Mecklenburg Community Church

I grew up in a religious tradition that was focused on following the rules rather than entering into a relationship with Jesus. Maybe it’s because of that baggage growing up that I’m very cognizant of the pitfalls and stumbling blocks that "rule-following" can create for people who are looking at the church from the outside and thinking either "I’m not good enough to join them" or "If it’s just about following rules, I don’t want to join them."

Once you get inside the church, I’ve learned that "rule-creating" and "rule-following" tends to foster division and sucks the life out of worship and relationships. Obedience to God’s Word is one thing. It’s certainly a good thing to pursue Jesus and holiness. Creating and forcing people to follow man-made rules, however, is damaging to the faith and to the church. The irony of "rule-creating" and "rule-following" is that I think it often times is a reflection of the pride in our lives that makes us think I know what’s right and you don’t.

The reality, of course, is that we have great freedom in Christ. If you don’t believe me, just spend some time studying the Book of Galatians. That book is a loud warning to us to be careful about mixing legalism into our faith. In fact, you may also want to study how many times Jesus rebuked the "rule-creators" and the "rule-followers." You’ll be amazed at how often Jesus challenged the religious leaders while at the same time showing compassion to those who admitted they were broken and hurting and lost.

Because of this, I’m grateful for ministries like Mecklenburg Community Church. Mecklenburg is pastored by Jim White, and they are located in Charlotte, North Caronlina. This weekend, they’ve demonstrated their willingness to tackle this tough topic head-on. This weekend’s service is all about "The Lie and the Lure of Legalism." This is one of those messages that every church and every Christ-follower needs to hear.

I believe God designed Christianity to be about compassion and not condemnation. Fortunately, there are more and more churches that have learned the importance of valuing that in their ministry as well. Mecklenburg Community Church is one of those ministries. That’s why I’m naming Mecklenburg my "Cool Church of the Week."