Musick-al Note # 149
The church which was established by our Lord Jesus is the greatest institution in the world. It was built by the greatest architect of all time, founded upon the chief corner-stone, has the Son of God as its head, bought by the precious blood of the Lamb and the Bible to direct and guide its function and work in the world (1 Corinthians 3:11). The church’s weak link is in its members who can fail and return to the world. When people fail, then of course the church fails for “Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work”. Whether therefore the church is a force or a farce depends upon what we do in carrying out the will of the Lord Jesus.
The church will be a force in the world if our influence for good is exerted and felt in the world to bring about obedience to the will of God. Our light must shine that others may see the glory of Christ in us. We must be as salt in preserving (saving) the lost world from ruin. We must be as leaven to permeate the community in which we live with the message of hope and joy. The church can be a force only when Christians dare to live godly in Christ Jesus, when they will endure persecution that they might save the lost. To be a force, the church must reach out to help the sick, the needy, the homeless and the lost. When we fail in these things the church will become a farce.
It would not matter how many religious services we conduct each week, how big or how magnificent the building we erect, how many people we put on the payroll nor even how much money was received in contributions if we fail to do teach and follow God’s word and be a positive influence in the community. So failing, the church will be a farce instead of the force God intended it to be. When the members of the church have more zeal and enthusiasm to obtain riches (houses, lands, cars, clothes, etc.) than they have for teaching the lost or helping the poor and needy, the church becomes a farce in the world. When we show more concern for selfish ambition than we show for spreading the borders of the kingdom of God, the church becomes a farce. When we spend more for pleasure than we spend to support the Lord’s work, the church becomes a farce. The question remaining, “Is the church a force or a farce?” The answer lies within you.
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 