“I Don’t Like That Contemporary Music!”

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Music stirs the soul.  God created music for that purpose.  It will either stir your soul toward spiritual things or toward fleshly things.  It will either draw you to God or away from Him.  Music will help you in your spiritual growth or greatly hinder you.  Music either brings honor and glory to God or it wholly dishonors God.

The type of music that is listened to and sung plays an important role in every person’s life.  It plays an even more important role in the believer’s life.  Therefore, the question that must be asked is, “Why type of music should be our standard?”

Someone made the comment to me the other day about not liking contemporary music.  One person even referred to contemporary music as “devil’s music”.  The irony behind the statement was that the contemporary song being played, at the time of that statement, was an old hymn redone by a contemporary artist.  I have heard counter comments just as often.  “I don’t like the hymns.”  “They hymns are boring and hard to understand.” And so on. 

Here is what I told the person who made the comment about “contemporary” music.  “Doesn’t it amaze you that at one point in time someone heard the song Amazing Grace and said, ‘I don’t like that new contemporary song!’”    You see, at one point in history Amazing Grace,  I’ll Fly Away,  The Old Rugged Cross, and all the other great hymns of our faith were new, contemporary songs. In fact, if you will do some research on the history of hymns you will find that when hymns first became popular there was great opposition to them.  The church sang the Psalms prior to singing hymns.  Does God live in the 16th Century?  Does God live in the 19th Century?  Or, does He live in the 21st Century?  Why do we think that God prefers one style of music over another?

 People have preferences.  I personally do not like the twangy, country Christian songs that remind me of something that could be played out of a juke box.  I just don’t like that style.  I am not crazy about bluegrass music either.  So when I hear a Christian song of that style I focus on the words.  I praise God through the words that are spoken.  I have known people who will sing a hymn that is unbiblical in doctrine just because it is in their songbook.  Likewise, people will sing praise and worship songs that are not biblical just because they like the style.  I don’t believe the style or type of music is as near as important as the message it portrays. 

The truth is that our preferences really don’t matter.  When it comes to music the only question is what God and His Word says.  Ephesians 5:19 gives some insight.  “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”   There are three types of music listed here- psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. 

 The psalms are the same Psalms we find in our Bible from God.  The early church would put the Psalms to music and sing them word for word.   I love singing the Psalms because it helps to hide His Word in my heart.  You cannot go wrong singing a song that is God’s own Word.

Hymns are songs that tell others about God.  Many of our hymns do just this.  “On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross…”  This tells a story about God.  Hymns teach doctrine.  Hymns strengthen our faith.  Hymns bless those around us.

Spiritual Songs are songs that are sung to God.  We would call them Praise and Worship songs.  “I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you, Oh my soul rejoice…..”  Spiritual songs strengthen our personal relationship with the Lord.

 So you see, we should be singing all types of songs. We should be singing songs from God, about God, and to God.   And they should be sung with a pure heart; “making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  God is always concerned with our heart.

 If Christian people would put aside their own preferences and focus on the truth, the issue of music would be null. God would be praised.  His name would be lifted up.  His truths would be sung.  His Word would be declared.  Brothers and sisters in the faith would be united in song.  And God would be worshipped in sprit and in truth.

 “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.”  Psalm 47:6-7

How Does Your Garden Grow?

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Ladies, spring is just around the corner and before we know it people will start planting their gardens.  Everyone wants to see their plants healthy and growing.  For that to happen, plants need food, water, sunshine, fertilizer, and some tending to.  Without one or more of these key ingredients plants will die.

Plants are not the only things in life that grow.  People grow too or at least they should.  Growth is healthy.  People get very concerned when a baby does not physically grow.  Likewise, people get very concerned when a child does not mentally grow.  But, what about a child of God who does not spiritually grow?

Just like a plant depends upon food and water, so do we.  Without either we will not survive.  But, what about our spiritual food?  A child of God will spiritually wither away without daily feeding upon the Word of God.   If you only ate once a week you would be starving.  How many people are starving spiritually?  They go days, weeks, or months without feeding their spirit.

Fertilizer is also very beneficial to the healthy growth of a plant.  Fertilizer is a little extra boost of nourishment every now and then.  That extra nourishment in a Christian’s life comes in the form of weekly corporate worship.  When we come together to pray, praise God, and hear His Words proclaimed we are nourished in our faith.  Without it, or when it is sporadic, our spiritual growth will become stale and stagnant.

Plants also need tending to.  Sometimes we need to give plants extra support or they will fall over.  Sometimes we must pull out the weeds that are choking them.  Sometimes plants need to be transported to a better location.  God has created us to need tending to as well.  In order for us to spiritually grow we need extra support and encouragement from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Without it we might fall over.  Sometime we need someone to come alongside us and point out the “weeds” growing in our lives and help to “pluck them out.”  Sometimes, we need a helping hand to bear our burdens because the environment we are in is detrimental to our spiritual life.  But a person who does not fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ will not be tended to as they should.  Many people miss blessings and opportunities for God to work because they are not involved in the local church, fellowships, and activities.

Ladies, how does your garden grow?  Are you healthy?  Are you strong in the Lord?  Are you spiritually growing in your faith?  Do you need some sonshine?  If so, read your Bible daily.  Be faithful  to the Lord and His church.  Be sure and fellowship with your brothers and sisters as often as possible.  When you do all of this, you will bloom!  You will flourish!  And you will find yourself healthy and thriving for the Lord!

MathRider

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Remember the “good ole days” of flash cards?  Ten years ago, when I first began teaching my children, that was how I taught math facts.  Every day we would pull out the flash cards and drill, drill, drill.

We’ve come a long way since that time.  This month Andrew (2nd grade) has been reviewing his math facts while riding a horse called Shadow.  He has been on various noble adventures in fantastic lands.  He searches, on this math quest, for magical flowers, returns gems to elves, and seeks to rescue the princess!  All of this is done at our kitchen table while he plays MathRider.

MathRider is a math game for children who need to learn their number facts.  Drilling math facts no longer have to be boring.  Whether you child is working on addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, MathRider can make the journey fun and successful.  Each operation contains four quests, ranging from easy to master.

As part of the Old Schoolhouse Crew, I had about 6 weeks to review this product.  I must say that I’m disappointed with the short trial version.  But other than that, I’ve had a positive experience with MathRider.  Andrew enjoyed playing it very much.  It was simple to download and took just a few minutes.  At first I had trouble with the screen resolution but it was easily fixed.  I like the fact that you do not need the internet to play the game and that you can have up to 10 players.  Every person creates their own rider and the game tracks each rider’s progress and practice results individually.  Another great feature is that this program is able to custom-tailor the questions asked based on what the rider knows.  Here is the explanation from their website:

While the rider is playing, the game learns what the rider knows and what he or she still needs to practice. Every single response (or non-response) is stored in an internal database and statistically analyzed by the software. In this way the program is able to custom-tailor to each rider, which questions are asked next. No repetitive drilling of random number facts the rider already knows – but real practice of what actually needs to be practiced!

Visit the MathRider website to purchase this game for your children for just $37.00. 

To see what others are saying about this product click here.

 

 

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received a trail version of this product in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Self-Esteem (Or is it Esteeming SELF)

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The other day I was listening to the radio when the most beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace came on.  It was sung by a choir of children.  As their angelic voices rang, I paused from cleaning the kitchen.  I listened to them sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a child like me…”  Being that I have heard this song sung my entire life, this stood out because the original version of the song says, “that saved a wretch like me.”  As I asked myself why they changed the words, I already knew the answer.  We cannot have children calling themselves wretches; it might hurt their self-esteem. 

In an effort to build up children, some people have stopped keeping score during sports activities.  The reasoning is that if one team loses they will develop poor self-esteem.  Giving every child a trophy at the end of a sport’s season is along the same line of thinking.  I have heard of teachers who do not give F’s anymore to students.  They instead give U’s for unsatisfactory or I’s for incomplete.  We don’t want a child to know they failed.  When we placate to an already self-centered nature that is ingrained in all children, we foster in them a deeper selfish attitude.

There is a lot of talk in even Christian circles about self-esteem.  For example, Christian’s are terrified to point out sin in a brother’s life.  Even though the Bible clearly says that we are to admonish one another.  The justification for this is that we might hurt their feelings.  We might make them feel bad.  We might crush their self image.  But consider for a moment exactly what we are saying when our only concern is “self-esteem”.  We are saying that we should esteem self.  We must build people up in that we don’t damage their ego.   However, when we build up ego, we essentially Edge God Out.  In all of our concern with self has anyone stopped to consider how God feels in it all?

Can I suggest that this is the problem with our society?  We are too concerned with “self”.  For the last few generations people have not been taught correctly from the Word of God about the condition they are in prior to God’s grace.  In an attempt to build up self we have become blind to the truths of Scripture about the state of mankind.  “Well, we’re all just sinners”, many will say placing themselves in the same category as the rest of the world.  But let me submit that it was not until I stopped looking at everyone else, focused upon my own life, and fully came to grasp with what a wretch I was, that I could I fully understand God’s amazing grace.  Until I saw myself as filthy and undone could I accept the righteousness of Christ.  Until I truly saw myself as lost and without hope could I become saved with complete assurance.  Until I could cry out like the publican, “God be merciful to me a (the only one) sinner” or until I could say like Paul that I am the chiefest of all sinners did I truly understand my position before God.  Until I repented and turned from my sins could I be made right.  Until I realized that I was sick in sin could I be healed.  “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Mark 2:17.

 My children are precious and as a parent I naturally want to build up their self-esteem.  But a building of self, while soothing to our sinful nature, is to their eternal detriment.  The best gift I can give them is to show them how they stand before a Holy and Just God.  It is when a child understands this and accepts God’s salvation then they have true worth, God’s grace is truly amazing, and their esteem is in Him alone!  “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man,” Psalm 118:8.

She Bears, Open Sin, and Church Discipline

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“Indeed I have sinned against the LORD…I saw…then I coveted…and took…” Joshua 7:20-21.

 I was reading in the book of Proverbs this morning that is it better to face a she bear that has lost her cubs than a fool in his folly, (Proverbs 17:12).  Foolish men are dangerous men.  They are dangerous to themselves. “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul,” (Proverbs 18:7).  And they are dangerous to all those around them. 

 Do you remember the story of Achan?  When the Israelites conquered Jericho they were warned to not take anything from the city. “And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it,”(Joshua 6:18). Yet Achan disobeyed the Lord and took a garment, some silver, and gold. Then he hid it under his tent.

 When the children of Israel went to fight their next war, they were overthrown and thirty-six men were killed.  Joshua and all the elders fell on their face before the Lord to enquire why God was not with them.  God told Joshua to get up.  He said there was sin in the camp that he needed to deal with.  It is impossible for God to bless when sin abounds. 

When confronted, Achan told Joshua that he saw the goods, he coveted them, and he took them.  Achan was a fool in his folly.  Achan’s sin did not just affect him.  His sin caused thirty-six women to lose husbands.  His sin caused many children to become fatherless.  His sin caused Israel to lose a war.  His sin caused God’s name to be blasphemed.  But that was not all.  Achan’s sin destroyed  him and his entire family.  “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan …and his sons, and his daughters,… and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones,” (Joshua 7:24-25).  Only when the sin in the camp was dealt with was the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger.

 God hates sin.  God is not mocked.  God punishes all sin. 

 But now, thanks be to God, those that are saved live under grace!  But does that mean that God ignores sin today?  Does He just overlook it?  Will sin go unpunished?  Paul said, “God forbid!” (Romans 6:15-16).

 The New Testament is filled with chastisement, punishment, and discipline upon children of God.  “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth,”(Hebrews 12:6).  In fact, God will only chasten those He loves.  Can you imagine a world without discipline?

 Let me ask, what kind of child would you have if you always told him to obey, taught him rules, and then NEVER corrected him or punished him when he did wrong?  Would you want to spend one day with a child like that?

 What would the school system look like if the children there were never given consequences for misbehavior?  Would you want your child going there?

 What would your workplace look like if those who cheated, lied, and acted lazy were never fired?   Would you want to work there?

 What kind of society would we live in if there were laws in place yet the police never enforced them?  Would you want to live in a society like that?

 The answer is an obvious no.  We want rotten children spanked.  We want mean, bullies at school to be dealt with.  We want unethical and dishonest workers to be fired.  We want murderers, thieves, and drunk drivers in our society to be locked away and punished.

 So let me ask this.  What kind of church would we have if the pastor always preached on sin, repentance, and living holy.  Yet, no one ever exhorted one another.  What if the church disobeyed the Scriptures and never disciplined its members?  What if we had the attitude of the first murderer and said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Would you want to be in a church like that?

 But, what if sin, repentance, and holy living was preached each week and the members exhorted one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)?  What if we carried our brother’s burdens and restored those who were overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1-2)?  What if we went to those that were sinning and confronted their sin (Matthew 18:15)?  What if we truly made a difference in the life of a brother or sister pulling them out of the fire (Jude 1:22-23)?  What if the church disciplined those who refused to repent (I Corinthians 5:9, I Corinthians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, Matthew 18:17) in a loving effort to win them back? 

 If this happened God would bless. He would add to a church like this (Acts 5:13-14).   The church would be a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but it would be holy and without blemish, (Ephesians 5:27).  The church would have a good testimony in the community (Matthew 5:14-16).  The membership would be a peculiar people who glorified God (I Peter 2:9).  Each person would be striving for the high calling (Philippians 3:12-14).  God’s name would be lifted up and the members would be zealous of good works (Titus 2).   Who wouldn’t want to be in a church like that?

5 Ways to say “I Love You!”

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the card, chocolate, and flower industries are prospering.  Everyone wants to show their loved ones just how much they truly love them.  But let me ask.  Is this the best way to show our love?  Sure, it is nice to get a card, some chocolate, or a vase of flowers on Valentine’s Day.   But is it really necessary? 

Do not get me wrong.  I love getting flowers and such from my husband.  But I love getting them much more “just because”.  There are two reasons for this.  The first is that the “just because” are not expected.  They are just because he is thinking of me and wants to show his love.  The second reason is that these industries usually increase their prices this time of year.  And I hate having money wasted.

So, what is one to do?  After all, it would be incredibly disheartening to just ignore an extra opportunity to show some love.  We could buy things for our family and they could buy things for us.  But, I’ve put together a list of five ways that we can show our husband or children just how much we love them without spending a dime.

Writing – It stands to reason that a writer would list writing first.  It just makes so much sense.  First of all, when you take the time to write something down it means more.  It is longer lasting.  I’ve written many poems for my husband and family.  One year I made an acrostic poem of my children’s names.  I simply listed attributes about them beginning with the letters of their names.  Maybe poetry is not your expertise.  Don’t despair.   A simple letter that they could hold on to would speak volumes.  I have learned that very few men care about poetry.  They do, however, want to be respected.  So, make a list for your husband of all the reason’s you respect him.  Tell him he’s doing a good job.  Let him know he’s a good father.  Thank him for providing for you every day.  My husband has told other men to go to Wal-mart and copy down a Halmark card word for word.  I won’t comment on that! But I will say that there is nothing sweeter than a hand written note.

Baking – Sure you can go to the store and buy cupcakes or cookies.  But there is always one ingredient the stores leave out – love.  Sure you can go out, wait in line for two hours, and share a fancy meal at an expensive restaurant with dozens of other couples but where is the romance in that?  One sure way to let your loved ones know you care is to bake them something.  Pancakes for breakfast with chocolate chips are one way to give my children something special.  One year I took some chocolate and melted it down.  I then took wooden skewers and made chocolate heart suckers for my children.  A little time and $3 later I was their hero!  A frozen pizza is particularly special for my husband!  No, not for him to eat but for the children.  You see, I can fix us a special romantic meal and send the children to another room with a frozen pizza and a movie.  They are happy to get a special treat.  We are happy to have some special time.  Everyone wins!  Does your husband have a favorite meal or dessert?  Make it for him.  He’ll love you for it! 

  Investing – Nothing articulates love like time!  Invest some time into your children.  Play a game with them.  Color with them.  Read a book together.  Help them make a tent in the living room.  Just spend time with them.  And, after spending time with them put them to bed early and spend time with your husband.  My husband and I like to take walks together.  We stay close to the house, hold hands, and walk.  It’s wonderful.  If you have a busy day scheduled make the effort to get up 15 minutes early and linger over a cup of coffee together.  It will set the tone for the rest of the day.  Keep some white space on your calendar for your family.  It shows them you love them!

 Organizing – One day my children and I spent an afternoon cleaning out and organizing their daddy’s closet.  We even categorized his dress shirts by color.  He was so thrilled!  Sometimes I surprise him and we clean out and vacuum his car.  Doing little things for others is a big way to show love.  Does your husband have a desk, a work area, or a shed that needs some attention?  Surprise him and organize it.  What about your children’s bedrooms?  We expect our children to be responsible for their own rooms.  It is their job to clean them.  And maybe you have extremely neat and organized children who keep their rooms perfectly clutter free.  I don’t.  My children for some reason think that the trash can is under the bed.  So every now and then (for no other reason than because I love them) I help them organize their rooms.  A little help goes a long way.

Praying – So far I have listed ways to show our family we love them with our hands – writing, baking, investing, and organizing.  But this next one is not something we do with our hands.  We do it on our knees.  One of the greatest ways to show you love your family is to pray earnestly for them.  Pray for your husband, that God would lead him as he leads his family.  Pray that God gives him wisdom.  Pray that God would bless him.  Pray for your children. Pray for their salvation, pray for their protection, pray for their health, and pray for their future.  Pray that God will work mightily in your family.    Prayer is a great gift that shows great love.  Your family may not ever know about it but the effects are eternal.

This list is not exclusive.  There are many ways to show love to your family.  Be creative.  And have a blessed Valentine’s Day!

We love him, because he first loved us. (1John 4:19)

 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:8-10)

 

MOST (and DVD give-a-way)

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How does one even begin to extol the message of the glorious gospel? How do we even begin to comprehend the good news that has been given to us? How can we fully grasp the meaning of what God did for mankind? Sometimes I can’t. I believe it with all my heart but I do not understand it.

The Bible says, “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” (John 15:13). That I get. I can truly understand giving your life for those you love. I would not hesitate to give my life for one of my children or my family. I would like to think that I would even give my life for my friends. But God did not just give His life for His friends. He gave His Son to the world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, (John 3:16a).

Our Creator made us in His image, perfect and righteous. Yet, by one man sin entered the world and death came by sin, (Romans 5:12). We were ungodly, unrighteous, and enemies of God, deserving hell eternal. But God sent His beloved Son that, “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16b).

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:6-8).

Can you imagine sacrificing your only son, who you cherish and love, for those who do not care? Can you imagine allowing your child to die at the hands of the wicked? Can you imagine giving up an innocent child to save the undeserving?

Last night, my family and I watched a 21st Century modern parable that gives us a small glimpse into what this sacrifice might look like. MOST – The Deluxe Edition DVD, beautifully illustrates the story of a father, his beloved son, and a great sacrifice that takes place at an open drawbridge. MOST, the Czech word for “The Bridge,” will stir your heart. It was most compelling and most intriguing!

MOST was filmed in Eastern Europe and is spoken in Czech with English subtitles. (It is translated into 18 subtitled languages, making it a great outreach tool). However, the language barrier did not hinder the message in anyway. Instead it created a timeless effect that brought the meaning of the message to full focus. MOST: The Deluxe Edition arrives at Christian stores and online retailers on March 1, 2011. It includes:

• MOST (33-minute film)

• Making of MOST (32-minute feature)

 • Bonus Scenes

• Extended Ending

• Introduction and Commentary by Luis Palau

• Study Guide

• Scoring Session (1-minute featurette of Symphony recording session)

I am also pleased to offer MOST – The Deluxe Edition DVD to one of my readers. Just leave a comment and I will draw one name on Friday, February 25th. The DVD will be shipped directly to the winner. For additional entries you can subscribe to this blog or spread the word about this giveaway (blog, facebook, emails, etc) and leave separate comment for each.

Also, be sure and check out the website and watch this heart wrenching trailer.

Disclosure: I received MOST – The Deluxe Edition in exchange for an honest product review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, part 255.

The Modern Church

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 “I don’t like those people!”

“I refuse to go to that church!”

“The people there are hypocrites!”

Have you ever heard statements like these? Many of us have. Sadly, many times people who make these statements simply stay at home and refuse to participate in their church functions. They will not join another church either. Perhaps they feel justified because they have been deeply wounded. Perhaps they are just making excuses. But regardless, for some reason they are “forsaking the assembly” (Hebrews 10:25). This attitude is in every town, within every individual church, and has been around since the beginning.

Something that I have witness of late is the “home church” movement. This group of people is different than the ones described above. Often, they are among the finest and most devoted Christians. They rightly believe that it is the parent’s role to teach and train their children in the ways of the Lord. It is not the government’s role or even the churches’ role to teach their children. These committed parents are faithful in teaching the Bible and living a consistent godly life. They are faithful in protecting their children from the world and the evils in it.

Often these families were once very involved in a local church but something happened to discourage them. The reasoning for withdrawing is usually warranted.

“The church looks and acts just like the world.”

 “I shelter my children six days a week just to have them exposed to something immoral from the other children at church.”

“The church is not following the doctrines laid out in Scripture.”

These are all the comments I hear. And sadly, many modern day churches make it harder and harder for those who are striving to live by biblical principles to be a part of.

Consider these four examples.

1. Church one is a rather large church and probably the most severe case. Unfortunately, they are very worldly and known in the community for their divisions. The membership is divided between ministers within the church. One faction follows the leadership of the pastor and another follows the leadership of another minister. This division causes constant envying and strife among the believers. It has gotten so bad that members of the same church have been known to sue one another causing even more division. Recently, one family was torn apart because of sexual immortality between family members. The whole town heard of this. In addition, the church abuses its ordnances. The membership of this church often has trials and many are sick. It is apparent that God is judging this church.

 2. Church two is a wonderful church full of promise and potential. But there are two women in this church that cannot seem to get along. All the good qualities are overlooked in this church because of these women. Others have had to step in and try to resolve the issue. It is so bad the other churches know about this problem, therefore, the church has a bad reputation.

3. Church three has members within the church who teach lies. Entire families are being persuaded and have embraced these false doctrines. There are those in the community who slander and falsely accuse the church. The leadership of this church will have to eventually deal with this issue before it destroys the church.

4. Church four has a young pastor who is very faithful. But, this pastor has to deal with those who refuse to submit to his leadership because of his age. And unfortunately, like church three, this church also has to deal with false teachers. The teachers are known hypocrites who try to influence those who are weak in the faith. It is easy to see how the more mature Christians struggle with this and get discouraged.

These examples are from just a few churches. But if we were to pull back the curtain of hypocrisy and reveal the churches as they truly were, we would find that every modern day church has problems. The doctrines taught seem to be superficial, the worldliness abounds, and unqualified pastors often prey on their congregations for greedy gain. One can see why devoted Christians want to reject it all and worship God in Spirit and Truth in the safe haven of their home. Understandably, they want to be a part of a pure and holy church, somewhat like the first century church, who met in their homes. These early believers were filled with the Spirit. They prayed and fellowshipped together. They had one heart and one soul. They even had all things common (Acts 4:31-37). What a wonderful church to belong to!

However, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Nor, was the church better in the first century. You see, the four examples given were from the first century. Church one was the Corinthian church, Church two was the church at Philippi. Church three was the church at Crete, whose pastor was Titus. And church four was the church at Ephesus. Timothy is the young faithful pastor mentioned above. All of these were founded by none other than Paul himself during the first century.

So, let me ask this question. What would have happened to the church at Ephesus (or any of the others) if all the mature, striving Christians would have left the church? It is likely that Timothy would have been left fighting heresy all alone. The church would have continued down a path of wickedness, never learning the truth. Without the examples of the mature believers and the discipleship they give, the babes in Christ would have never matured. The remaining sheep would have been slaughtered by wolves and the goats would have rule. I see this very thing happening today. In the pursuit of a perfect church, many have given up the fight and turned individual churches over to Satan. Without support, the pastor is left feeling defeated and he too often gives up.

In addition, a family who pulls out from the church also pulls out from under the authority that Christ established within the church. When they forsake the assembly, they remove themselves out from under the authority of the pillar and ground of the truth – the church (I Timothy 3:15). Christ called His church (Matthew 4:18-21), Christ confirms His church (Matt 16:18), Christ loves and died for His church (Ephesians 5:25), and Christ will return for His church (I Thessalonians 4:17). He intended for the church (ekklesia) to be a called out, local assembly of baptized believers who covet together to carry out the Great Commission.

Dear believer, we must not give up on the church that Jesus built. Remember, the church is a family of families. Those that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. The mature needs to disciple the immature. Those on the meat of the Word need to be teaching those on the milk. Pastors need help from those families who are striving to live by biblical principles. This is what we are called to do. Christ said Himself that the wheat and tares would grow together until the harvest (Matthew 13:24-30). True believers must remain strong and true to the Lord’s church. Otherwise, no one is left to fight false teaching. No one is left to take a stand when it matters. No one is left to confront sin in the church. How Christ must grieve when this happens.

Of course, it should be noted that there are times when one must shake the dust off their feet because the people will not change. But this should be done with much prayer. In some cases it would be foolish to stay at a dying church. But if we have to leave one church it should always be to find another. 

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee,” Psalm 22:22.