February 23, 2017

Greetings My Friend, Our Sunday School lesson has had me looking at the make up of the church body. I recall a lesson one time where I learned about lighthouses, in these lighthouses it was found that work was needed to be done on them to keep them functioning for the passing ships. A group of people got together to work on the lighthouse and soon it was in great shape, the people enjoyed each other so they decided to fix the inside up nice so they could gather there and be comfortable. Carpet was put down, tables brought in and even curtains were hung and it was not long before the people were more interested in socializing than in maintaining the lighthouse for passing ships. A couple of the group members felt that was not the reason for the lighthouse so they broke off and decided to go fix up another light house and soon the same thing happened as in the first one. Then a few broke off and went to another lighthouse, before long all of the lighthouses were social clubs and ships were not able to see in bad weather. If I look at this story I can see our churches may be like the social groups at the lighthouses. They invite like minded people to run the church, ministry is the agenda of the church and then the people slowly turn the church into a social group of people that share the same social things and ministry is left for other people and churches to do. One of the things I have enjoyed about being a member of a church body is the diverse types of people within that body. There are the lawyers, doctor's and other professional people alongside of them are the blue collar types of working people and then there are those who are struggling to make ends meet, those that are challenged mentally or physically and the church reaches back into the community, the world around them and around the world. We get comfortable and then we start nit picking at the new members, the long time members and so on, the church declines and one day that group of believers has no more new members. We are seeing a transplant church in our community that has dwindled so much that there is not another generation to take the reigns and carry on the work of the church. It is sad, people within the church do not want the doors closed but the members are to old to do what they once did and again no younger people are stepping forward. The ones that are left long to stay. My Sunday school lesson is teaching me to not be overly critical when a new person comes to the church, if they dress in less than acceptable clothing we need to accept them, let God convict them. We need to welcome the heart that is searching and leave the convicting of sinful lifestyles to God. We can lovingly direct people to the Bible. If long time believers fall into sin other members can talk with that person but a new believer will have many sinful habits that will be refined as they walk in the Word. We do not need to make church an entertainment church to attract new believers, God usually directs believers to the church that is right for them. Junior and I were talking about our lifestyle, we seem to be outside the comfortable norm of most places we attend. The older I get the more I believe God has me on the fringe between middle class and lower middle class for a reason. I am able to reach back and I may convict the more financially secure. I would rather fit in with the more upper middle class type of people but I don't. Junior says he has been on the outside so long that when we are around town and he sees someone from church he won't acknowledge them because they put up with him in church and that is enough. I guess God has led me to write in order to teach about getting to comfortable with a lifestyle and not allowing others in. The church needs to love people where they are at both in the building and outside it otherwise the church body is not unlike the socializing found in the lighthouse story. Are we willing to be a friend outside of church to a new believer? May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet