Those who have attended church for decades may remember when their church once bustled with activity. They remember when the church was packed with hundreds upon hundreds of people. They remember the large choir.They remember the many Sunday School classes and the army of children and can probably still hear the children's voices. They remember the scores of women in their auxillary organizations. They remember the bake sales and the great feasts that were prepared and can probably still smell the food. They remember the youth groups and their many activities They remember the Men's Group and their activities, they remember the great missionary projects of the church they remember all these things and many more They remember.
But as some church members look around their church today, they see only a skeleton of what used to be.
Recently I was talking with another individual who expressed his belief that the church is going the way of the dinosaur. He felt that the church was all washed up, that the church was on a spiraling course to self-destruction, that the church was in the final throws of terminal illness. He even suggested that I hold a funeral service for our church with coffin and all and that I say something like "Here lies the church, may she rest in peace."
Many churches have been in decline for decades. In fact, statistics show that every week ten churches close their doors because they are no longer sustainable. Over 60% of the churches still extent are in decline. Many members from the church's pinnacle days in the 50's have died or are now convalescing, some members have left their church, some have moved away, and some, sadly, have fallen away from the faith. Participation in church activities has dropped significantly, tithing is down and many churches struggle to meet their basic financial obligations and for some there is a pervasive feeling that the end is near. The end of Christianity.
For some time now, many churches have been operating on a deficit. They have more expenses than they do income. By way of metaphor, if their church was a living creature they would have to say that the creature was bleeding to death. There is not sufficient blood to keep the creature alive. In this condition, the extremities are the first to go the feet, then the legs, the hands, the ears, the eyes. The creature is barely alive barely. It cannot walk, it cannot work, it cannot hear or see. It can only groan and moan as it gasps for air.
The Doctor has examined the patient and his diagnosis is in
The Church in America is terminal. Death is inevitable... unless there are some changes. One Sunday Just one Sunday can make the difference between whether a church lives or dies! We have reached a critical point, and the fate of our churches is now in YOUR hands.
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Dry Bones Live
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it
was full of bones.
2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold,
there were very many in the open valley; and indeed
they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I
am the LORD."'"
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but
there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."'"
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Then you shall know that I
am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken
it and performed
it," says the LORD.'"
Resurrection not Revival
Thank God our God is the God of the living and the dead. He can take that which is dead or dying and breathe new life into it. And that is what it is going to take to save the church in America. We need more than revival we need a miracle we need a resurrection! We need to pray that God will breathe new life into His church.
In
Revelation 3:1-6 The Word of God tells us how to save a dying church.
The Dead Church
1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'
Satan wanted to kill the church in Sardis church! And Satan wants to kill the church in America, and he'll use people (even your friends) to carry out the dirty deed.
He even wants to use you!
But, when Jesus warned the church in Sardis he also gave them hope for life. This is what he said,
2 Be
watchful, and
strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
Key words Be Watchful & Strengthen the things which are ready to die.
Watchful Rev 3:2 (watch = Gk
gray-gor-yoo-o = Keep Awake) To pay attention.
The same word is used in the following verses
1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others
do, but let us
watch and be sober.
1 Peter 4:7-8 7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and
watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for
"love will cover a multitude of sins."
Strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
(Strengthen Gk
Stay-rid-zo = to turn resolutely in a certain direction)
The same word for strengthen was used in the following verses
Luke 22:31-32 31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift
you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to
Me, strengthen your brethren."
1 Peter 5:8-11 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen , and settle
you.
> In Revelation, Jesus goes on to tell the church of Sardis
3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
Key words: Remember Hold fast and Repent!
Remember We need to remember where we were and who we were when we heard and received the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to remember that we are sinners saved by grace. We need to remember that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. We need to remember all that He has done for us and we must never, ever forget.
Hold fast We need to hold on to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to hold on to the Word of God. We need to hold on to our testimonies and we must not let go.
Repent We all know that we must repent but what does it mean? In this case it comes from the Gk =
Met-an-o-eh-o = to think differently. We need to change the way we think. We need to take a look at what we have become as a church and ask ourselves has this been working?
Many churches do the same thing over and over again and nothing changes. It is time for a change. It is time to reconsider what has been working and what hasn't been working. It is time to do things a new way. It is time to Repent.
Why?
Because the next verse in Revelation says "if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."
We need to pay attention or it will be too late!
So, in review we need to be
Watchful, we need to
Strengthen, we need to
Remember, Hold Fast and Repent.
If Christian churches would focus upon these areas then we may not only see revivial in America, but a resurrection of the dying church.
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