In the Midst of Death

Everywhere I look it seems that death is a popular subject. When people die in war or in a natural disaster it becomes big news. When people die in a murder or industrial accident it is the leading story of the local news. Video games and authors make millions on war and murder. When a celebrity dies, the world spends days mourning them. We even seem to celebrate the death of a business. Have you ever witnessed the crowds at a going-out-of-business sale?

It seems that we love to see people hurt and even killed. We have become a morbid society. America's Funniest Home Videos thrived for more than 10 years on the pain and suffering of others. YouTube is the new place to post videos of somebody being beat up or injuring themselves in some stupid dare. Television, movies and video games have moved beyond reality in the area of gore. And is there anyone who believes that people watch racing while hoping that nobody has an accident?

Perhaps this explains why people seem to be content with dying churches. Throughout the world dedicated church members attend services in half filled sanctuaries and proudly boast that nothing at their church has changed in decades. They appear to revel in the decay that surrounds them. They would prefer to be in the midst of death than to see anything happen to their precious church.

Yes, there is real death going on around us every day. Have we become so desensitized to it that we no longer care about the eternal consequences of our inactions? Would we really rather keep things the way we like them while the church dies around us? Do we not care about the millions of people who are heading to an eternity separated from God? Ed Stetzer made this comment about churches, "People will fight to death over their preferences while the community around them dies and goes to hell."

Thousands of Southern Baptist churches in the United States join together every week and listen to their choir sing great Gospel songs such as "Get on Your Feet Stand Up for Jesus" or "Let the Church Arise." Yet they reported not even one single baptism in the past year. But they are proud that their church has not changed and they dare anybody to try, especially that pastor who has only been at the church for a dozen years. They haven't listened to God in years and they are not about to start following some upstart of a pastor who thinks he is God's shepherd for their church.

Does it really matter if the church you attend plays the music you like? Does it really matter if the pew you donated is torn out to make more room? Does it really matter whether your bible study class has to meet in a basement? Are you more concerned about yourself than about those who are dying without Christ? Are you ready to surrender all to God, including your own personal preferences, desires or thoughts about how church should be? Are you willing to let God lead and go wherever He directs even if it means that you may get a little uncomfortable at times? Or would you rather live in the midst of death?

"The church has been silent while the world raised its voice
In loud and angry tones they took the lead:
But all across creation there's a rumbling in the hills
As the chosen ones of God stand up to make His message known.
I'm gonna shout it from the housetops,
proclaim it from the mountain tops,
Tell the world around me Jesus Saves;
I have made my choice, I'm gonna make a joyful noise,
The world will hear my voice, Jesus saves!"

From "Jesus Saves," by Roger and Debbie Bennett

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