Where Are They?
Where are all the Church members? Where are all those that claim the name of Christ yet do not worship or gather or disciple?
Haggai 2:3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
Where have they gone? I believe the answer in the Word of God given to the Prophet Haggai.
1:6 Ye have sown much but bring in little: Ye eat, but have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye cloth you, but ye are not warm; and he that earnest wages earned wages to put it into a bag with holes.
1:9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did not blow upon it. Why? Saith the Lord-of Hosts. Because of mine house that is in waste,and ye run every man into his own house. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
Do any remember the days when our churches were full or close to it? I surely do, it hasn’t been that long ago when it was common practice that proclaiming Christians would gather on Sunday morning and some on Saturday morning.
Not that long ago at all as far as time is concerned. A very few decades ago, the majority of our population were professing Christians and attended their perspective places of worship. What changed?
It became common practice for bad behavior to be overlooked. Pastors, due to outside influence from large organizations or fear of decreasing numbers on attendance or financial ledgers, began to ignore bad behavior.
Much as the Scripture speaks of spoiling the child, the rod of correction was spared and important issues weren’t addressed. It is common today for our congregations to include professing members that are common thieves, adulterers, harlots, or addicts, and who are well known to the leadership of the church, and the behavior is ignored instead of being addressed according to the Scripture.
Many churches hoard money, I heard of a finance committee member who suggested that the church place their money in a CD. This church for its size has a sizable sum.
A CD? Why is the money not being used to spread the Word of God? My initial thought was that suggestion may be one of the most ungodly things a church body could choose to do.
Does the Scripture clearly tell us to not store up our riches on Earth and to store up our riches in Heaven? Did God not say He feeds the birds and clothes the lilies of the field and that He would do much more for us? Is God’s house beginning to look like it is in waste to you yet? I observe many church members and hear of bad behaviors going on in our churches and it crushes my heart.
I see many old folks who come to church out of tradition more so than to worship. As I stated in another writing, many don’t want new younger members because they are comfortable with things just the way they are.
I believe comfort is not the trait of a serving Christian!!!! If you are comfortable, then you are not active for God, you’re not serving God. The term I use for a comfortable Christian is a bag of “dried bones”. Empty vessels sitting on a shelf.
This is not the life for a Christian nor is it an acceptable existence of the Lord’s Church! A pastor friend of mine chuckles because I make reference to an old term when referring to lukewarm Christians as spiritual “Mugwumps”—fence straddlers.
Double-minded people claiming the name of the Lord but serving themselves. Hmmmm, allow me to make reference to Matthew 6:24 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Did God not say His Grace is sufficient? Did He not say that He will provide? Another verse says, “Oh, ye of little faith.”
You should read through the Book of Haggai and see if this looks like many of our churches today. We are the responsible stewards of God’s house and we will be held accountable.
The Scripture makes reference to having our house in order and this is what must happen. To paraphrase the words of Joshua: choose this day whom you will serve.
If serving Jesus is evil to you, then serve the gods of your forefathers before the flood, or the gods of the Egyptians, Greeks, or Romans, or maybe you sit upon the throne of your mind.
But choose whom you will serve! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Am I being harsh again? No, just truthful, and “the truth will set you free!” So many professing Christians “coddiwomple” (travel purposefully toward an unknown destination). A true Christian servant knows very well their intended destination!
I hope through these words I have presented a clear picture of where our failings are and given a direction for corrective action.
“The flesh cares not about your eternity, because it’s not going with you!”
Kenneth Kellar
A Man Called by God to Teach and Disciple