bits from bob....

Things the Church Cannot Afford

by Robert J. Young
©, 2001, Robert J. Young
[permission is given to reprint with credit noted]

Ours is an exciting time in which to live! The challenges before the church are great; the opportunities are numerous; the advantages abound. The gospel can be proclaimed to every creature under heaven within the lifetimes of some alive today. It can be done because the resources, minds, talents, and finances are at our disposal. The harvest is ripe, the world is ready, the church is able. As one views the world today and the church's call to evangelize, consider things the church cannot afford if she is to fulfill the task and meet the challenge.

The church cannot afford indecision about internal growth or external service. The church has no alternative but growth. We cannot afford to think small. We must grasp every opportunity to serve our communities in the name of Jesus Christ.

The church cannot afford to let the machinery of organization become the master of the persons being organized. People are at the heart of God's work. The church is in the people business. Jesus died for people. It is people who makes things happen. Programs don't work--people do!

The church cannot afford power struggles for preeminence or prestige. Unity of the Spirit is demanded of all Christians and church leaders. We must put the things of God first if the cause of Christ is to advance.

We cannot afford self-containment. A growing church with a vibrant message of hope for a dying world cannot practice selective evangelism. The church cannot afford to limit God. The church cannot be blessed by God when she puts a lid on what can or should be done. Christians are commissioned as ambassadors to all men. God wants all men to be saved. We cannot afford satisfaction with the status quo. The church must be a mighty militant army moving forth to reap the harvest for Almighty God.

The church can afford no compromise of the truth. We must cling to the truth that makes men free and proclaim it throughout the globe.

The church cannot afford indifference, timidity, pride, apathy, preoccupation, or complacency. The church is called to commit to living before men the example of those who have been saved by grace through faith by God's divine mercy. The church can give no quarter; the church cannot afford any half-hearted commitment. The church must advance. Won't you recommit yourself to this great cause as it spreads across the nation and around the world? Today?


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Last updated November 23, 2001.