I have noticed that, when a church gets bored with world evangelism, they want to get involved in other things. You may ask, how could a church get bored with world evangelism? One reason may be that if you are not sending or supporting church planting, you start to lose interest in it. You may still believe it is important. You are just not personally involved. That is for the big churches to do. But, being real people, we need something to do. So we find ourselves being drawn into other causes that seem important.
What do churches do when the main thing is no longer the main thing? The list could be endless. But here are a few that come to my mind. They start schools. Educating our children is important, so lets dedicate space and staff to educating children. We will be a Christian school of course. So lets get those busses running!
One thing that is in focus right now is politics. We don't necessarily want to run for office, but we love getting into the public arena to argue politics. We apply Christian morals to an unsaved world. We insist that the church be front and center in the political arena. Some do run for office. But we long for the power and prestige that political success brings.
I have lived long enough to see these fads come and go. I have seen the failed attempts of those who want to Christianize our nation. They believe that America is a Christian nation founded on Biblical precepts. I have seen churches get on TV to "reach" a larger audience. I remember when preachers used to use radio for the same reason. We have been preaching the Gospel in America since the beginning of our Fellowship and America is still as lost and unclean as ever.
We do not do everything. We do have something to do. Let us keep doing what we do as long as we have people and pastors to do it. No movement lasts forever as it began. If it lasts, it will change. People change, generations may come and go. But as long as we are still here, let us stay on the path laid out for us.
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