Second greatest need of the church

Last week I posted an article that stated the greatest need of the church is prayer. Many churches no longer have prayer meetings during the week nor is prayer an integral component in many churches. We have substituted programming, technology, and education above prayer. and at the same time seen reduced baptisms,less growth, and less impact on our communities. We need to return to an emphasis on prayer.

Today I want to focus on the second greatest need in many churches: a return to the Scriptures. Last week news outlets reported on a message a congresswoman gave during a church service. It was nothing more than a political rallying cry. There may have been an occasional reference to God, but there was nothing in the article that indicated anything in the message that was biblically based. In countless churches across the country the same thing happens each week.

The message may not always be political. It may be a message that promises health and wealth, popularity, and countless self-help messages. Regardless of the focus of the message, it won't come from Scripture.

Some pastors today believe that preaching the Scriptures might offend an attender. One popular mega-pastor now promotes the need for the church to abandon the Old Testament because people struggle to relate to it and many find it offensive.

While many churches are turning away from preaching the Word of God numerous books and publications tell us that is exactly what people seeking a church want to hear. They are tired of easy, greasy preaching that cannot change lives. They're tired of hearing "I'm OK, You're OK" when they know they're not OK. If unchurched people begin attending a church they want one that believes something and isn't afraid to proclaim what it believes.

No minister should ever apologize for preaching the infallible Word of God. It points the way to Jesus Christ and eternal life. It teaches us how to conduct ourselves in this life. The Bible is not a book about God. It is God's Word given to us to teach us how to live. Where the Scriptures are proclaimed from the pulpit there is life, and when they are ignored in the pulpit spiritual death is inevitable.

As the apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy, "Preach the word! be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." Our churches need pastors who will preach the word without compromise and without apology. I urge you to be that kind of pastor.