I know it is hard sometimes to give a compliment. Someone can be so laser-focused on a goal or an idea that all they can see is how far short of their desire their current experience is. “That would be great, but this is so far short of that …”  This plays out in restaurants every day, at work, at school, and surely in most homes.

I see it in the Church. Frequently. I know it’s easy to treat the Church as a punching bag. We freely admit about ourselves that we are sinners, still in process, as we trust Jesus to not only forgive us but to transform us. But the readiness with which many critique the Church just hits me hard.

It’s not that a critic can’t note how our conduct falls short of Jesus Himself. It’s more that criticisms are offered with little to no involvement with us in this adventure of faith and with little appreciation of the miracle of the Church’s existence at all.

First, the Church of Jesus Christ is a miracle! It is nothing short of God intervening into space and time to forgive, change, seal, secure, love, adopt, indwell, and empower people (and the list could go way on) that makes any of this possible. In justice, God could’ve condemned us (all of us) and cast us out eternally. Instead, only by His gracious mercy and power, and by His immeasurable suffering, He has taken us in, cleansed us, and set us on a trajectory for eternity that He says cannot be broken, intercepted, or negated. This is nothing short of miraculous!

Second, the Church of Jesus Christ is only underway. We’re on pilgrimage. We have’t arrived yet (and anyone that claims that we have has missed or skipped profound portions of God’s Word). No one is claiming to have it all right. We’re not done! None of us are the Ones credited with making anything right — only the LORD has that glory. So we’re humble at heart, amazed, and fueled by gratitude for the indescribable privileges that HE has freely offered to us.

Third, the Church of Jesus Christ is nevertheless secure. We are built upon the Rock of Christ Jesus. Dying to atone for all of our sins, He said, “It is finished!” The veil of the Temple was torn open at His death, signifying our admittance into the holy Presence of God! We belong! To the Most Holy One! We are His people. He is our God. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “If He is for us, who can be against us?” (8:31)

So, while it may be popular or trendy to beat up on the church, I would be careful. The critic is slamming the Bride of Jesus … Let that sink in.

An abiding thought that just hangs in my mind is how Jesus, as the Living God, has to know everything about all of us. So, how much “wrong” did Jesus know about His disciples? And yet, how much time did He spend correcting His disciples versus investing in them, building into them, and encouraging them to rejoice and be hopeful? If anyone had cause to critique their followers, it was Jesus, and yet by a measurable ratio, Jesus spent more time anchoring them in hope than He did in correction.

How could He do this? I believe it’s because Jesus viewed His disciples through the lens of His finished work and the seal of His Spirit. He could invest His people with hope because of how His grace would prevail and will prevail. This means that, by aligning with Jesus’ treatment of us, belief in a person is more significant than correction; to see some vestige of God’s work in them is more powerful than advice. Love trumps law. And Hope is more powerful than sin, death, and hell because Jesus and His work to save us is greater than everything we’ve done wrong.

So, how well do you encourage versus critique? Are you picky? Disparaging? Judgmental or condescending of people who disappoint you? Or instead, how hopeful are you? How encouraging are you of the people in your life, and especially within the Church? What catches your eye? What people do wrong, or what they might possibly have done right? And I am not saying we don’t correct each other! I’m asking you to evaluate what you emphasize. What is the tone of how you relate? Remember the miracle; trust Him for the journey; be amazed at the security, and then ask Jesus to help you to be encouraging and grateful.