When the church hurts, we all hurt

Bobby-Henry,-Srpins-THIS-ONEven though I wrote this article many years ago, it is applicable for churches that are facing similar trials today.

When the church hurts, we all hurt

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”                  — Revelation 2:4

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

I haven’t been to my church in a while, which has left me out of the loop of what is going on within our church. Rumors abound to the difference of opinions and procedures to conducting the order of service and the selection process of choosing our next minister.

I know that the church, in all of its glory is no better than the people and the genuine love that is broadcast and carried throughout the church and its ministries and not the cusp of a great preacher/teacher’s tenure.

In trying to find answers to several questions concerning the conflicts that are quickly creating division amidst our church family, I found some direction in the Book of Revelation. “Which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

There are fine and excellent God fearing people in our church and they will bend over backwards to extend Christian like behaviors. As with many families though, there are complete opposites of its spectrum.

I, like many others, come to church to have my soul refreshed and reinvigorated so I can endure life’s challenges vested with the Word.

When we can’t be fed the needed ‘soul food’ from our church because it is tainted with the pollutants that infested six of the first seven churches, we find ourselves divested from the truth.

There is nothing new under the sun. We can learn many lessons from the first churches. Even though times have changed the problems still exist but present themselves in different forms.

The Church at Ephesus abandoned the love of God and we can only imagine what turmoil they suffered. Chaos in the Lord House would be an understatement.

Because the Church of Smyrna lost faith evil crept in and began to destroy it and idol worshiping twisted the Church of Pergamum while the Church at Sardis had to overcome slothfulness.

The Church at Thyatira had familiarity with immorality and sexual deviant behaviors.

Confused and satisfied with the status quo, the Church in Laodicea straddled the fence and was neither cold nor hot which caused the question ‘which are you’ choose to be one or the other.

One church, Philadelphia, seemed to have the right focus in that it kept true to the Word and did not deny “My name.”

If we are expecting a miracle in the church, then we must be that miracle. It is almost impossible to get something from nothing. “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”             Mark 10:27

As our churches seek preparation for the illnesses and align the congregation in the path of salvation while struggling to uncover where they should be, they (the entire House of God) should look and search no farther for answers than the Word of God. “What thing so ever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from.” Deuteronomy 12:32

As the church is likened to the source of great light that sheds its illuminating brilliances (all that’s good and blessing) on darkness (that which is evil) it will take the entire body to be infused with the likeness of  He who created it all.

“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

—Revelation 2:5

“He who causes the lampstands to shine, the eyes to see and the ears to hear, is the same One who loves us so dear. He is never too far to hear our cries and never to busy to dry our weeping eyes.”                                       — By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

About Carma Henry 24467 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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