STATE MISSIONS: Church Trouble

         “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph. 3:21).

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world…” (John 15:18-19).

      The world hates Jesus and His church and always will, and while the church has her share of problems, that is not new news, for the Apostles wrote to many of the first-century churches about such. I have heard it said that if you find the perfect church, do not join it, or it will not be perfect anymore.

      Someone stated that there won’t be any mosquitoes in Heaven, Amen! But here, they are quite an annoyance, but life goes on. Yes, the church has annoying problems, and we will until we get to Heaven, but that does not lessen our responsibility to carry the message of Christ to a lost and dying world. Like the children of Israel, we may have to swat with one hand while working with the other. And while it may slow our progress, it will not stop it.

      Problems in churches are just one more tool Satan uses to lessen our effectiveness. As long as churches are made up of people, the church will never be what it ought to be in this world. God established His church and loves His church but does not love all the things that go on in it. The church member is but a sinner saved by grace, and while some take their responsibility to serve very seriously, sadly, others do not. Jesus said that he would “build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

      The church has her marching orders; may we be faithful in fulfilling His desire. Men are trying to reinvent the church, while perhaps all it needs is faithfulness from her members. May we not change (water down our gas) to appease those around us. It is them, not us, who needs to accept God’s will as He has presented it. Afterall, He told us to: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing…” (II Cor. 6:17).

      This reminds me of a true story of a church my brother and his wife attended in northern California. While he attended a traditional service on Sunday morning, the church had several Saturday seeker services that drew large crowds. The co-pastors determined that the church had become a mile wide and an inch deep. They turned off the smoke and flashing lights and 75% of the crowd went out also.

      Never forget the church is to inform, not entertain. The church is still needed and purposeful, even in the midst of rejection from those around her. “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:19-20).

From Our Missionaries

      “Luis Ortega taught four times based on Psalms1 and communicated masterfully with the young people. In addition, Bro. Luis prepared devotionals that each group studied with their counselors on four occasions.

      “Four groups were formed, which went together to do devotionals and participate as a team in the different activities of the camp. Each group chose a name, a chant and made a flag. Each group accumulated tickets, individually or collectively, for winning games, finding verses, answering questions during teaching, picking up trash, showing a good attitude, etc. The names chosen were Los Pumas, Guerreros de Dios, Los Intocables and Faithfull Fighters. At the end of the camp, the tickets were counted, and the winning group was Los Intocables.

      “During the Friday night teaching, several boys made decisions about committing to God. It was hard to say goodbye. Many greeted each other several times because they didn’t want the camp to end. So we left with promises to see each other again. God bless these relationships between the young people of our churches, and may they serve to keep them firm in the path of the Lord.”

      “We observed the Lord’s supper Sunday evening and had our best attendance ever for that. Praise God!

      “The drywallers made a good showing last week. The taping, bedding and second coats are done — one more skim coat and we will be ready for texture and paint. We also got our permanent power hooked up — praise God! That temporary wire is no longer laying on pallets across the parking lot, and we can drive all the way around the building. It is likely we will start the footings for the classroom addition this week, and we can hardly wait to be in the new building. We are working hard, and things are coming together. The anticipation is so exciting for all our folks!

      “We thank you again for all your support and especially for your prayers! God is answering them over and above what we can even imagine. We love you all.”

      “We have had several new faces join our worship service over the last few weeks and we have enjoyed getting to know these guests. God is working in their lives and using the mission and its people to pour into others. It is such an honor to be a part of a BMA mission and doing the work of the Lord.

      “Prayer has been our focus this month at Faith Journey. We are studying about the importance of a well-nurtured prayer life. Continually communicating with God through prayer is our way of developing and deepening our personal relationship with Him. The Scripture tells us to keep asking and you will receive, keep seeking and you will find and keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. A faithful, thankful prayer time is the key to a healthy, fulfilling spiritual relationship with Christ. Keep praying!”

         We see the fruit of continuing to repeat this message and four new people joined a discipleship group this week — one in Pea Ridge and three in Springdale.

      “Since we started our services over a year ago, we have been praying for men who will commit to forming them as future leaders of our church. This week I was approached by Franklin and Juan, who want me to start training them to be leaders of our church. What I have said is that Christian leadership is more about character than of charisma, and we must work hard in seeking holiness. Finally, in our Sunday service, we were able to have a beautiful moment of prayer and corporate worship and then listen to the Word of God.”

         I struggle with weeks like this, but I’m coming to understand that this up and down rhythm is just how it works. It is helping that now the question is, how is our walk with Christ impacting our homes and everyday life, rather than just focusing on attendance.

      “The goal is that the gospel wouldn’t be just something heard, but something that is transforming homes and individual lives.”