When the Church Is a Dangerous Place

Sometimes we think the bigger something is, the better it is. This is essentially an American way of looking at things. If you are successful, if you are making more money than other people, the perception is that you are the best. If a church has more people attending than other churches, the perception is that it is the best. But not necessarily. Nor am I suggesting that smaller is better.

The Bible says that in the last days, there will be people in our churches who are not true believers, among other things. Because of watered-down messages and compromise, people will feel comfortable in certain churches because they are never confronted with their sin.

I believe my job as a pastor is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. I also think the church can be a very dangerous place. If people are coming to church with no intention of applying the truths they are learning, then their hearts can get hard. As I have said before, the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. The same message that liberates one person can hurt another if he or she doesn’t respond appropriately. People who go to church, claim to be Christians, and then contradict it with an openly sinful lifestyle are hurting themselves.

The Bible says, "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). If nothing bad happens when we sin, if we don’t get caught or found out, we sometimes think that God has given us a pass. He hasn’t. Don’t confuse God’s mercy and grace with leniency or think that He has turned a blind eye. God still will deal with that sin. But He gives us an opportunity to repent so we don’t have to face the full ramifications of it.