The children of God should be the happiest people in the world!
Our faces should be a mirror of the joy of our salvation, which is in Christ Jesus the Lord!
Our voices should be an instrument of the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His wondrous world of light!
But as we look at the faces of many people in many churches, what do we see?
We see gloomy faces. Sad faces. Long faces.
We see tired and slouching bodies that struggle to stand and sing the hymns as if they are trying to get through another song so they can be seated to rest their tired and weary bodies, and trying to be discreet as they cover their yawning lips.
They glance at their watches, not wanting to be noticed.
We hear voices that struggle to pray, saying prayers as if they are memorized and rehearsed, and repeating the prayers they have heard others say.
We watch ministers reading to people from notebooks of massive notes they wrote Tuesday morning in order to free their calendars to play golf the rest of the week.
And without written programs, people wouldn't know what to sing, when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, when to shake hands, or when to say Amen; for the whole time of worship is an orchestrated program, on time and on cue---while the pages of their Bibles are still stuck together.
A church used to be called the House of the Lord.
Auditoriums used to be called sanctuaries.
Platforms used to be called pulpits.
The Speaker for the day used to be called the Preacher, or the man of God.
Committee members used to be called the elders of the church.
The Good Book used to be called the Holy Bible.
The Man Upstairs used to be called Christ the Lord.
Preaching used to be a calling from God; not it's an answer to a CAREER OPPORTUNITY advertisement in a newspaper with company benefits.
Singers used to be ministers of music; now they give musical concerts, designed to thrill people.
Could it just be that people in churches have lost their first love and the thrill of the Lord is gone from their lives? Or is it possible that they have never experienced the Lord?
Perhaps people have simply received a good dose of religion---and they like it.
The evidence of their feast days is likely to be found in the things of this world that thrill them: baseball games, football games, movies, music, television, holidays, politics, electronic gadgets---all combined for a continuous diet of entertainment.
No wonder churches are dying across America! For the only time people get excited is when they are leaving the buildings.
Where is everybody going?
They are going to Six Flags Over The World!
To push another number on the jukebox!
To drop another CD in the slot!
To stomp and shout at another football game or baseball game!
To watch continuing dramas on television!
To play with their electronic gadgets---computers, cell phones, iPhones, iPads.
And they are off to Florida to suffer for Jesus while on vacation.
Our faces should be a mirror of the joy of our salvation, which is in Christ Jesus the Lord!
Our voices should be an instrument of the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His wondrous world of light!
But as we look at the faces of many people in many churches, what do we see?
We see gloomy faces. Sad faces. Long faces.
We see tired and slouching bodies that struggle to stand and sing the hymns as if they are trying to get through another song so they can be seated to rest their tired and weary bodies, and trying to be discreet as they cover their yawning lips.
They glance at their watches, not wanting to be noticed.
We hear voices that struggle to pray, saying prayers as if they are memorized and rehearsed, and repeating the prayers they have heard others say.
We watch ministers reading to people from notebooks of massive notes they wrote Tuesday morning in order to free their calendars to play golf the rest of the week.
And without written programs, people wouldn't know what to sing, when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, when to shake hands, or when to say Amen; for the whole time of worship is an orchestrated program, on time and on cue---while the pages of their Bibles are still stuck together.
A church used to be called the House of the Lord.
Auditoriums used to be called sanctuaries.
Platforms used to be called pulpits.
The Speaker for the day used to be called the Preacher, or the man of God.
Committee members used to be called the elders of the church.
The Good Book used to be called the Holy Bible.
The Man Upstairs used to be called Christ the Lord.
Preaching used to be a calling from God; not it's an answer to a CAREER OPPORTUNITY advertisement in a newspaper with company benefits.
Singers used to be ministers of music; now they give musical concerts, designed to thrill people.
Could it just be that people in churches have lost their first love and the thrill of the Lord is gone from their lives? Or is it possible that they have never experienced the Lord?
Perhaps people have simply received a good dose of religion---and they like it.
The evidence of their feast days is likely to be found in the things of this world that thrill them: baseball games, football games, movies, music, television, holidays, politics, electronic gadgets---all combined for a continuous diet of entertainment.
No wonder churches are dying across America! For the only time people get excited is when they are leaving the buildings.
Where is everybody going?
They are going to Six Flags Over The World!
To push another number on the jukebox!
To drop another CD in the slot!
To stomp and shout at another football game or baseball game!
To watch continuing dramas on television!
To play with their electronic gadgets---computers, cell phones, iPhones, iPads.
And they are off to Florida to suffer for Jesus while on vacation.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments will not be published openly.