Church on Fire

The story was told about the church building that was on fire and the preacher, the elders and a few members came to put out the fire. A man across the street also came to help. After the fire was out, one of the elders thanked the man and said, “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.” The man replied, “No you haven’t.” “Well, why haven’t you ever been to this church before”, the elder inquired. “Because this church has never been on fire before.”

Now that churches are finally returning to their buildings for congregational worship, one begins to wonder whether some will not return at all. There are new and weak Christians who struggle to attend even when there is not a a Covid-19 lockdown. Then there are congregations which simply are not on fire for the Lord.

The problem with too many churches today, is that the members lack genuine enthusiasm. The community can readily see this. This results in the church not growing numerically or spiritually.

This is not to say that all there is to a good church is a lot of zeal and enthusiasm among the members. Certainly, truth is vitally important. No matter how enthusiastic our worship is we must worship in truth. “God is a spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24). The main mission of every local church is to uphold the truth. “but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (I Tim. 3:15).

Though many of the New Testament churches during the time of the apostles had problems there were some which were on fire for the Lord. In Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus speaks to the seven churches of Asia. Five of these churches are not on fire for the Lord. He condemned the church at Ephesus because “you have left your first love” (2:5). Against the church at Pergamum was leveled the charge of false teaching. “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (2:14,15). The church at Thyatira had a problem of sexual immorality. “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bondservants astray, so that they commit acts of sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols” (2:20). Against the church at Sardis, He said, “…I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead” (3:1). And finally against the church at Laodicea He said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (3:16). They were not cold toward God nor was their church on fire for Christ, they were mediocre or middle-of-the-roaders. They were lukewarm. Lukewarmness doesn’t spark fires in a church.

Today, churches of Christ across the globe are not on fire for the Lord for the same reasons these five churches of Asia were condemned. Like Ephesus, churches are leaving their first love, Jesus Christ. They are following after their love for this world and its vain promises and forget God. John warned us “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I Jn. 2:15).

False teaching is robbing many congregations of their genuine dedication to the Word as it did Pergumum. These are numerous (institutionalism, social gospel, instrumental music, attacks against the authority of the elders, “cannot withdraw from the withdrawn”, etc.) yet the effect is always the same. Sexual immorality is just as much a problem among us today as it was in Thyatira. Young Christians engaging in premarital sex. Divorcing and remarrying for any cause. Dancing, immodesty, and pornography are other elements of this sexual immorality practiced by God’s people. The reputations of churches have been destroyed before the world when elders and preachers or their wives commit adultery. “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4).

Having a reputation as a local church zealous for the Lord is not enough. As the Lord was able to see right through Sardis’ phony reputation, He can see that many such churches are dead. Often such congregations are zealous only because of their preacher. When the preacher leaves the congregation’s “zeal” fizzles out and they get the reputation of being a dead church. Such situations prove two things: 1) the preacher didn’t do a very effective job of creating genuine zeal among the members for the Lord and 2) the congregation’s enthusiasm was for the preacher and not for the Lord.

Furthermore, like Laodicea, some congregations are not on fire, merely lukewarm. This is the self-satisfied status of some churches who attain a certain level of success and then retire from the Lord’s work. They are not on fire they are just keeping house. As long as they can pay a fine preacher a nice salary, maintain the building and just the right number of members they are satisfied. They see themselves as successful and pleasing to God, but Christ sees them in a different light. “Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (3:17). Such congregations need to heed the warning the Lord gave to these “…be zealous therefore, and repent” (3:18).

It should be noted that the Lord had no charges to bring against the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna. Evidently they were on fire for the Lord. What are some of the characteristics of such a church? These two congregations were 1) rich toward God, 2:9; 2) endured persecution, 2:9; and 3) kept the Word and didn’t deny the name of Christ (3:8).

Whether or not the church were you are a member is on fire for the Lord depends on the genuine dedication to Christ in each member.