Can you believe that I did not like pizza as a kid? That’s right! I remember going to a really good pizza place in my hometown called Charlie’s Pizza for a pizza party as a young child. I ordered spaghetti as everyone else ordered pizza, ’cause I was not going to have any of that yucky, soft bread, with half melted cheese on it stuff. However, when the food came out, I saw the pizza and it looked surprisingly good.
You see, when I thought of pizza as a youngster, I only thought of the pizza I knew—school pizza. Some of you may have liked it, but I did not. Our school pizza was in a square, there was so little cheese that you could see the red sauce, and it had a soft and soggy texture with a weird smell. So when pizza was mentioned, I was instantly turned off. Until I had the good stuff. If my memory serves me right, it was on that pizza party day, at Charlie’s Pizza, that I discovered what true pizza tasted like, and it was amazing.
I often wonder if people have associated Jesus and the Bible with “school pizza.” Just as I was turned off by the elementary pizza, perhaps people have been turned off from Jesus and the Bible because He and the Word were misrepresented.
One day, I was having coffee with a friend in late spring. You could feel the warmth in the air, yet there was a chill in the wind as we sat outside on the patio as I was sipping a white chocolate mocha and my friend was drinking a matcha. My friend and I were catching up on life since it had been a few years since we’d seen each other.
We eventually started talking about church and how at times some of them can be a little legalistic. Meaning people can teach the Bible in such a way that it is rule-bound and there is little life, joy, and spirit behind that knowledge of the Word they are educating on (see Ephesians 2:8-9 and 1 Corinthians 13:2). This opened the door to my friend mentioning how the Bible can at times be hard for her to read because in the past she had people in her life that twisted the Scripture by using it out of context (see 2 Peter 3:16-18). People may do this for personal gain, manipulation, control, or other various reasons.
I eagerly sat up and told her the story about the pizza. My little heart was like, “What they did was not okay! Please try eating ‘the Bread’ again. The Word of God (which can be referred to with the metaphor of Bread) changes everything!” My friend, with such respect, listened and received what I had to say.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8
It grieves my heart to hear stories of people who were raised in a religious, rule-bound home or church. When legalism (rules) is left and right, it can lead a person to fall into shame or not feeling good enough. It saddens me when I hear about stories like my friend’s, where church leaders twist the Scriptures, therefore causing confusion and discomfort to those who are listening to them.
I am in shock when I hear stories of people being kicked out of church for how they looked or because of a sin they had committed. Is it not the church’s role to accept the outcast, the ones that look different, and the “mess-ups” (see Romans 15:7)? If we look in the mirror, sure, maybe we appear a little more polished, but we are just the same as them. We sin and mess up too.
Perhaps there was a pastor, youth group leader, or relative in your life that called themselves a Christian, but that was the last thing they acted like. They could have been cold, overbearing, and not very loving. Maybe there was a church or a “Christian” that judged you, did not accept you, or looked down on you. Oh, my sweet friends, I apologize if this happened to you. I am sorry for the people who have called themselves Christians but behaved the opposite. Please do not let this stop you from getting reacquainted with Jesus and the Bible.
Yes, the Bible does have certain standards, but those standards are there for our good. When we learn about the ways Jesus wants us to live, they need to be taught with love and gentleness as well as within the context of the Scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Galatians 5:22-23). Not like the Sadducees and Pharisees. If you don’t know who these groups of people were, in a nutshell, they were two religious groups in Jesus’s day. They were stuck in following the “rules.”
Trust me, I love doctrine (teaching of the Bible); however; it needs to be presented in the right manner. If you are reading this and have been hurt in any way by the church and/or Christians, and therefore are turned off from Jesus and the Bible, please attempt Jesus and the Bible again. They may taste completely different than in the times of the past.
Solution:
1. Know the Lord LOVES you. He is not those who hurt you and/or misrepresented the Bible. Many people quote John 3:16, which is awesome, but why do they not include verse 17? Do you know what it says? “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Jesus does not condemn, my sweet friends, and once again, He is not those who have hurt you.
2. A little offense may arise as I say this next point, but if you have not forgiven those who have hurt you, I would highly encourage you to forgive them. We all are indeed human, and no one is perfect. I know it can be hard to forgive those who have hurt you, but Jesus must be onto something if He encourages us to forgive those who have sinned against us (see Matthew 18:21–22).
3. Give Jesus and the Bible another try. Ask the Lord for “new eyes” as you enter into conversation with Him and start reading about Him in the Word of God. If you are not sure where to start reading in the Bible, try the book of John and the Psalms. I do truly believe this time around it will be different—a Charlie’s Pizza kind of different!
