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Why Churches Are Left By The Wayside Introduction:
Congregations are like a body with a head, different members with different
functions and responsibilities. I
want to compare it to something else, a car.
Most of us here own a car or truck and drive.
In many ways a church is like your car or truck. I)
Fact: many churches have fallen off in number and some have closed their doors. A)
Numerous examples: 1.
IN
a. They started to dwindle in number and eventually had to sell their
building.
b. They rented a room for a number of years and eventually
disbanded. 2.
1976 a congregation B)
Few mission works and it is harder to raise support 1.
Tom Bunting needed a year to raise support for his work in 2.
Ron Anderson, used to preach in 3.
Those with support are constantly having to raise support from other sources due
to congregations cutting back. 4.
Preaching in Shoals, IN I received support from a number of congregations. The
main reason we moved was because of finances. C)
Main point is the decline in numbers and congregations having to cut back on
their work is due to them drifting to a stop. They are like a vehicle with a
problem. II)
Some Are Like a Car Without A Driver A)
A car can not drive itself. Some one has to be willing to take the wheel and
stand up to be counted. 1.
People are often afraid of making mistakes, being criticized, Revelation 21.8 2.
Isaiah 6.8 when was the last
time you or I said, “Here I am” B)
One take up the wheel but never cranks up the motor. Like a corvette in the
garage. 1.
A car with a lot of horse power in the garage is not very good if you can not
drive it on the road. 2.
A lot of churches have a lot of power but they never crank up their engine. 3.
Example: Church paid for Bible curriculum and had a couple to come in and talk
about the program but never used it. 4.
Some churches become convinced they can not grow and do not need to grow. They
content and become lukewarm.
a. Are we lukewarm as individuals? Do we care if we are growing or
stagnant?
b. Are we willing to be part of the solution? 5.
John 1.40-42 Andrew is called the
bringer because he brought people to Jesus. One person he brought was Peter. 6.
Acts 18.24-26 C)
Some take the wheel but lack the ability to drive 1.
Possessing a license is not the same as being able to drive. 2.
Unqualified “Pastors” in denominations – some are single, with no
children, women, etc. They should not be in the position of leading a
congregation. 3.
Unqualified pastors in the Lord’s church. Some not qualified, self willed,
lacking knowledge, etc. In 4.
Preachers that should not be preaching. James
3.1 5.
Deacons that are not servants. D)
Some take the wheel and get off to a good start but stop to rest and don’t get
back to work. 1.
2.
Some churches start good, they grow for a while, but then stop and don’t get
back to work. Some churches have great growth after building a new building,
why? Perhaps partly due to a new building and more exposure in the community;
but some is due to the members recognizing the need to grow. 3.
Romans 1.13 Paul wanted to reap the
harvest of souls. 4.
Phil. 3.13-14 must keep on maturing and growing. III)
Some Are Like A Car That Has Lost Its Direction A)
They may be traveling along but have no idea of where they are going. (Heading
south on I-65 instead of North). B)
We can lose our direction. Even
forget to have a goal or what our goal was. 1.
During the days of Haggai the people lost their sense of purpose or misplaced
their purpose. Haggai 1.2,4,9 2.
God was not going to bless His competition.
In this case His competition was their panel houses and luxuries.
3.
We are the Lord’s church and God will not bless us if we are doing the wrong
things.
a. Going the wrong way – social gospel, entertainment, feeding the
poor, recreation
b. Just don’t have a goal and nothing gets done. The
c. Wait until tomorrow. Garage needs cleaning, need a Bible Class
teacher, etc. wait until later. 4.
Change our minds (sometimes we need to re-assess our goals and make adjustments)
and some times we need to just be goal oriented
a. People get discouraged and tired, Hebrews
10.35-36
b. Need endurance – tri-athletic event in IV)
Sometimes we get stuck (remember going to A)
Takes more work to get a vehicle unstuck than keep it on the road B)
Some congregations get stuck on 1 or 2 topics. 1.
Lord’s Supper on Sunday night. Churches
deciding to not meet on Sunday night in order to not have this problem.
They are saying we are better off not worshipping God on Sunday night. 2.
Afraid of hurting feelings so nothing gets done. Matthew
19.22 Jesus was not afraid of hurting this man’s feelings. 3.
What keeps us stuck? Jeremiah 5.3
being hard headed. Not being afraid of dividing the church, 1 Corinthians 3.17 V)
Sometimes we run out of fuel A)
A car will not run without fuel. B)
Church needs fuel, Haggai 1.14 1.
We need faith and that faith comes from a study of and reliance on God’s word.
When things don’t work out we still keep on having faith. 2.
We need encouragement, a pat on the back and word of appreciation.
I am encouraged when I see others doing something that I know is hard for
them to do. Conclusion:
In Revelation 2.5 the church was in
danger of having their lampstand removed. We
need to make sure it does not happen to us. Will
you take the wheel of responsibility, learn and develop your abilities to
provide leadership, keep the goal of heaven and growth before you, not get stuck
in a rut, and remain faithful until death? The door is open to new Christians.
If you desire to become a child of God we would be thrilled to help you tonight.
(Adapted from a sermon by Carl McMurray) |