You Need To Steer Clear of Churches
The title of this paper may surprise you. It was possibly handed to you by a person that you thought was “religious”, and right off the bat you see that it says you need to steer clear of churches. Why would a religious person give you a paper that is titled “You Need To Steer Clear of Churches” ?
The title is a bit exaggerated since it is not all churches that you need to steer clear of, just some of them. The person who gave you this paper doesn’t want you to ignore church altogether; just that you steer clear of churches that will do you no good.
For example,
You Need To Steer Clear Of Dead Churches. Wouldn’t you agree with me that if you are going to drag yourself out of bed on a Sunday morning that the last place you want to go to is to a dead church?
The Bible tell us about a dead church in Revelation 3:1 and its name was Sardis. God told Sardis “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” Imagine that! Everyone in town said that this church was “alive” , but God said that it was “dead”! How could that happen? The answer is that a church is dead when it is doing everything except what it is supposed to do.
There are a lot of “dead” churches today. Like Sardis they have a good name in town. Neighbors say the church is alive because they always have something going on in the church basement, but God says that the church is “dead” because they no longer do what they are suppose to be doing.
Churches that are more interested in having a winning basketball team than they are about telling people about Jesus are dead churches and you need to steer clear of them.
You Also Need To Steer Clear Of Money Hungry Churches. Money Hungry Churches are in the business of collecting money. In return they promise the “church folk” health and prosperity. You may think that all churches are like this, but it is not so. Some churches are still only interested in worshipping God and getting people saved. That is what Jesus taught His followers to do and some churches still do it.
You Need To Steer Clear Of Churches That Make God Sick In Revelation 3:15-16 the Bible tells us that God visited a church named Laodicea one day and as he went out the back door He told the pastor, “Your church makes me sick”. This church that made God sick, had a great deal of money. It was a very attractive church building. The pastor always preached “warm and fuzzy” sermons with titles like “How To Be Happy Like Me and My Wife” and “Fulfill Your Purpose In Life Like I Have”. People filled the pews at Laodicea. The collection plate ran over, but God said, “…you make me want to vomit…”
If I were you, I’d stay away from churches that make God sick
So, Just What Kind of Church Do You Need To Attend?
The person who gave this paper to you probably has a recommendation, and it is probably a good one. Here are some things you should look for.
Good churches have the Bible right out where you can see it. It will be in a prominent place in the church as well as in people’s hands and laps. The Bible will not only be clearly seen, it will be often used. In good churches people talk about The Word of God.
Good churches are always talking about Jesus Christ. They want everyone to know who He was and what He did. Good pastors do not brag about themselves and what they have done; they are too caught up in telling everyone about how great God is and what He has done.
Good churches have no problem with making “ The Main Thing The Main Thing “ and the main thing is the message of Jesus Christ who took our place on the Cross and died to take away our sins
Good churches never try to get people to do something against their will. Look for a good church and visit it next Sunday. No one will try to separate you from your money or try to make you do anything you do not want to do. They just want you to know God and Jesus Christ His Son.
www.freegracetracts.com