[Preacher]

It all boils down to the fact that times will continue to get worse as we go on. To not believe that is to not believe the Prophecy of the Word itself. We now live in a world where there are no "winners" and there are no "losers." Everyone is given a participation trophy regardless of how good or bad you are. That same mentality and philosophy has now infected many of today's Churches. Everyone is going to Heaven if we all just smile big enough.

Ironically, I stumbled across this thread as I was finalizing tomorrow message on the last portion of Matthew 25. The Church building, while it is special, it is not really the Church. The building is simply a gathering place for believers to come together and be inspired and lifted up by other believers. It is a place to give honor to God. But the mission field always has been and still is the world. John Wesley was famous for having the sign over the exit that stated, "You are now entering the mission field."

Sometimes people forget the concept of saving the lost. Very seldom do they ever come to the doors of the Church looking to be saved. That translates to mean, you have to go out and find them. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one that was lost. But see how well it flies in today's world and Church if you try to save a struggling drug addict or help a stranger instead of going to visit Aunt Bessie that is sick in the hospital.

Not well. Ask me how I know.

Simply put, many ministers today are trained in the way of hospice care when it comes to the needs of the Church. In other words, if you can simply keep the doors of the Church open another 10 years, you will be considered successful in most of today's Churches.

A phrase that I once used as a joke has unfortunately became standard practice. And that phrase is, "Most ministers today wouldn't know the Holy Spirit if He bit them in the butt."

And yes, I did use masculine terminology to refer to the Holy Spirit.