Sunday, October 31, 2010

How to tell if your church is sick or healthy



How to tell if your church is sick or healthy


It's really important to know if the church you are a member of is sick or healthy spiritually. After all, if it's sick; you'll want to know; to help make it healthy.

First some things to go over what a spiritually healthy church is NOT:

1. Its size. It doesn't matter if your church is 50 or 5000. It is not an indicator of spiritual health.

2. Its Music. It doesn't matter if your worship team plays the harp, the piano, you have 10 guitars, and your song leader is famous because he or she sings so great.

3. The Pastor(s) all have degree's from a college.

4. The number of offices it has or how wonderful the church building looks.

5. That your service is on TV or Radio.

Okay you get the idea. Let's look at some of the signs if your church is spiritually sick.

1. No one is encouraged to bring their Bibles


I Tim 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
Hard to know doctrine if you're not reading it.

2. Hardly anyone comes to prayer meetings


Acts 1:14 "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."

Ps 54:12 "Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth."

Matt 18:19-20 19 "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

3. No small groups or low participation

Act 2:46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,"

Heb 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching"

4. The word is watered down so much that no one is encouraged to forsake sin and live holy.

Lev 11:45 "For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."

Rev 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. "

1 John 4:17 "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world."

5. No real love for each other. Only superficial relationships

1 John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

6. No call to salvation at the end of the message.

John 3:16 "16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Romans 10:9-10 "9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

2 Corn 6:2 ...."behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

7. No call to respond to the message for believers.

Matt 11:20 "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:"

8. No lives are being changed by God and or His word.


Mark 6:7 "And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;"

Mark 3:15 "And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:"

Mark 12:24 "And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?"


If your church or you as an individual is lacking one of these eight things, I want to encourage you to make some adjustments in your life. Ask God to show you where you may be lacking and to help you.

If you belong to a church that is lacking in one of these areas I encourage you to talk to your Pastor and or the leadership of the church and encourage them in God's word to fulfill His will. Ask what you can do to help bring about a change.
If they reject what you say, you might want to prayerfully consider finding a new church home.

Wishing you more Wealth and Riches in every area of your life,

Dexter

1 comment:

  1. True signs of a sick church, for sure. However, there is no church that is truly 100% healthy, and so perhaps if we stick around long enough there will be some change. I know it's frustrating, though, since I am in the midst of a very sick church as well.... physically and spiritually. God has us there for a reason, though....

    ReplyDelete