4 Threats...
Today's devotional is an in between chapters devotional that I shared recently with our overseers. It is an article titled "4 Practical Threats to the Church Today" by Jared Longshore. Here is the link to the actual article: http://founders.org/
Here are the points and some thoughts on these threats.
1. We face a threat of not meeting regularly enough as a church.
Of course the signature verses used was Hebrews 10:24 and 25 which read, "And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching."
We live in a sped up world. There are so many other things that are happening that we need to keep attending a time of worship as a priority. A quote from the article was, "Our failure to assemble is not mainly one of discipline, but desire." There is a big difference between saying that you need to go to church and that you want to go to church. Do we need to restructure? Do we need to reprioritize? Do we need to readjust our focus?
These are questions as the overseers of this flock that we struggle with to find a balance that is God honoring by these verses. We pray for a congregation that is gathering out of an ever increasing love for Jesus.
2. We face the threat of self-centeredness.
The notable quote is, "The church, however, thrives on looking away from ourselves to Christ and others. The church cannot function appropriately when members don't deny themselves." The Scripture reference is Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves."
That "more important" in a world that is obsessed with patting itself on its back and taking "selfies" of itself is rare and has crept into the church. We look for what the church can give us rather than how we can serve those who gather there. We allow our preferences to become principles and God's principles become preferences. Jesus told the Pharisees that they tithed their mint and cumin but neglected things like grace and mercy to others. We need to struggle to keep our fingers pointing to God and others.
3. We face a threat of being thin on the Bible.
You knew this one was coming, didn't you? The quote to record is, "Every Christian is being discipled by the world around him or her." The world is doing a great job at disciplining those outside and inside the church. We can quote lines from some movie or have read every Harry Potter book but come up short on the Bible or haven't picked it up in awhile to seriously devour it. The Scripture reference is the very familiar Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
We need to know God's Word so that we can agree with it. We need to study God's Word so we can share it accurately with others. We need to hear God's Word repeatedly so we can act upon it with confidence. The threat is that the "real thing" has been set aside and replaced with sound byte canons and cliff note summaries.
4. We face a threat of fearing man and not fearing God.
Kevin said that this one is the domino for the other three. If we have a fear of man then we will care more about what he says than what God says. If we care more about what man says than what God says then we will lean toward what is important to man and that is being selfish and self-centered. If we lean toward being selfish and self-centered then time with God is going to get shorter and shorter to the point of elimination.
The Scripture reference is Acts 4:19 and 20, which says, "Peter and John answered them, 'Whether it's right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide, for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.'" Many times we say "yes" to man and are saying "no" to God. The notable quote in this section is, "Our orientation is off. We offer man respect at God's expense." If we fear God, man will be respected in God's way through His people. The threat is becoming a place that is pleasing to the populace while becoming a place that is void of God's gospel message spoken unashamedly.
Just a little insight on what happens on a regular basis within the confines of an overseer meeting. Pray for us as we combat against the threats that Satan throws at our church. Let us pray.
"Lord, may You give us discernment needed to see Satan's sly ways of trying to work his way in. May we combat against that we just need a little of God rather than can't get enough of Him. May we combat against self-esteem and replace it with Christ being esteemed. May the Bible be our most picked up book. May our focus be on You and what pleases You so that we can love others in a holy way. Lord help us we pray. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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