Signs of the times

I got a ton of response yesterday when I wrote about infighting in churches. Many of you are experiencing it and not one of the respondents likes it. It kind of reminds me of the partisan battles in Congress. I saw one poll the other day that indicated that Congress now has an approval rating of just seven per cent. I can’t imagine that those leading the battles in the churches enjoy a better rating.

One reader wanted me to tell the lady, (who wrote and told me that she was so turned off by it all, that she now considers church to be irrelevant in this society), to just hunker down and stay with her church and weather the storm. In all good conscience I can’t do that. In the first place I don’t think she would heed that advice unless she happens to be a masochist. Instead I advised her to expend the necessary effort to visit several churches in her area and by so doing sooner or later she should find a place where she can worship with other believers and experience peace and joy. I see nothing in the Bible that instructs us to stay in a church that is filled with infighting.

What if there aren’t that many churches in her area and none of them are preaching the word of God directly out of the Bible. Hmmm Then I would try to find a small group to join. One person wrote that they feared the entire landscape was changing and small Bible study groups were raging through the country and would soon replace traditional churches. People, (especially young people), were foregoing traditional churches preferring to fellowship with other Christians in homes and watch television/Internet preachers.

Hmmm If the “relevant” churches begin to disappear, what’s wrong with that?

Jesus conducted His ministry in fields, or sometimes while standing in a boat, or at people’s homes, etc. Early Christians who were persecuted often met in homes. Please don’t get me wrong and bombard me with angry letters; I’m not advocating abandoning traditional churches for small groups. I am acknowledging that in our modern day society in some areas that it is becoming more and more difficult to find a church home where peace and joy abound and the word of God is preached directly out of the Bible without perverting its content for politically correct purpose.

The Bible is clear that we should fellowship with other Christians. It enhances our faith and strengthens us to do so. Most anyone could attend or startup a Bible study group and fulfill our real need for Christian fellowship.

I’m starting one right on Honey Lake Plantation and if you ever are in the area I invite you to join us. We are building a chapel right on the lake and although this is not a formal church, it will be a place where some fellow believers can gather together, have some coffee and doughnuts and then study and discuss the word of God together. It is not intended to be a replacement for anyone’s church home, but it will provide some insight to God’s word and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. You can do likewise right there in your own home.

The key to a church ridding itself of infighting is for the leadership to study the Bible and zealously follow its commands; especially the verses below and the other verses that deal with separating oneself from divisive people. More churches should expel these troublemakers. As CEO, if I find any divisive employees in my workplace, you can rest assured their heads will be rolling. Harsh? Maybe. Effective? No question about it


Romans 16:17
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.