Lazy Church

Lazy Church

Here’s a few thoughts on which to ponder. This whole train of thought was started by a ‘chance’ comment from a lady commenting on another post. Her actual comment was, “We are in the days of the Apostate church and the lazy church.” Lazy church – there’s a thought for you. Just how true is it, I wonder? I did pray about this before I put pen to paper and this is what I felt the Lord was saying.

The Western Church has it all. It has property, it has money, it has resources that churches in other parts of the world cannot begin to dream about. It has reasonable flocks who are among the 6 or 7% of the richest people in the world. In America, people vie with each other to ‘prove’ who has the most money and possessions.

Many churches, under the guise of attracting more and better people, have ‘invested’ borrowed money into building beautiful buildings they don’t necessarily need. As a result, leaders have compromised and ‘made allowances’ for their people. This has resulted in shorter services, run to strict time-tables, that allow time for other activities outside the church and away from God. People tolerate church now. They go only to be seen They church does not reach out as it should to the poor, the widows and orphans, and the down-trodden. 

The Western Church has grown lazy.

People in poor countries weep for joy upon receipt of even a portion of Gods Word. In the Western Church people have no time to read a Bible they are too busy making money. People in persecuted churches hold day long meetings of praise and teaching, outreach and preaching. The Western Church begrudges any more than a couple of hours on a Sunday. People in disadvantaged churches support their families, their friends and their neighbours regardless of cost – they share everything. The Western Church people pack up their families, discard their friends for richer ones and for social standing – they do little or nothing for anyone outside their select little circles.

The Western Church has grown lazy and apostate.

The persecuted churches pursue the lost until the Lord catches them. They live the great commission daily. The Western Church says ‘all are welcome’, then they ignore strangers. They hold ‘outreaches’ and preach an easy gospel that gives no honour or glory to the Lord. Many have not even heard or been taught about the great commission.

Finally, with all the injustice towards law-abiding citizenry, all the prejudice both racial and religious, all the dishonesty in the political arena – where is the outrage? Where is the protest? Where are the decent church going majority? It’s as if the church has become not only lazy, but terrified. Since when did the church fail to respond to the widows and orphans pleas? Since when did the church fail to gather around the unjustly oppressed? Since when has any church been embarrassed or even afraid of stirring up trouble for themselves in support of the poor, the weak, or the disadvantaged?

The Western Church has grown scared and lazy – to the point of apostasising the church and making a mockery of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary. The Western Church has grown lazy – it has lost it’s way, it’s purpose, it’s effectiveness, and it’s use to God. He has plans for a new church to rise from the ashes and remnant of this current one.

We have broken God’s heart once too often. It’s time for the (Western) church to answer for it’s sin. God Himself will be the judge. But the result will be a church fit to be the Bride of Christ.