Last Sunday I visited a church in Spokane while I’m here for work. While I saw online this would be a more modern church, I was not ready for what I was about to experience.

Walking up to the church, parked in front as if it were showcased was a very nice motorbike. I have no idea the brand, other than it looked nice. Coming from the church was some modern hip-hop rap style worship music that made the church sound like a nightclub. Seriously, it brought me right back to my foolish youth, when we would hit the clubs on Friday nights. Upon walking in, there was a nice coffee bar where they served drinks, and some volunteers were helping people feel welcome. While not my preference of church, it was an enjoyable wait for the doors of the sanctuary to open.

The sanctuary had all of the modern technology, the loudspeakers, the LED light bars on stage, and the stage was about 5 feet up above the audience. The worship was I experienced in the past, much more or a performance to wow the people than it was to sing praises together for God. I couldn’t hear the people around me singing…and they were, they were into it.

I have become accustomed to the Lord’s supper, where we break an actual loaf of bread, not the hand out of wafers. We focus for 30-40 minutes on who Jesus is before taking these emblems, as where this seemed more like a drive-thru communion, I’m in a hurry so let’s this thing done.

I want to be clear, my describing this is not to criticize, but an observation. I have my reasons why I don’t agree with this kind of church…but does that make it unbiblical?

I am trying to remain open while having discernment. There was no wierd stuff going on, no evangelicals flopping like jellyfish on the floor, no new age spiritual symbols, no mouths speaking jibberish. And…a good message.

Pro 16:13  Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.

The entire message was built around this one verse. There were some references to other verses, but no deep dive into the scripture as I am used to. Much of the sermon used modern-day connections and used “The Message” as a way to make it more relatable. That was a strike for me, and I remain open to God working outside of my preferences.

The speaker said something remarkable that caught my attention.

“Welcome to Church, where we stab you in the front, instead of the back.”

That’s one heck of a statement, and I believe one that should be true.

You see, the ways of the world are to stab each other in the back. We gossip about others, complain about others, wish bad things on others. If you’re reading this and I know you personally and you tell me you don’t, allow me to stab you in the front and call you out for your hypocrisy. We all do it on some level, some are just doing at a much higher level than others because they’re overachievers.

And, that’s not the call of the Christian. We’re called to live in the truth and love. We’re to have an ear to hear as per Revelation to the churches. Not only that, we’re supposed to seek that sword that penetrates the heart, not avoid it. Why? Because it’s done in love.

While I admit my flaws in the back-stabbing part, I also do my best to ensure I am a man of integrity and ensure people know my intent is pure. While in a meeting discussing an individual and the current situation, I saw fit to explain that regardless of the outcome, whether the man stays in his position or leaves, there is a need for him to learn communication and leadership skills. I suggested that the organization invest in that training.

The next morning I thought on the matter, and I did not want that person to hear through another source that I said bad things about him. Not just to ensure the communication was delivered correctly, but to ensure the love of the message came with it. So I called him up, wanted him to know that whatever the outcome of the current situation was, that I wanted to support him. And in doing so, explaining that he needs to work on communication and leadership, I offered him a book that helped me understand my communication and leadership flaws.

Here’s the deal. He may not have appreciated what I said; I am not in control of that. But my intent was to deliver the message to his face in a way that expressed my love and concern, and I believe it was received well. My goal was to lift him up, encourage him, and to hopefully have Christ speak through me to him.

Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks what is right.

We follow the King of kings. Because of what He did, we are called to be kings of righteousness.

I am the king of my home. I am the king of my business. I am the king in any place the lord put’s me in influence for His sake. And the same goes for you in this sense. We are not worldly kings. We don’t rule by authority or holding the high positions of the world. We’re to seek righteous lips, lips that will tell us the truth, lips that will hurt our hearts from the front, not take us down from the back. We seek those who lift us up through the conviction of our hearts. They embody the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit uses them to show us what we need to see about ourselves.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

Now I ask. How is your heart? How often is the Holy Spirit trying to convict you of your sinful ways, and you receive it as condemnation? And yes, sometimes people are poor communicators, or they even have backstabbing methods that hurt…and, as believers in Christ, we have no condemnation. Meaning, we’re at a choice. Do we receive the condemnation from the devil, meant to take us down, or recognize the Holy Spirit’s conviction, which desires only to see that we are sanctified and purified?

God promises us a new heart and a transformation of our minds, and, we get to prepare our hearts for that transplant by him.

I pray that you all have a church that is ready and willing to stab you in the front, and you’re ready to receive it with open hands in worship.