I’m disappointed however not discouraged and neither am I distracted. I do know there is much work to be done. I pray that the Holy Spirit will put it on the heart of the church to set me apart and send me out and do the work whereunto which the Holy Spirit has called me to. My prayer is that God would use my frustrations concerning the church for good purpose, put me to good use, and that only He would be glorified.
And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
2 Corinthians 11:28 (ESV)
I have a deep concern for the church, all the churches and as a result my heart is heavy. Today I attended 8am worship at the church I submit to. I’m thankful for the faithful preaching, teaching, and the leadership of our lead-pastor. I’m also thankful, to the best of his ability he has not taken 2 Timothy 2:2 lightly. However there are some other churches and other pastors who seemingly possess an agenda that does not reflect Scripture. There are a lot of songs, both new and old that has nothing to do do with glorifying God. Give me this and give us that prayers are being prayed corporately. The opportunity to worship God in our giving, (in some local churches) has become a time set aside specifically for manipulation and deceit. And the worst thing is that the time given for accurate proclamation, exposition; God’s preached Word, in far too many local churches are a time to promote a self-centered agenda, political points of view, various opinions, motivational moments and many sorts of things that are not the preached Word. This frustrates me, it makes me angry, and it is the reason in which my heart is heavy.
I grew up a church kid. Some of my best memories are in a church building and include people from church. My best friends have been my best friends for my entire life, we met in diapers, before we could talk, in church. In fact our mother’s were pregnant together. I met my wife in church. The church means a great deal to me. I want to see her healthy, I want to see her faithful, I want to see her functioning obediently, and I want to see her succeed. I believe that God gave me these wants. Truth of the matter I believe as we look in the Bible, specifically in Acts, the letters to the churches, and the pastoral epistles that this is exactly what God wants for His church. Perhaps His heart is heavy as well!
Nevertheless Christ did make a promise in Matthew 16 with a promise to not only build his church but that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (18). It’s ok for me to have a heavy heart concerning the local church. I should be frustrated when the Gospel isn’t being preached. I should be angered when the Word of God is being twisted for fame and other selfish gain. I should be bothered when disciples aren’t being made. It should bother me when the church does not serve one another and doesn’t serve her community and city. Things like that should weigh heavy on my hearts. As a matter of fact, if you love Jesus and if you love his church then it should weigh heavy on heart as well when the church isn’t looking like God said she should look and isn’t functioning like God intended her to function, and is completely ignoring the command and commission that God gave to her. Yet that heaviness is lifted when I see that promise. God will not let anything wreck His church. Though at times unfaithful and disobedient, He loves her.
Often times the church simply does not know. Sometimes church leadership is doing the best that they can according to their capacity but no single local church should have to suffer nor rejoice alone. We are all one body, one church. We are in this together. So, regardless of if you are a member of Little Bethlehem Baptist Church Up On The Mountain or Big Bethlehem Baptist Church Down In The Valley, you are apart of the body with the same goal….. That is to make Christ known!!!
Grace & Peace
Deryk Hayes's Blog 