I am seeing a distinct lack of services, outreach, and service in today's society from the church. A distinct lack of Vision. What are we doing to get people in to the church? To the fold of The Good Shepherd? What is our plan to do this? What is our plan of action?
In churches today are we taking our talents outside of the Church? In the word talent there I am referring to the parable from the Bible.
Matthew 25:14-29 KJV
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Which servant shall we be likened unto in the Day of Judgement? Are we the ones who returned double? or are we the ones who went and dug a hole and gave only what was given to us?
Are we taking our money and putting it into the bank so that we can say we are healthy and whole? yet we fail to outreach, we fail to invest it into souls because we are afraid of misusing, unwise spending so we do nothing. When Christ comes back our bank statement will mean nothing. We can have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank and what will happen to it? It will go to the man of sin, the anti Christ. Our church budget will mean nothing. The church building will be useless, the piano and organ beautiful though they might be will mean nothing. The wonderful sound systems, equipment, pews, carpeting etc none of it will mean a thing after Christ comes back.
All that will matter when Christ comes back is what we have stored up in Heaven. What we have done for Him is all that will matter in the annals of eternity. God will Judge us based on our harvests not based on our bank accounts. Churches are so impersonal and cold anymore. We are so afraid of offending that we have allowed ourselves to be scared stiff. We are more of a social club. we are more of a meeting place. We are no longer a House of God waiting for the Spirit, we are a people almost Pharisaical in nature as we are taking the tithes and offerings and padding our banks accounts. No matter how wisely we save, or how much interest we get it will not matter in the final judgement. Stewardship is necessary, good stewardship is a must. BUT when do we stop investing in outreach and lost souls so that we can measure our good stewardship? The sins of omission are as costly as the sins of Commission.
We are going to answer for how we spend the money. We are going to answer for what we didn't do as well.
Well we have a huge missions board. We support them. Ok, that's good.
What are you doing in your community? America did not get this way over night. Our churches have pulled into themselves. They no longer reach out, they wait for the lost to come to them. The church has failed America, The World. The Christians have failed America.
Most of the church functions anymore appeal to the ones already in the church. What are you doing to go out into the highways and byways? Where are the lost and sick, the feeble, the empty ones, the scared ones? Are you waiting for the government to help them?
What is the VISION of the church in America? are we just piling up bank accounts, members, and numbers? Are we so worried about tithes and offerings and who is giving that we have forgotten what the church should be giving? what they have been entrusted to do with that money?
God cares what we do with that which is entrusted to us the church. God cares that we get out. God cares that we try. God cares that we are going out in His name and spreading the Word. God cares about lost and dying souls, Not how big your church is, or how big your bank account is, or how many names on your membership rolls. He cares about souls.
God gave us a commandment to go out and preach the Gospel, not to make sure we have money in the bank. How many souls shall die because we were waiting till we had saved enough, or till we had sufficient funding? It takes very little to get out and preach and minister and witness. How much is enough? Apparently in today's church enough will never be met, it is one more excuse to do nothing.
Ask Him today to give you a desire to save souls, to reach out to them, to bring them the Light.
Left to their own devices they will not look for the Light. We must take it to them.
We are going to give account for our inaction, our hoarding of resources and of the Word.
Are we going to be the ones who have only what He gave us?
Are we going to have an investment to give Him on His return?
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