“Time to Rebuild”

Monday, February 05, 2018

A general assessment of the current situation among conservative churches of Christ reveals some widespread problems.

*Many churches are shrinking with no plan or prospects to reverse that trend.

*Many Christians are discouraged.

*A lot of churches are growing older and smaller and, after a few more funerals, will soon be out of business.

*We face an increasingly secular and immoral society. Moral standards seem to be suffering, even for those who are in the church.

*Young people are leaving the church in large numbers.

*Far too many seem to expect the church to go backward and often look with suspicion on those churches that growing as though they must be doing something wrong.

*Many local preachers feel overwhelmed and realize that they just cannot get the job done alone.

Let me state that there are many churches that are doing quite well and we are grateful to them for their positive example and influence on the rest of us. Keep up the good work.

The churches I have worked with that have grown the most are those that have had the most people in the church working to teach their neighbors. It is just that simple. If it is all left up to the preacher, some growth will occur, but many of those preachers have worked so hard and been appreciated so little at times, that many of them are ready to give up if they have not already done so.

An important business principle teaches us that the more contacts we make, the more sales will occur. This same principle applies to gospel work. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons are well aware of this and are willing to endure ridicule and persecution to serve the Lord as they believe they should.

An insurance salesman once approached my father and said, “You don’t want to buy any insurance, do you?” If we approach prospects for the gospel with the same attitude, we will end up with the same results. (I understand that we are not “selling” the gospel. This is said to illustrate the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping.)

So what can we do about the situation?

Perhaps the best place to start is by doing what Jesus suggested we do. (That’s always a good idea, don’t you think?)

“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’” (Matthew 9:37-38). Is it a regular part of your prayers to God that He would send out more laborers into the harvest? I confess to you that it has not been my consistent practice.

If that’s true of you also, why is that? Is it because we don’t really care? I don’t think that’s the case. Is it because we don’t believe that the Lord will do what He has promised to do? I don’t believe that’s it, either. Is it because that kind of prayer would have helped in the first century, but now it won’t do much good? We know that is not true as well.

In my case, I fear it is because I have grown weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9). I’m afraid that many of us have lost heart that much will ever change, no matter what we do. I’m convinced that we don’t pray for more laborers because we have believed the lies of Satan that have told us that churches just aren’t going to grow much anymore.

We have invited family, friends or acquaintances to study and either they haven’t been interested or they have not obeyed and so we have concluded, “Nobody is interested in the gospel these days.”

We have worked with weak Christians and poured blood, sweat and tears into their lives only to have them fall away and we have despaired and said, “What’s the use?”

We have tried to encourage other Christians to get to work in personal evangelism or at least to set up studies and, when they haven’t responded, we have just quit asking.

When we quit trying, the devil wins and we lose. Is that acceptable?

Is the gospel still the power of God for salvation or not?

Is the God of the gospel still in control of the world?

Are there still souls out there who want to be right with the Lord, but just don’t know where to turn?

Have you prayed for open doors to have more opportunities to preach the truth to lost souls looking for hope?

Have you prayed for more workers to enter the harvest field, both locally in the congregation where you worship and worldwide in areas where the gospel still needs to go?

Do you agree that things could be better? Do you agree that things can get better? Will you agree to do your part to make things better?

Let’s begin by praying for more workers every day. If several thousand Christians began to really pray that prayer in faith (James 1:6-8), do you believe the Lord will answer us? Brothers and sisters, it is time to rebuild.

--Roger Hillis

Biblical Insights

September 2010

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