The church must decide to be different from the world

FRIDAY, JAN. 25: Can the church of today be counted on to be the church indeed?

Do you realize that the church is present to make a difference?

Do you understand that the church has absolutely no right to become enmeshed in the ways of the world?

Do you know that the church should actually be a light guiding lost sinners to Jesus Christ?

It is extremely deadly when the church becomes a mirror of the world. 

It is extremely dreadful when the world and the church begin to look the same.

What you see happening in many churches today did not begin today. No, it began thousands of years ago.

Yes, the moment church leadership decided to “let it go” or “relax the standards”, then that is exactly what happened.

Consequently, today the sinner and saint can relax in the church. Oh yes, the “saints” can sin all week and then take their “rightful” position in God’s House on holy Sunday.

1 Samuel 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3  And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Understand that Samuel was a mighty, anointed man of God, in his day.

Remember, this is Samuel, the son of Hannah. Hannah asked God for Samuel and God needed Samuel for Himself.

Remember, this is Samuel who learned the voice of God while he lived in the temple.

This is Samuel who was chosen to anoint a young David to be the future king over all of Israel.

Samuel’s sons

Yet, Samuel raised sons who became men and shamed the very heritage of their father’s life and work.

Somewhere Samuel missed it, which is very sad. For it is one thing for your children to choose (as adults) to go wrong, as that choice is personal.

However, it was Samuel’s choice to place his sons in a key position as priests in charge of the most sacred duties in the House of God.

Here you have to see the plan of the devil to destroy the church through an open gate or entrance into the holy.

In this case, the gate was the lack of standards or the lack of expectations for the Prophet Samuel’s own children.

There was really no excuse for Samuel. He knew the voice of God and therefore, he would have known that what he was permitting did not have God’s approval.

Understand that when there is no correction in God’s House the whole house will become out of order.

Things will simply not bode well when leadership knowingly allows evil and sin to persist with those who are in positions over the rest of the people. 

When the church goes wrong, the world goes crazy, and that is where we are today.

The church in many cases is a comatose giant, put to spiritual sleep through the lowering of standards and with no clue as to what they have done.

Samuel is mad. Yet, his anger is tilted or skewed incorrectly.  Look at these verses.

1 Samuel 8:4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.

Ridiculous! Samuel is not mad that his sons are doing wrong.

He is not mad that his sons are profaning the very temple of God.

Samuel is not mad that his sons are using church as a business venture.

No, Samuel is mad because he is about to be replaced. He is mad because his family will no longer have free rein in God’s House.

That is what happens when church leadership lowers their personal standard. Eventually, God will remove that which does not reflect Him.

It is time for the church to decide that it must be different from the world. In this way, the world will truly have an alternative that is different from what they are doing right now.

When the church gets it right then the church has the right to right the ways of the world. Blessings abound!