What the World is starving to see in the Church

It’s a funny thing how God can use Vacation Bible School and personal visits to bring people to Salvation . . . even in the 21st century. Maybe we’re spending so much time studying what “what we’re currently not doing” and “what is not working” that we’re forgetting to simply go out there and do the work of an evangelist.

What the World is hungry to see in the Church and what the Church was designed to possess in the way of displaying a decisive and persuasive presentation of God’s divine love and truth is being lost in the pursuit of being relevant to and imitating a world. The world isn’t looking for an imitation of itself – it is looking for something that is firmly different. Firmly working out the pattern God has given his Church:

*There should be plenty of power in the Church (Eph. 1:16-23; 2:6; 3:20-21). There is a huge, untapped reservoir of power in the church. Christ himself is orchestrating all things for the benefit of his church. Most of the time that power is diffused in unprofitable ways. We need to covenant to be good stewards of the sufficient power of our Savior.

* They should experience God's presence in the Church (Eph. 2:11-22). If you think that the church is just a human institution, you are wrong. Yes, it involves humans, but it is much more than that. Too often worship today looks like an episode of American Idol. The church should be a place where every talent is laid at the altar to worship the King of Kings making Him the centerpiece. This powerful presence doesn’t have to be manufactured with darkened rooms, bright lights and smoke. More important than the quality of the sound system or the caliber of musicians is the heart fully surrendered to be transparent in Worship.

* There has to be unity in the Church (Eph. 4:1-6). The hypocrisy of bickering and strife have been the reasons many churches have surrendered their ability to have a substantial witness in their communities. It is the excuse that many lost people use to exchange the truth of God for a lie.

* There must be well-equipped ministry of the entire Church (Eph. 4:7-16). They should be love in action to each other and toward the unchurched. Somehow we have turned our pastors into be hired guns to do the ministry of the church or into chaplains to comfort the members. Christ's plan for his church is to mobilize a great army of trained and gifted ministers who will push back the spiritual barriers of mediocrity, ignorance, pain, and ingnorance.

* We need a return to holiness by the Church (Eph. 5:21-32). Many churches today look more like the hooker form downtown rather than the Bride of Christ. I’m not referring to worship style or whether the members are dressed casual or in suits. This is about the heart. You get the heart right, and everything else will follow. Christ's desire is for a church that is like a dear wife to him -- cleansed, comforted, cherished, and brilliant in her reflection of the glory of God. My prayer is that my church and your church will begin to reflect the power and glory intended by our Lord।

In Him (Eph. 1),
Pastor Marty