Here you are, a person who truly has devoted their life to the glory of God, a born-again believer, crucified with Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and you find yourself in a town with no place to worship with other like-minded people.
Perhaps “like-minded” is not the proper terminology, there are many buildings out there with crosses either in them, on them, or somewhere visible from the street that are filled with like-minded individuals, they even have the word “church” somewhere in their name, but they do not serve the Lord Jesus, redemption and the resurrection are not the foundations they rest upon.
One of them may preach love, nothing but love though, no reproving in love, (2 Tim. 4:2) no correction to the errant “brother,” professing to attempt to make disciples of the congregation, but only in part, only in the verses that will not possibly offend. Another is more of a community clubhouse, songs are sung, sermons are given, most generally around the video up on the monitors that Sunday morning, items that are connected to the news of the world that previous week, still another just wants you to be happy, to always have a positive outlook on life, to never be disrupted by those same current events, because after all, God wins in the end.
There are of course others that are so blatantly far from the message of our Lord, so far away from the truths of the Scriptures as to not even be considered, the Roman Catholic church down the street, the Lutheran one, with rules and traditions above the Scriptures, Mormon religion’s ideologies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, even the Charismatic place across town, all of them more than likely meeting every few months in the local affiliation of Spiritual matters concerning their community, the “Interfaith Organization.”
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4) “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matt. 15:8) “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:22) Not much of a choice, huh.
So, what are you to do, pick the best of the worst, hope again next week, and the weeks after that, that the message that Sunday morning will at least have a modicum of the truth in it, grit your teeth and keep your mouth shut at the mid-week Bible study, when once again, the truths of the Scriptures are corrupted, knowing that if you speak up the only answer will be the sound of the clock ticking in the background as the others present stare at the tabletop?
Men who stand firm on the foundations of the Word of God are rare today, finding them in a building all together on Sunday morning is beyond rare. Many have attempted to change the church from the inside, something that we are not called to continue in after the knowledge that this building they meet in is nothing more than another building with a cross on it somewhere. Traditions have taken the place of true worship, fellowship is only offered to like-minded individuals, small talk is the order of the day, everyone must be welcomed, all the time in the fellowship hall, “Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;” (2 Peter 2:13b) do not exist, they are simply people who have not yet come to the knowledge of the Lord, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)
We are all one big, happy family in God, they say, no matter what church you attend. Their excuse will be that no church is perfect, you will remain welcome though only as long as you toe the line, truth when used from the Word of God to attempt to dispel the rumors they spread, the lies they preach, will be used to ask you not to return. “Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.” (Prov. 25:14)
So then, what are you to do, that is the question behind this letter to you today, is it not, what is the man of God, called to serve Christ to do on Sunday morning. What he has always done, serve the Lord God as if each day is Sunday morning, as he always has. Continue to witness to all that will listen at every opportunity, forsake not the assembling of yourself (Heb. 10:25) when the Lord blesses you to meet another brother in Christ, study to show thyself approved daily, (2 Tim. 2:15) contemplate His Word continuously, keep every thought captive for Christ, (2 Cor. 10:5) pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) just like you have been doing all along.
In these days of the great falling away (2 Thess. 2:3) this scenario is becoming more and more typical, and the lost are correct when they call many of these buildings with crosses on them and the people that attend them hypocritical and high minded. You follow the path, you stay on the right road, you follow Jesus, if He decides to remove you from the crowd to go apart with Him alone, so be it. You could be in no better company.
