THE DEVIL’S FAVORITE CHURCH

It was one of those Sunday mornings when you could tell from the road that something was happening. Cars were parked everywhere. Keke drivers were dropping people at the gate. Children were running around in their Sunday clothes. Ushers were busy trying to find space for latecomers. Inside, the church was full. The choir had just finished singing. People were clapping. Some were dancing. Some were raising their hands. The preacher opened his Bible, and the whole place became quiet. It was a beautiful service. Nobody would look at that church and say, “Something is wrong here.” And maybe that is the problem. Because sometimes, what is wrong with a church is not what you can see during the service. You see the man singing loudly on Sunday. You don't see what happens when he gets home. You see the woman raising her hands during worship. You don't see the bitterness she has carried for years. You see the young man sitting in the front row with his Bible. You don't see the things he is secretly struggling with. You see people coming forward for prayers. But you may never know whether they are actually learning to follow Jesus. And before you think I am talking about another denomination, another church, another pastor, or those people on the other side of town; I am talking about all of us. Because this is not really a story about their church. It is a question for the Church. What if everybody is coming, but nobody is changing? There is something frightening about a church where the service is excellent but the people remain the same. The music gets better. The programmes get bigger. The crowd gets larger. But forgiveness becomes harder. Truth becomes inconvenient. Repentance becomes a word we rarely hear. People know how to say the right Christian words, but their lives tell a different story. Jesus once spoke to a church that had a good reputation. People thought it was alive. But Jesus saw something deeper. He said: “You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.” -Revelation 3:1 Think about that. A church can have a reputation. People can speak well about it. People can fill the seats. People can admire the building. People can celebrate the pastor. And Jesus can still ask: “Where is the life?” This is why I am beginning this series. Not to attack churches. Not to point fingers. Not to say one denomination is better than another. But because we need to ask ourselves some uncomfortable questions. Are we becoming disciples, or are we only becoming regular church people? Because there is a difference. A person can attend church for twenty years and still refuse to forgive. A person can know hundreds of Bible verses and still refuse to obey the one God is presently putting before them. A person can be very active in church and still be far from Christ. And perhaps the devil does not mind that kind of Christianity. Perhaps he is not worried when we gather every Sunday, as long as the gathering never changes our lives. Because a church that is empty can be noticed. But a church that is full, busy and spiritually asleep can fool almost everybody. Almost everybody. Except Jesus. And that is where the real story begins. To be continued.