When I was growing up church was a safe place
Didn't really understand the depths, but I'd say the grace
Put my hands in the air, sing the songs same way
Made me feel good about myself in a strange way
See, I never really doubted God ever
Tough times came but I knew they'd get better
I used to blame him for the violence and the wars
But then I realized that we do that to ourselves, it's a flaw
Still had my cake and ate it too
Guess I was away with you
I'd go against the bible, but when I needed something praise him too
When I was struggling I'd look for help in heavenly places
Then forget God in devilish phases
Got baptized and when I came out of the water
I felt like a new man
I recognized the trauma that I'd been through
From the day I was born to the days I
Was brought up, the stories working together
I just gotta trust the author and I learnt to
Try to be a man of virtue
Committed to the church 'cause I knew they'd never hurt you
So imagine my surprise
When my pastor went to jail, for abusing some of the guys
I was devastated
'Cause to the church I was dedicated
It was meant to bring some light into this world of hatred
But we're shady and need to go back to basics
Some friends they couldn't face it
And left the faith because they lost patience
Started struggling
And I couldn't put my mind to rest
Reading up on stories about some of the
Congregation being homeless and depressed
While the pastor's buying private jets
Paid by the very people tryna fight their way through debt
How's that gonna earn respect
Friends are sending tweets and texts
These ain't the words that Jesus said
And ain't the reason Jesus bled
I'm tryna find some peace in bed
It's kinda like Ephesians says
I pray for wisdom and knowledge for all the other leaders left
And we let these things go on in the church,
Then we say how evil those people are out in the world
You guys, that's completely opposite of what God desires
God says "You know what? The people who don't know me?
They're gonna do what they're gonna do. And you need to love them."
You ne-you need to go after them
Isn't that what Jesus did?
He was out with the alcoholics, with the prostitutes
With the murders, with the thieves, that's who Jesus hung with
Out in the world
They say the church is supposed to look
Differently, God says "I want the church to be pure"
La-la-lately I've been looking at my own life
All my weaknesses and my struggles, they seem to hold tight
I call myself a Christian, go figure
I guess looking at the church is kinda like looking in the mirror
'Cause it just ain't a building, it's the people
We're the ones that make the same mistakes again, it ain't the steeple
I'm just, wondering if I played my part in the evil
I know we've all got different sins
We're fighting demons till the sequel
I'm a hypocrite
Made some mistakes I gotta live with it
Praying for forgiveness everyday, there's something different, it's
Playing on my mind
'Cause there were times I used to find all the faults
In someone else when I was struggling with them myself
I'm gonna change my ways
Looking at this world, I think there's space for faith
Helps me on my wayward days
But it's time I raised the stakes
You know, trynna practice what I preach
Be a man of my word, try harder to become a better person
In the meantime, even though I know it's not perfect
I'm faithful to the church 'cause I feel like I'm always learning
And you can hate it if you want to
But I realized the other day, that there's hypocrites in the clubs too
And people still go back to party
So, I go back to church 'cause I believe in what God has started
He brought me out of the darkness
Gave me a home to put my heart in
Sticking by it regardless
I'm committed when times are hardest
'Cause my church prayed for me when I lost my dad in an instant
The church gave me sight when I didn't have any vision
The church gave me songs when my mind was stuck in a prison
I would sing 'em so loud and feel freedom enter my system
I see my church feed the homeless and give them service
I've seen 'em take the kids off the street and give 'em purpose
I've seen 'em give a home to the nations so they can worship
I've seen the church see past my flaws, I'm undeserving
There's many pros but they're many flaws
The good, the bad, the ugly and I'm ready for it
And everybody disses it
Till they got a funeral
A wedding or a christening they need a venue for
There's cons but there's pros too
The good, the bad, the ugly, that's the whole truth
The church isn't the place that I just go to
It's the family I belong to
(Belong to)