We talk about “my church”, “my pastor”, and “my ministry”. These things are not yours.
Our church is our family. Our church is where we are pastored (nurtured) and where we minister to (nurture) each other.
The difference is between a place where you take for yourself and a place where you care for others. One is a club for Bible geeks and the other is the Kingdom of Heaven.
This pharisaical toxin in our thinking is inherited from the trace amounts of pharisee presence in our church culture and wider doctrinal teachings. Pharisaical influence is like leaven (yeast) of Galatians 5:9 – any is too much. The church is suffering from a yeast infection.
I suggest that it is time to remove pharisaical influence and rethink the way we think about “church”.