Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. — Jeremiah 7:11
Recently, I was driving near Greenville, SC when I noticed an abandoned church building. The grass was overgrown, the parking lot was in horrible condition, and the building had broken glass. The signs were removed so I could not tell you the name of the church, but it was obvious the church had been closed for some time.
It really shouldn’t be surprising given some of the recent news in the last few years. In a recent Gallup poll, less than half of those questioned said that religion was very important to them. The overwhelming majority admitted that religion was losing its influence in America. Only 47% said that they were a member of a church. Less than one-third said they had attended a religious service in the past week. While 81% believe in God, only half of those questioned believed God could fix the problems in our nation.
So it is not surprising to read stories about 206-year-old churches closing. We have lost the importance of what church is all about. The focus of so many churches has been on politics and social causes instead of the cause of Christ. It’s not surprising given that only 37% of evangelical pastors have a Biblical worldview that they bring to their church. The church is not a place for politics and social clubs, it is a place to educate and empower Christians to be about the work of God in this world.
If we expect things to get better across the world, we need the Christian influence and education that can only be found in churches once again. We do not need social clubs and causes, we need the teaching and preaching of the word of God. We do not need flashy programs and music, we need Jesus above all! How can we ever expect God to deal with sin when 2 in 3 Christians do not even know how to share Jesus with someone.
Church has to become important once again and the focus in the church needs to be on God not the things of the world. As Christians, we need to fall in love with the church again. We need our pastors to fall in love with teaching and preaching once again. So today, pray that God will stir your heart and the heart of Christians all across the world that they see the importance of church once again. Rather than seeing empty pews, we need to see the pews full once again with people who have a desire to hear from God and see Him work in our lives.