[Darris McNeely] I ran across some research recently by the Barna Institute about people and their attitudes about religion, spirituality, and the church. And part of what they were researching came up with this phrase that people say, "I love Jesus, but not church." And I looked at that and I thought about it, and I said, "How can you love Jesus, but not church?" Now I understand that people can be upset, disillusioned with traditional churches, organized religion for any number of reasons, I get that. You know, I've been a pastor for a number of years, and I understand church life and churches, but to say that you love Jesus, but not the church, and to try and put a cross or an "X" through that, you can't do it. I'll tell you why, because in the book of Ephesians 1, God describes the purpose for the church through the Apostle Paul and He brings it down in Ephesians 1:20-23, a well known passage, but very important, because it speaks of Jesus Christ and it says, "He has put all things under his feet and gave him," Christ, or Jesus, "to be head over all things to the church. Jesus is the head of the church," he says, "which is his body, the fullness of him, who fills all in all."

It's a contradiction. You can't say, "I love Jesus, but not the church." It betrays a misunderstanding about what the Bible says, about what really the church is and who the head of the church is. Christ is the head of the church. Look at it this way, I understand your disillusionment perhaps with organized churches, but look at whatever church is on your corner, and look at that as a church with a little "c," but the Bible, the book of Ephesians, talks about a different church. It's a spiritual body, Christ is the head, and it's a church with a capital "C." Look at it from that perspective, study your Bible, see what it says. I guarantee you'll come out with a different point-of-view.

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