Why Are There So Many “Bad” People in Church?

Repentance. Photo: Alexander Osokin Repentance. Photo: Alexander Osokin
    

I often have to hear how people say about our Church, “You know, I don’t go to your church and won’t go, because it’s like a train station there—who don’t you see there? It would be alright if they were good people, but they’re not! I met one of them. Do you know what sort of man he is? And that girl is not any better. I won’t even mention the rest. And they go to services, cross themselves and don’t even blush…”

Why are there so many unfortunate, wretched, broken lives, strange and simply bad people in the Church, while the saints and righteous ones are hardly to be found? This scandalizes and turns away many.

But this is in fact the most remarkable thing, that there are only sick people all around! It means that you have come to the right place. It means that everything you have read in the Gospels and heard about Christ is true.

Who did the Lord take to heaven first? The repentant thief. Publicans, harlots, lepers, and the demonically possessed came to Him from all around. Not the righteous. The sick. All the rest had no time for Him. There were just fine without Him.

Just fine, without God. The Gospel calls this state death. Because the soul without God is a dead soul.

People are always confusing the Heavenly Church with the earthly Church. From this comes the misunderstanding, doubts, and confusion. All the saints and righteous ones are there, in the Kingdom of Heaven. But here on earth, the Church is a hospital for sins, spiritual illnesses and death. In our Church there is only one who is absolutely healthy, pure, perfect, and sinless. He is our Lord and God Jesus Christ. And it is by His power that the Church is delivered, treated, and cured.

Why is it that when we see sick, lame, and coughing people in an ordinary hospital no one gets the desire to point to his temples, turn heel and run? That is why it is a hospital, so that the sick would come and be healed. This is even more true for the Church, where it is not the body being healed, but the eternal soul. That sick people come with terrible wounds and diseases testifies to the power of the doctor they are seeking. Sinners who have resolved to be delivered from their sins and death testify to Christ.

Photo: Ivan Zhuk Photo: Ivan Zhuk
  

And when I look at people in church, my heart is filled with joy, because the Lord is here, with us, and He is healing. Sometimes people themselves don’t know why they go to church. The pain itself, the wounds that won’t stop gnawing at their hearts lead them here. Then suddenly, it all goes away. Without understanding the services, in general vaguely understanding what is going on, the person suddenly feels that he is now better. He—that is he, the heart—his heart, though just recently bleeding it is now peaceful and well. People can lie, books can deceive, but your own heart tells the truth. And this is the most remarkable thing that you can feel in the Church.

Denis Akhalashvili
Translation by OrthoChristian.com

3/4/2015

Comments
John8/20/2022 5:18 pm
Lisa you are spot on! No one’s perfect, but, I have witnessed people who claim to be saved & following Christ who are very much the opposite! What comes to mind is James (the brother of Jesus) who basically said that people w/o works are dead! Once you come to the Lord, it’s means that you must change from being a sinner to turning your life around (for its no longer you who lives but, Jesus in me!) I refuse to follow bad people - rather in church or out of church! I stand with & Trust God to be with me in my walk! I stumble- then remember who I belong too - repent - then move on! Some people just plain forget and never return to God (yet attend church & pretend to others that they are following God!). Actually doing Satans work & never realizing how far they’ve drifted away! It’s not just about money , it’s also about following bad people! Always lookup & remember who you came to for forgiveness! It sure wasn’t a human being! (James - the best epistle ever written). It shows, that even people who were considered righteous & love my most of Israel - was still martyred! (Best example to follow as a Christian), but, very hard! ????❤️
Rebecca8/7/2022 8:25 pm
I feel Liza. I also didn’t look up this article because of “broken” people. The ‘leaders’ of the church try to run people off for being less than pretty or even for not being part of their clique. Today the priest bragged about what a fantastic youth event they had, but my family wasn’t invited. And it is not like we are just occasional people either. I ran the Sunday school for seven years, the kitchen for 3 or 4, as well as volunteering and helping with many other things. Frequently, I find out that there are church events we just aren’t invited to. And it isn’t just me. If you aren’t in the club, you aren’t welcome at church or are a second-class member. These are our church leaders, not me being scandalized that sinners are drawn to Christ. I don’t feel like my parish would tolerate anyone like that.
Lisa5/4/2022 7:35 pm
You say broken people go to church. I didn’t look up at this article because of broken people. They are people in the church especially the ones running things and running ministries that make up lies about you, give you dirty luxe to try to kick you out of church, bully you to get you out of church when you’re trying to concentrate on prayer. I hear other common saying don’t share just look at yourself first. It’s not judging when someone is pretending to be godly but yet making fun of somebody who really is godly and who quote scripture. I’m so tired of hearing articles of all the churches for the broken. I’m not talking about people that are broken. I’m talking about people that intentionally criticize lie and make it difficult for the ones that are trying to be godly all while pretending to be this holy person .
Jeremy Genon Patterson6/27/2019 10:35 pm
I'm a good Christian and I fall short a few times. But I preserve and get back up. At another church I was attending a man named Darron Dessasau didnt come and get because I wasnt bringing enough money to the church. The church name is New Creation Family Church. He called me a dumb evil spirit.
Dustie 12/28/2018 5:09 am
I preatend to be a good christan although I lie , don’t acknowledge my faults and gossip?
Eleanor Ames11/8/2015 12:09 am
I have a limited amount of energy. I need it to survive. I can't afford to be bullied in church. I can't afford to be perved on in church. It takes too much out of me.
Joseph Bell3/16/2015 3:24 am
Why are they running it?
Rdr Andreas Moran3/5/2015 11:05 am
Who are we to judge another man's servant? In church, we should not be looking around at other people but concentrating on ourselves and our salvation. If we are tempted to criticize or judge another person, we should look inside ourselves and there, in some form or other, we will see the same fault in ourselves. We do not compare ourselves with others and think we are better, but we compare ourselves only with the perfection of Christ and then we shall see how wretched and sinful we are and in fact worse than all others.
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