Well, lets face it. The world isn't exactly pounding down the doors of the church to get in. In fact, I would suggest that the church is the last place that those who sit in darkness will want to find themselves. The church building has about as much appeal to a sinner as the county jail does to the average criminal. It just isnt a very comfortable place to go when you're guilty.
So how do we get them in? With what means should we make the whole experience more attractive? Maybe we could add padding to the pews, get better sound equipment, hire a hip worship leader, or have the pastor dress as casual as possible, and refrain from using the words, "sin, repentance, judgment, righteousness, blood, cross, hell, damnation," and anything else that might scare them off. After all, we want to be as seeker friendly as possible, don't we? We wouldnt want to come on too heavy, and imply that following Jesus requires any kind of real change. That might send them straight to the doors.
This way, coming to church on a Sunday morning can be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for anyone. The attendees can walk out the doors, having their backs padded and their ears tickled, and walk straight back into their sinful lifestyles with no real fear of judgment or threat of consequence.
Why are you being so sarcastic, do you ask? Because this is the kind of nonsense that happens when we are too fearful to tell the truth. If the pastor is not bold enough to preach the gospel the way Jesus and the apostles did, how can we expect the church to go out into the world and do so? In other words, if there is weakness in the pulpit, there will be weakness in the pews. If you have a group of people who have been brought into some kind of religious experience of accepting Christ, but are strangers to repentance, who were not told why Jesus died on the cross, then it is no wonder why they lack any kind of zeal for building up His kingdom.
The trouble with the contemporary western church today is that we have a country club attitude. Too many of us subscribe to the mentality that we should enjoy an easy, laid back life. Leave the world outside, we don't care. Don't bother to tell them about what we know, they wouldnt be interested anyway. Besides, even if they were, would they not come on their own?
Listen to this quote by Samuel Chadwick, "Why does the church stay indoors? They have a theology that has dwindled into a philosophy, in which there is no thrill of faith, no terror of doom, and no concern for souls. Unbelief as put out the fires of passion, and worldliness garlands the altar of sacrifice with the tawdry glitter of unreality."
If we do not have a sense of the terror of doom ,we will not have any concern for the fate of the ungodly. Many understand what the Word has to say, but apparently they either do not believe it or have no compassion for those who will fall under the wrath of God. It is either unbelief or apathy that paralyzes the church. Which is it? We either have little love for our neighbor or we have little belief in what God says.
Everyone clings to the promises of God. Promises of forgiveness, freedom, blessing, future paradise, etc., but how often do we groan in sorrow for the promises he has made to execute his wrath on those who refuse to repent? How often do we consider what lies ahead for the ungodly? This is what kindles the fires of passionate preaching. This is what motivates a preacher to carry the message of salvation to his family, friends, neighbors, and the ends of the earth. An awareness of the awful consequence of being in one's sins on the day of judgement is what gives urgency to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is also what drives sinners to the foot of the cross. Recognizing that it is only the blood of the Savior that can wash away their sins is what makes lost men and women put their faith and trust in the One who died for them. These converts do not backslide. They didn't come to Jesus for a better lifestyle, or because they were missing something, or because they had a God-shaped hole in their heart. They came to be forgiven of their sin. Nothing will separate them from Jesus now.
They won't bail out on Jesus when their portfolio disappears, or when temptation rears its ugly head, or when they lose their job, etc. They didn't come to Jesus for a happy life. They came because He is life itself. If anything, all the hard circumstances in life only make them cling tighter to the Lord, and even make them look forward to getting out of here.
Problem is, if pastors and street preachers fail to fulfill their responsibility to preach all of the truth, then we are not only robbing the sinner, but we are robbing the gospel itself of one of its "ablest auxiliaries." God wants his servants to be faithful, and that includes faithfulness to the simplicity and purity of the message. It is tempting to gloss over those parts of the gospel that are uncomfortable to discuss, but to do so does a great disservice to those you intend to reach, and to the Lord.
We don't need to fall into the temptation to make the message more palatable. Study the sermons Jesus preached. See how he faithfully told the truth. To those who were proud, he gave the law, in order to humble them. To those who were humble, he gave grace. God resists the proud, but he gives grace to those who are humble.
So, self examination time. Are you sharing your faith with the people God has put in your life? Like I said at the beginning of this message, they are not exactly wearing out the carpet at the entrance of the church. You are the one who has been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation in their life. Are you being faithful to them and to God by sharing the whole message of the gospel? Do you let the thought of what will happen to those you know and love motivate you to make some effort to share the message of everlasting life with them? Are you willing to let the conversation swing to some uncomfortable things (sin, judgment, hell, repentance) in order to effectively reach them?
Pray about these things, and study the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. Be faithful to God. Be faithful to those with whom you share the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
See you on the streets!!