalapit sa mga kapatid, but, even there they won’t fit. Because even though the believers were taken out of the world, apparently the world hasn’t been taken out of them. It is seen from their thinking. From their values. From their behavior. From their relationships. From their priorities.

Instead of renewing the mind by metabolizing the word of God, we choose to retain the old world thinking. Thinking dictates behaviors and both are indistinguishable from unbelievers. No wonder believers won’t fit in. They don’t and can’t belong. They don’t feel they belong.

May clique and you’re out.

So saan ka pupunta? Balik sa world of course. At least doon if you hide your identity (if you don’t walk as Christians should), may tatanggap sa iyo with open arms. Just because you fit, it doesn’t mean you belong. But you insist on fitting anyway. Much better kaysa Church.

Terrible. Superbly terrible.

Ang church which is supposed to be safe haven for believers, ay naging place of condemnation and ostracism.

Dahil may jealousy. May selfish ambition. May desire to dominate. Hindi marunong mag-share ng spotlight. Dahil may cliques. May factionalism.

May hero worship. May cult of personality. Ubos na ang aking mga synonyms and they scratch the surface of the factionalism within the church. May mentality na “Ako ay kay Peter at ako ay kay Paul.” Even though neither si Paul or si Peter ang namatay para sa kabayaran ng ating kasalanan at walang sinumang binautismuhan sa kanilang pangalan. And until the Pauls and Peters of our church ay hindi matutong mag-step down for the common good, the church will always be a place where someone fits even though he doesn’t belong.

All for the sake of not being alone.

What a tragedy. Great tragedy.

No wonder, the church has no testimony. The world is watching and the church is more broken than the world, so why join? Mas mabubuti pa ang mga unbelievers in looking after their own and in adopting reversionist believers. So what is the motive to join the church?

Sabi ni Gandhi na willing siya maging Christian, dahil tagahanga siya ng virtues ni Christ, except for the Christians themselves, na hindi taglay ang virtue ng kanilang namesake, the Christ-ones.

No wonder many believers are unchurched. They love Jesus but hate the church which is an irony since Jesus died for the Church, Ephesians 5; Acts 20:28. He died for everyone, believers and unbelievers alike, true. But He mist especially died for the Church. And to love Christ but to hate the Church is an oxymoron, an irony, a farce. A result of having double souls na binabanggit ni James.

No wonder the church has no power. United we stand and we can never unite. So we fall. And the wiorld sees. And laughs. Disappointed.

Unless everyone is willing to abandon their privileged position and entitled thinking. Unless everyone is willing to step down so there will be unity, there will be no fitting in where you actually belong.

And that is a very sad story.

(Kung gusto ninyo ng karagdagang impormasyon, bisitahin ninyo kami. May pagtitipon kami sa Dahat, kada Linggo, alas 8:30-10:30 am. Sa Amoguis, 1:00-3:00 pm. Sana manampalataya kayo at kita-kita tayo.

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