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Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Psalms
115:2. Do we realize we are His ambassadors and witnesses?
>Be a carrier of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3),
>Execute justice and fight against the moral and legal corruption (Amos 5:24; Jeremiah22:3; Luke 4:18), and
>Lift His name high (Philippians 2:9)
If this is not reality then what on earth are we doing? John Calvin put it so beautifully by stating this, "A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.". He is not far from the truth. Today, unlike the early Christians, many have learnt to maintain a long silence. I am not sure if they need to be categorized as cowards or are yet to understand His mission clearly. By and large, the so-called Christians including many Pastors/ leaders seriously lack confidence and are unable to muster courage to declare to the dying world that Jesus is Lord and there is no other name given under the heaven beside Jesus by which people can be saved (Acts 4:12).
What are the Churches and Christians really busy about? Christians and Christian leaders/pastors in many cases are busy in number of non-productive tasks assuming they are doing a great favour to God, leaving millions enter a Christ-less eternity. We are silent in order to protect our dignity and image in the society. By doing so we want to portray that we are just another religious entity like any other in our country. We are busy using His name to increase our bank balances, build luxurious houses, buy high end cars and tag it, "all for God and for God's work.". There are many who are sleeping and doing nothing as long as they have good fund flow. It is easy for many to manage big numbers, which we use on our favor to impress donors and congregation. The Bible condemns the Shepherds vehemently. In Isaiah 56:10 it says "His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.". I don't want to sound critical and condemning, but there are many facts which are undeniable. There are many who thrive and take credits on the accomplishment of their poor Pastors/ workers doing the ministry in the fields. Visiting so many churches and having worked with Mission organizations the patterns are a proof time and time again that most of them are scamsters, culminating to misappropriation. The Bible warns, “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” Haggai 1:4 CSB, when it sees a similar situation of peoples’ apathy.
Let’s not conclude and justify our demands from the congregation and well-wishers to build a Church building, and call it a Church. Your Church building is not a Church. Your pulpit is not a sanctuary like the temple of God. Don't create a false sense of holiness about the church building to impress the people so that they can sustain you. This is totally unbiblical. God does not dwell in any of our Church buildings. There is one largest Church in Chennai collecting building funds for more than 20 years and still the building mission remains unaccomplished. Solomon’s temple was the last building where God dwelt. He no more dwells in building made by hands. He dwells in human hearts (Acts 7:48; 17:24). You may need a Church, but you don't need a building to be a Church.
Today, we want to heighten the importance of Church buildings over Church movements. Technically, Jesus had supporters from all over, and He could have easily erected a Church building to start weekly service and settled in. And for real it would been the largest Church facility with huge sum of offering flowing in. But no, that was never His goal and it should never be the goal for us, even today. For that matter the apostles could have also done the same. But they were concentrated on the gospel and became the mobile church. Coming to the theme verse, why should the nations say, "where is their God?”. If we are struggling to come out of superficialities, struggling to be His real ambassadors, then the nations would continue to grope in the dark for a true God and we will remain to be failures to present the Savior to the world. What is your answer to this legitimate question? - "where is their God?”
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