He came out swinging.

I loved this from Pastor Steven Furtick:

I’m ready to come out swinging.
(That means I’m fired up, and this entry could get ugly.)

The other day, a lady said something to my wife that made me sick to my stomach upon hearing about it. Literally.

She was talking about how she visited Elevation with her family over the summer.
So far, so good…

In fact, she continued, they have visited “just about every church in Charlotte, looking for the church that’s perfect for us.”

Uh oh…
My wife doesn’t have much tolerance for church hopping Southerners.
Neither do I.

Then the woman made one of the most absurd comments I’ve ever heard from a churchgoer, even here in the Bible belt. That’s saying a lot.

“I wanted to let you know that there’s one praise song, I can’t remember the name of it, that ya’ll do better than all of the dozens of churches we’ve been to in our church shopping quest.”

Ma’am, if you’re reading:

Who do you think you are? Simon freakin’ Cowell?
Have you reduced the worship of a holy God to a singing competition?
To see which band can cover Chris Tomlin to your exact standards?

What do you think this is? Shopping mall Christianity?
Like one church is Abercrombie, one is Hollister, and the other is GAP?
Don’t even use the phrase church shopping in my presence.
Jesus bought you with His blood. You don’t get to cheapen that by shopping for the church that perfectly scratches your every itch.

Jesus didn’t die on a brutal cross so we could sample different church varieties like a party platter.
“I go to Church A some weeks, cause I like the music there, but I like the preaching better at Church B, and my kids like Church C, but my friends go to Church D. So I hit ‘em all.”

This is madness. It makes God sick. And it makes you a spiritual bastard.

The Church is the bride of Christ.
Quit sleeping around and pimping her out to satisfy your own personal preferences.

The church is a battleship, not a cruise ship.
Pastors and leaders are generals to equip you for battle in the trenches, not cruise directors to make your stay more enjoyable on the Lido deck.

To all of you who are currently searching for a church to belong to, that’s cool.
Sometimes it takes time. And you should take your time making such an important decision.

But how about adjusting your criteria for church selection to reflect the will of God more than your likes and dislikes?

How about praying: “God where can you best use me?” instead of asking “What’s in it for me and my kids?”

How about considering where you can best accomplish the mission of the Son of God:
Seeking and saving what is lost.
Building the Kingdom.

Not protecting your pet doctrine, singing your favorite song, or sitting in your reserved seat.

If this entry ticked you off, it’s probably because you’re guilty and God is convicting you.

If you’ve been attending Elevation for a while, and are a Christian who is already going to heaven, and are treating our church like American Idol, waiting to decide whether you will vote us in for another week based on whether you like the show this Sunday, please find somewhere else to take up space.

We need your seat.

Otherwise, roll up your sleeves, invite your unchurched friends, plug in as a volunteer, give financially, pray for God’s continued favor, and let’s rock this city.