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Sunday, Jun 21 by Larry Slings in Leadership, Sunday Worship | (0) Comments
If I were the enemy designing a strategy to weaken and even immobilize the church, it would probably look something like the current state of the church – at least the church in this country. I would create urgent issues that would
divert the attention and energy of the church away from its primary mission. I would get people to take sides, doubt one another’s commitment, and attack each other as the enemy. Does that sound like a strategy Satan has used within denominations and also with many individual congregations? As Synod has completed its work, we can give thanks that our leaders have really grown in their understanding of the need to demonstrate to the watching world that God is putting broken pieces back together in Jesus Christ.
I would like to continue to consider with you what the Lord wants this unity and living together in love to look like in the local congregation. Jesus Himself said to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:40, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” He commends them because they have been faithful. They were engaged in the battle. They stood firmly for truth. But, in the middle of all of that, they had lost their first love. Your love is found in what consumes your attention. I used to think that they had lost their first love for Christ. Now I am more inclined to believe (especially since most Biblical scholars think this) that they had failed to maintain the love for one another in the middle of all the battles and distractions. It was so serious that the Lord says to them: “if you do not repent, I will come and remove your lamp stand from its place.” (vs. 5) – this means He would not consider them to be His church
anymore.
As our congregation faces the issues of the present and the future, we will be tested at this same point. Will we, under pressure, forsake our first love? The Lord is very concerned about our living together as the reconciled people of God and bringing and modeling the good news of reconciliation to a broken and alienated world. Pray that our leaders (including our new Council) and members alike will work to make the first thing the first thing.
I’ll end with a couple of questions that might help us determine how well we are doing that:
~Do we spend more time and energy discussing the problems of the church than in being the church and carrying out our mission?
~Do we spend as much time in prayer for the love of Christ to fill His body and be shared with those outside as we spend in analyzing the state of affairs in the church or even criticizing the church or its leaders?
~Are we more concerned with things going the way we want them to go than we are with the churches unity and mission?
Maybe these questions don’t apply to you. But ask yourself: “What can I be doing and how can I be praying so that we do not forsake our first love?”
Again, I thank you for your support of my work among you and for your love for and desire for the good of Palos Heights Christian Reformed Church.