PREACHER/PROPHET

I didn’t know what to call this latest post from Brian. It hits hard. He’s doing a little preaching at you, the Church. And prophets of the Old Testament weren’t too popular in their own time as they brought messages that quite frankly, people didn’t want to hear.

The condition of the church today grieves my heart. It’s not any one denomination. It is a disease that appears to be spreading across all denominational lines. It seems to be a disease that few see (but I doubt that). More than likely it is a disease that only a few will mention and will bring to the attention of leadership. Too few in leadership either do not recognize, acknowledge or care to do what is necessary to eradicate this disease. The disease, for lack of a good name, is the striving after the world, instead of striving after God.

It’s not that there isn’t some good happening in and coming out of the church. But it’s been shown that the Church in America is declining. Why? It’s not from a lack of resource materials. There’s any number of books on how to grow your church, your Sunday school (if you still have one), have small groups, every which worship style you can imagine and so on. In the Third World Countries, the Church is growing by leaps and bounds. Why? They lack resources/study materials; many don’t even have Bibles. Yet the body of Christ continues to grow there, and many are added to the Kingdom every day. Why does it appear to be happening there and not here? I have heard it said, in Africa Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep. I question whether we in the West are any better. I sometimes wonder if God has removed His hand from the Western church. I guess that’s why it bothers me so to see the Western church exporting its style of Christianity (how we do “church”). Maybe WE should be looking to the Third World Church (non-Western) for some insight.

What are the differences? Of course the obvious is that we are financially prosperous, they are not. They have persecution on a more physical level that we do not. They desire God’s Word-do we? They are willing to except hardship for Christ’s name-are we? They meet together for church at the risk of imprisonment, loss of jobs-would we? We won’t even let church get in the way of our camping trips or days at the lake, or work.

I say we (the church) have turned from God; we have become content with where we are at and see no need for anything more. You disagree? Well what about taking the summer off (no Sunday School, no prayer meetings, no Sunday evening services {those went by the wayside years ago}) from “serious” church business, from studying of God’s word together? It is as though God supposedly takes a vacation from Memorial weekend to Labor Day weekend. I don’t know if this is just a Minnesota thing or what. I know my friend in Indiana said they don’t (take vacation) as I talked to him on his way to Sunday evening services. God doesn’t take a vacation and neither should we! We don’t go to church because it’s the thing to do. We cannot continue to plan church around what is easiest, the most convenient, and the least amount of trouble. Nowhere in his Word does it say to take the summer (or any other time) off. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it really upsets me. I know for myself it is very hard to get back into something when I’ve taken an extended time off. I know I am not the only one either.

The church is on fire. Some are completely oblivious to it; some smell the smoke; others even see the fire. But very few say anything. Some say nothing because they are content. Others say nothing out of fear; others just don’t want to rock the boat. The few who do are usually looked upon as complainers, troublemakers.

When the society we live in is on the highway to hell, why is the Church conforming and adapting to its culture? The people who are looking for Hope (which is found only in Christ Jesus) are tired of the world. They know the world does NOT have what they need, what they long for, so they may go to church seeking. And once there, what do they find? They find that the world has taken over there too. There is very little difference between the church and the world anymore. We have twisted and perverted the idea that we are supposed to be in the world, but not of it.

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
1 Jn. 2:15-17

We forget that the world will pass away. Why are we striving to look like it?
We visited a church that seems more concerned about attracting seekers than really “growing” its flock. They are concerned non-believers won’t come because of the time or the name. So what if they do come? What will they find? Will they find strong, healthy, grounded believers? Or will they find more of what they are trying to get away from? Most non-believers I believe are looking for absolutes. They don’t want anymore of “do it your own way”; often that is what got them where they are at today. They want guidelines, they want structure; yes, they want someone to tell them what they are doing is wrong.

Who is the Church’s first ministry to? Non-believers or brothers and sisters in Christ? We are called to be a light to the world no doubt, but we are to be encouragers, teachers, to each other.
Ephesians 3:21 gives us the purpose of the church, “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” The ultimate purpose of the church is to bring honor and glory to the head, Jesus Christ. It does this as it fulfills two purposes related to God’s program for the world. One purpose is evangelism. I don’t doubt that, as Christ Himself gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28.

The other purpose is for edification of the saints. Eph. 4:12 tells us the saints need to be edified (built up) for two goals: “ (1) for the equipping of the saints (2) for the work of services.” The believers who make up the church need to be built up so that they may realize all that God has provided for Christian living and that they may come to spiritual maturity. They (we) all need to be equipped to perform the work in the body of Christ that God wants us to perform. In a sense, each member of a church is to be a Christian worker so that the work that God wants them to perform through the local church can be accomplished. (Excerpts taken from The Christian’s Guide to the New Life) How can they do those works of services (which I say evangelism is a part of) without being grounded in the Word? We need the Scriptures taught to us line upon line, line upon line, precept on precept, precept on precept. The Scriptures that are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). This foundation will prepare us for sharing God’s Word to a lost and dying world that is seeking more than what the world has to offer.

Instead, we appear to be in the world, and of it. It’s not that I have got the formula down. I don’t. It is very difficult to do, to balance. In this current age there is a philosophy that we need to look just like the world so that non-believers will accept us, accept Christ. One thing Christ never did was compromise His ministry. He ate with the sinners, but He didn’t set the table at their favorite tavern for them.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you”. John 15:18-19

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

“They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth ad the spirit of error”. 1 John 4:5-6

I hope you will join me in praying to be hated by this world (the culture). Pray that the line between the church (the Bride of Christ) and the world will become clearly defined once again. I want my life, my church to be so conformed to God, to be so much a part of Him, that those who aren’t followers will despise us, despise what we have. They will despise us because they will feel left out. I want them to despise what we have so much because deep down they know that they are longing for it too. I want non-believers to be convicted of their sinfulness, to know that they are living in rebellion and out of the will of God for their lives. Once convicted, I want them to desire, instead to be like me. I want them to long for what I have, to have that awesome feeling of being so devoted to someone (God) and being able to trust completely in Him.

Will a leader please stand up? How far do we have to go before someone will stand up and call the church to prayer, confession, and repentance?

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”. James 4:4