Before We Build Bridges, We Must Tear Down Walls

There’s a wall between the church and the very people Jesus misses the most.

It wasn’t built overnight.
It rose slowly — brick by brick — through gossip disguised as “concern,” through cold traditions that choked out compassion, through hypocrisy hidden behind Church smiles. And now, it stands high and thick — separating the broken from the Body, the seeking from the saved.

But let’s be honest: some of us helped build it.
And if we’re going to follow Jesus, we have to tear it down.

The Walls That Divide Us

When Jesus walked this earth, He confronted walls everywhere He went.
Walls of religion.
Walls of fear.
Walls built by people who thought they were defending truth but were really just protecting their comfort zones.

He touched the leper when the law said “stay away.”
He ate with tax collectors when the religious elite said “they’re unclean.”
He forgave the woman caught in adultery when everyone else said “stone her.”

Jesus didn’t avoid walls — He ran straight at them with holy fire.

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
— Ephesians 2:14 (NIV)

Today, those walls look different — but their roots are the same.

The Wall of Hurt — built from betrayal by pastors, gossip in the pews, or silence in moments that demanded compassion.
The Wall of Tradition — where human customs are guarded more fiercely than human souls.
The Wall of Hypocrisy — where we sing “Just as I Am” but secretly mean “Just as long as you act like us.”

Let’s not pretend these walls aren’t real. Let’s not decorate them with stained glass and call it “reverence.”
Jesus is not impressed with beautiful walls — He’s looking for broken hearts.

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
— Matthew 15:8 (NIV)

When the Church Hurts, Heaven Weeps

If you’ve been hurt by the church, hear this clearly: God saw it.
Every cutting word. Every cold shoulder. Every time someone used Scripture as a weapon instead of a balm.

And while some may have told you to “get over it” or “just forgive,” God is not so careless with your pain.
He does not excuse sin just because it happened in a sanctuary.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord.
— Jeremiah 23:1 (NKJV)

The same Jesus who overturned tables in the temple still burns with righteous anger when His people are used, silenced, or shamed. But He also extends that same grace to the guilty — because walls fall not through rage, but through repentance.

The Work of Tearing Down

Tearing down walls isn’t neat or comfortable.
It’s dusty, loud, and painful.
It means facing hard truths and owning our failures. It means the church must stop defending itself long enough to start healing itself.

When Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, he began by weeping over the ruins. Maybe before we rebuild the church’s witness, we need to weep over what’s been lost.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
— Psalm 51:17 (NIV)

This is what Tearing Down Walls is about.
Not bashing the church — but reviving it.
Not giving up on faith — but finding the real Jesus again, the One who still walks among the wounded, not the self-righteous.

A Call to the Broken and the Brave

If you’ve walked away from the church, but not from God — this space is for you.
If you’re in the church but can feel the Spirit crying for something deeper — this space is for you too.

Together, we’ll confront hurt with honesty, tradition with truth, and hypocrisy with humility. Because Jesus deserves a church that looks like Him — not a fortress, but a field hospital for the hurting.

“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
— Jeremiah 23:29 (NIV)

So let the fire fall.
Let the hammer swing.
Let the walls that divide us come crashing down — until love stands where judgment once did, and grace flows where pride once ruled.

Because on the other side of the wall…
is Jesus.
And He’s still waiting for His church to meet Him there.