Christian Living
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
Whenever I visit a church for a Sunday worship experience, I find myself scanning the congregants trying to get a read on how they are reacting to the “worship” experience. I know I should keep my triune man focused on the purpose of the gathering, but dealing with my curiosity of how people are responding to the message is hard to resist. Basically the faces of individuals display their ongoing thought patterns. From boredom to intense interest the minds of the recipients evolve around the presented word. To some, there is little understanding. To others it is a rejuvenating of the mind. To still others, it a process of thinking with a determination to understand spiritual matters. What I see in the faces of so many Christians is emptiness, a void of truly grasping what is being presented. Yet their seat in the church will continue to be occupied, for that is what they are programmed to do. I know that some of the negative expressions of the hearers are justified because of the lack of anointed preaching. Sadly, a lot of hors d’oeuvres are served instead of the main entrée to the hungry saints, which in turn fails to generate a positive response from the people. On the flip side, when the Word is presented, many listeners are so wrapped up in the things of the world that there is little or no room for the things that really matter. Then there are those who display expressions of joy and excitement as the Word is met with understanding.
The church of Ephesus went through a growth pattern. They experienced everything from the characteristics of new birth to the heights of maturity. One of the aids to their experience was the prayers Paul offered up for them. He states that he prayed that God would give them the “spirit of wisdom and revelation” pertaining to knowing God. He prayed that their eyes would be enlightened in understanding. He petitioned that they would know the “hope of His calling,” and what the riches of His glory were. He asked God that He would reveal the greatness of His power to them. (Ephesians 1:16-20) Many times I have prayed for my spiritual brothers and sisters who do not understand His ways. To see people attentive in body, but so inattentive in mind is a tragic reality in the Church today. I remember in one of the churches I served, that each Sunday morning I would touch every seat in the sanctuary praying for those who would occupy that space to receive the Word with understanding. If people are not grasping the Truth, much of the Word will fall harmlessly to the ground. When Christians cannot comprehend the Scriptures, their life outside of the church will fail to display the Truth of the Word, and without a Christian example how will the world know the God who loves them?
So much of what Christians believe is based on the tutorial system. They learn from religious leaders and their spiritual peers. What they neglect to understand is that they still have an obligation to open the Bible themselves. Much of their belief system is based on adopting “presented” truths rather than studying the Scriptures themselves. The organizational Christian will defend his church’s doctrines to the point that they are divinely ordered and as a result are unquestionable.
The challenge that I face daily is how I can get the inactive Believers to shun their non committal attitude and renew a new hunger for the Word. Many are so fixed in their prefab theology that they do not think there is anything more to learn, and as a result settle into a faith of status quo. It is my prayer that God will awaken the Body of Christ. For those who understand what the Kingdom of God is all about, let us run the race before us praying that the Church will awaken from its slumber and reestablish itself as the living Body of Christ!
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR
This article has been read 469 times < Previous | Next >
Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.