Salvation Issues

Old or Renewed Hearts

When we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts as Saviour and Lord we are born again. Then what happens? Would you be surprised to learn that 50% of those who receive salvation, do absolutely nothing further. They either don’t join a church or the join one but leave again almost as fast as they joined. In this respect, the church is guilty of the most terrible and disgraceful abrogation of its corporate responsibility in just allowing new converts to simply slide away again. Most of them don’t even backslide because they never moved forward in the first place.

The majority of churches seem to have a great big mental block when it comes to new members or at least newly saved members. Most new members are welcomed although even then the welcome is a bit thin and they have to almost fight their way to recognition and to make any real friends. The huge majority seem to actually manage their way into the church – either that or they move to another church that is a bit more welcoming to new people. New converts however, are largely left to fend for themselves – even if they are members!!

Why is it the church is so elitist and so squiffy about new members. Are they regarded as new to ‘the club’ and therefore deemed as ‘lower’ members and having to prove their worth and therefore their membership before being generally accepted? With new converts, many are regarded as newly fanatical, and to be avoided until they calm down a bit. Oh dear they mustn’t be allowed to upset the status quo must they ???

I once asked a number of pastors and ministers from all parts of the denominational spectrum, “How would you cope if 10 or even 5 new converts and prospective members arrived each week for the next few weeks?” From a good number, I received a flat response of, “We couldn’t cope”, or “We wouldn’t know what to do”. From one or two I heard, “I am not certain we would measure up”, or words to that effect. Not a single one came back with anything better than that. How sad is that? I even asked that at my own church and got the ‘not sure’ answer – and we are pretty organised !!

In the great scheme of things, we are never going to be ready for Jesus return. We are not prepared for the great end-time harvest. These events will always take us by surprise because, although we pray fervently for revival, we don’t expect revival and we are not ready for revival. We pray fervently for ‘souls’, but we are far from ready to receive them.

The Church has become one vast money maker. I was at one church and considering membership. Until, that is, I was told that the treasurer would be first round at my door ‘to assess my tithe’. Church has become a commercial proposition. The temple, God’s house, is still full of merchants and traders – still “a den of thieves” as Jesus called it. The only reason most new members are tolerated is so they can contribute to ‘the work’ – a convenient pseudonym for the building fund or other corporate venture.

I seem to have become critical of the Church, capital ‘C’, recently. I think this is a reflection of that which seems to me to be closest to the Fathers heart – His sadness at our Laodicean hearts. Lukewarm, smug, self-satisfied Laodicean hearts. When He returns, we will be first before the judgement seat and we will be measured by the rod we used to mete out our mercy, our charity, and our judgement. I find that a frightening prospect – who can measure his own heart? Who can compare his heart to the Father’s heart?

Lord, save us from our own selves, from our sanctified smugness and our self proclaimed piety. As the song says Lord, “Break our hearts for what breaks yours,
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause, As I walk from earth into eternity.”

The way I see it, we need to either renew our hearts and take our place in Jesus, or keep the old ones and lose our place in eternity. The choice is ours but “as for me and my house, we will (try to) serve the Lord.” – at least that’s the aim.