WILL YOUR CHURCH, IN COMING YEARS, SHRINK OR GROW AND WHICH AND WHY?

(These thoughts are added to each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday)

Will your Church, in coming years, shrink or grow? As you will. As you will.

Why? Because you may not have a golden tongue but you can be a jewel to life. The world’s watching. It never ceases to listen.

What are you giving it to hear? Your pulpit is your personality. If you are sour, you do your Saviors cause no good. If you mouth is foul and those who hear you know you attend church you destroy its dignity by such representation. If you practice prejudice, can’t be trusted with the truth, steal at the drop of an opportunity, then, your sermon is of the Devil and your honorarium is from Hell.

Do not tell me you cannot teach. You teach every day. You teach sacrifice or laziness or spiritual truths or compassion or unconcern by what you do or leave undone. Your class is everywhere.

Dr. Emil Brunner put his finger on the root of the problem when he said, “As the early church sought security in offices, sacrament and formal creeds, it lost its revolutionary power…it ceased to be a new life…it became a mere cult society…”

Vance Havner tells of an experience in a small western town where he had gone to preach. It seems that down in the lobby of the hotel where he stayed, was a poster listing all the local civic attractions: industry, schools, the library, the business section…and the churches. He says that it just set him to wondering what that said about the churches, because back in early church history, Christians and their meeting place were never listed as community assets.

And why? Because they were such a disturbance, a conscience…oh yes, they were not bland.

A young man speaking to this wrote,
I had walked life’s way with an easy tread,
Had followed where comforts and pleasure led,
Until one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.

With station, and fame and wealth for my goal,
Much thought for my body and none for my soul
I had entered to win in life’s big race,
When I met the Master face to face.

I met Him and knew Him and blushed to see,
That His eyes full of sorrow were fixed on me,
I faltered and fell at His feet that day,
While my castles melted and vanished away.
Melted and vanished and in their place,
Naught else did I see but the Master’s face.

And I cried aloud, “Oh, make me meet
To follow the steps of Thy wounded feet.”
My thought is now for the souls of men.
I have lost my life to find it again.
Ere since one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.

Down through the years, I have been inspired by church members who have taken a stand and lost a bundle. Men and women who have spoken out, and been called fanatics because of it. Children who were more mature than their parents. Lay men and women who have been ministers even though never officially ordained. And it is such as these who have truly kept the church alive.

Have a friend visit my ONE A DAY YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS site. Have them go to Google and where it says “Google Search” type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”

And, yes, if this site has met any of your needs share it with a friend. Just have them go to “Google Search” and type in “Wyrick’s Writings”

And, yes, maybe they will back track a few weeks to read other of my musings.