Nothing More than a Religious Figurehead

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting mental pictures of people in church attendance on a Sunday morning.  During praise and worship there’s more than the odd one giving the impression they’d rather be somewhere else.  A few others are going through the motions – lips moving, but it’s doubtful that the same is applying to their hearts.  During sermon time it’s pretty much the same deal.  Some have their Bible open as they listen to the preacher but some do not because they didn’t bring one.  There’s a pew Bible in front of them but it too may as well be somewhere else.

Although my pictures have only been coming for the past couple of weeks, the picture itself within is one decades old. In other words, it’s merely business as usual with many in this church; they’ve been doing it this way for years.  Some come to have their ears tickled by the pastor and his message, others come to catch up with friends they haven’t seen for one whole week, some come out of religious obligations and duty, others come because they wouldn’t dare do otherwise … “someone might talk about me.”  To an outsider visiting, but not familiar with the ways of church people things look pretty normal, but he’s not attracted or motivated enough to join them.

After the service during “fellowship”, there’s a group in one corner discussing the government and the inadequacies of their economic management plus the likelihood of “things getting worse before they’ll get better.”  No one disagrees.  They talk about rising costs of daycare and school fees, public transport fees, rising fuel and gas prices, increased levies and taxes put on essential goods and services, then someone will eventually give a little sigh followed up with, “Oh well, what can you do … it’s the way of the world now isn’t it?” Nobody will disagree. Reality:  that sort of conversation goes on in every pub, club and workplace all over the land. The only difference being in this church, there’s no profanity in their speech but there may as well be.

In another corner there’s another group and they’re discussing sickness and disease.   Television reports coming in  during the week have been painting dire pictures of much worse to come.  So they talk about the costs of health insurance, doctors fees, public versus private hospital care, and then someone will switch it all back on his or herself and discuss their personal aches and pains, plus what the doctor said – or didn’t say.  Someone else can’t wait for that person to stop talking, because he’s just itching to tell his story.  Eventually everyone gets to tell their story, but the question is, were any among them really listening to each other?  Answer: No.  Self-focus was the name of the game here, not people-focus.

There’s a younger, higher educated and more sophisticated group just off-center of the room and they’re discussing climate change.  They do so every week at this time.  They used to call it global warming, but since horrific snowfalls, floods and tornadoes have been part of the deal all over the world for the past few years, it’s no longer fashionable to use that terminology. But they’re very concerned, nevertheless, “man is ruining the planet and we have to play our part in trying to save it.”  Have a look in the church car-park and you’ll note that most of this group are the proud owners of higher-powered, fuel-guzzling motor vehicles.

Check out each one’s many time-saving domestic appliances and home entertainment units in their house and you’ll observe that the standby switch on each one is on just that … standby.  But they do, nevertheless participate in earth hour every year without fail.  Not to speak of the many thousands of frequent-flyer points each one has saved up as they frequently fly off to destinations in high-powered, fuel-guzzling, fumes-blowing jet aircraft – for both work and for play.  But still, “everybody needs to get real and play our part in saving this planet … things are very serious and it’s up to us!”  Self-congratulations are given all around as they “bless” each other and promise to check back again next Sunday.

Elsewhere in the room there’s a group whose concern it is about the increase of violence, terror, and human-rights violations and how shameful it is that people in this country are not doing more for the plight of refugees and boat people coming from war-torn and oppressed countries.  One thinks it would be a good idea for the church to set up some sort of outreach program for migrants in the immediate area. Someone else agrees that it is indeed a good idea, “if only I had the time commit to it.”  Others nod their heads and “amen” that statement and then begin to discuss names of people in the church who do “have the time and they would be ideal for this.”

One lady is sitting chatting with another and she’s paying out big-time on her boss at work.  They used to be friends but since the new guy started a few months ago, things have changed dramatically.  Why?  Because the new guy has been receiving all the kudos from the boss which rightfully belongs to her because she set it all up.  The boss, “used to be a nice person, or at least so I thought, but now he’s showing his true colors.”  The other lady nods her head giving an “I know what you mean”-type look and then proceeds with a story of her own, paying out on someone from years long gone.  At the end of their “fellowship” both ladies feel quite miffed with each other (without showing it), each one knowing, “she wasn’t listening to me!”

There’s a group of men down the back of the room.  They were there earlier too, before the service started.  They don’t gather to talk about governmental economic mismanagement, rising costs and fees or taxes though.  Nor do they have concerns for sickness and disease, climate change, violence, terror or human rights violations.  They don’t care about other people’s bosses or work issues either … they’ve got enough issues of their own in that same area.  No.  These men have a much greater issue to discuss this morning – it’s called Football.  Football has been on each mind all week.  They can’t wait to get to church and talk about it.

Before the service begins they talk about football, during praise and worship they think about football and it’s on their mind during the sermon too.  It’s on the pastor’s mind as well and rarely will he omit to throw it in somewhere during his 40-minute, 4-point, PowerPoint sermon.  He well knows he may get a few of the men off-side with his sermon, but equally he well knows he can soften the blows and get them back onside by bringing football into the mix.  It works every time!  He’ll join them at the back of the room as soon as he can after the service too – not so much because he’s sporty but rather, more-so because he’s political.

What is the problem with all this?  The problem is: although these people have  gathered together as a church, they are not a biblical church.  Although they have sung hymns and songs and heard a sermon on Jesus as Lord, He is not really their Lord.  To these people presently, Jesus Christ is nothing more than a religious figurehead.  Not once in any of those conversations was the name nor the Person of Jesus Christ even mentioned as Lord or God, let alone honored or sought as such. Let’s look at their gods:  the economy, physical health, climate change, human rights, employment and sport.  These are the gods of the world!  Under no circumstances will the God of the Church and of the Lord Jesus Christ even bother to compete with those.

In the days of Old Testament Israel, God had His people taken out and stoned for bringing false gods and idols into His Camp.  I thank the Lord that in this age of grace He’s done away with that.  Having said that, I believe the church is much worse off by far. Why?  Because in those days the faithless were cast out and the Camp was kept pure.  Today, in the church described above, God has moved out and the Camp is most impure!  Those of us who label ourselves Christian need to let it sink deep down into our innermost being that this kind of church is becoming the norm in Christendom throughout the western world today, not the extreme.

Does that mean God has no interest in the economy, health, climate change, human rights, employment and sport?  No, not at all, but as Christians our call is to put Him FIRST in all we think, do and say – no exceptions.  Every Christian’s head is filled with the knowledge that we are to, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you” Matthew 6:33.  They’ve heard it a million times. The trouble is for far too many they’ve not bothered to put it into practice.  If we don’t practice the word of God it matters little how much Scripture we have in our head, our heart will remain empty of the same.

Should that become the case, then it’ll soon get filled with nonsense … the kind of nonsense mentioned above.  Why do I call such important issues nonsense?  Because Jesus tells us it is, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” Matthew 12:34.  Their hearts are not filled with God, they’re not filled with Jesus Christ, they’re not filled with the Holy Spirit and they’re not filled with the living and powerful word of God.  Their hearts are filled with good ideas … none of them God ideas … because they’ve not taken any of one them to Him.  And that is why their thoughts, words and efforts all end up becoming as fruitless as those who are caught up in the same stuff outside of Christ.

Does that mean all is lost?  No.  Why not?  There’s an old lady sitting at home and she has a ministry of intercessory prayer and that’s what she’s doing right now – praying for some of those people that they would wake up, humble themselves, repent and make/remake Jesus Christ their Lord. 

Just a few street blocks away there’s a bed-ridden old man and he’s doing the same, as is a middle-aged married couple close by.  They used to be members of that church, but when God left they left.  As often as they can too, they get together for authentic, biblical fellowship.  Each person’s heart is filled with God and although they know that this “church” in general is a lost cause, not so those few members whom they’re interceding for. “For all the gods of the peoples are idols…..” Psalm 96:5. “Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy.” Jonah 2:8. “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:14.