Church Hurt
"No one knows hurt like church hurt". I was discussing with a friend regarding an individual who is set out to destory the blessing God has put before him. While going through the process, he felt like giving up. He stopped going to his church and began thinking about joining another church. I began to share with him that this is nothing more than a test. God has spoke into your existence your purpose, the enemy is out to stop not you but your purpose. Has you or anyone you know, faced a trial you could not handle? I know people who have quit the church because of church folks. Why are you outside the church and the enemy is on the inside? Why do we expect folks in church not to hurt us?
Cheryl, church folk are people. People are human and very subject to shortcomings. I (personally) don't go to church with "people" in mind. People are a part of the fellowship that's believers are supposed to have but the church is full of human beings...some virgins in Christ, some not, and some under the illusion that they've got it all together. That's why "people" can't be the focus.
We are disciples of God, not man. And when we can finally reach a place where the people at church cannot affect or INFECT the church living INSIDE OF US, we'll be in a much better place.
1 Cor Chapter 1 talks specifically about division in the church. Paul is addressing the Corinthian Christians about divisiveness in the church and is pleading with them to join together instead of operating as divisions that don't operate based on Christ but on themselves. He's telling them that chruch is not about THEM but about Christ and that the fellowship should be Christ-driven, not ego driven or attitude driven or anything else. He's pleading with them to unify as believers in the same Christ (there is only one Christ but I say 'the same Christ' to drive home my point).
1 Cor 1:10: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
"Division" is derived from the Greek, meaning to "tear", so Paul is pleading with them to stop tearing each other up because it's tearing up the church...the body of Christ there in Corinth.
I'll stop there because i don't want to go too far off topic. I'd honestly have to know your friend's particular situation to really get to the meat of the matter and give appropriate spiritual feedback.
Send me a private message if you're comfortable doing so. I will say that 1 Corinthians Chapter 1 is a great place to start when talking about how to deal with so-called church folk.
Blessings...