Evidence of Death

Have you ever thought about the signs of a dead or dying church? Have you ever wondered if your church was dead or at the very least starting to get rather sick?

If you are like most of us then at some point you have at least considered these questions. Today I would like to offer one idea that may help you answer those questions. Today's thought comes from Jeremiah 7:34.

In this passage God essentially says that He will be removing all of the joy and excitement from Judah and Jerusalem. He will make the land lay in ruin. I think as we look at church we can use this as a sort of barometer of a church's health. Simply put, if we look around us and we do not see people who are excited to be in church or doing ministry then there is a problem. And to be sure I am not talking about the kind of fake happiness that many people express during Sunday AM greeting time. I am talking about a deep sense of joy and excitement. It is when you look at people and that have that look in the eyes and that sound in their voice that says there is nothing I would rather be doing than this right here. Do you see this in your church? If not why not?

I think the same can be true of our personal lives. Do you have that level of joy in what you do? Do you have it when it comes to church? Do you have about spending time with God? If not, why not?