Closed Churches
CLOSED CHURCHES
So, in this painting, is Jesus asking to come into someone's heart?
Or is he knocking on a church door, looking for another home for the Great Commission?
Like one of the churches Jesus spoke to in Revelation, a lot of American churches have degraded into mere community centers; watering holes - places that constitute part of our weekend ritual.
just for the sake of the ritual.
Church is often seen as a place of rest and relaxation...but I want to challenge that concept.
There is a difference between relaxing and re-charging.
Jesus compared soul-winning to fishing with nets, and with farming.
Fishing with nets is hard work, but hauling in the nets is a joy, when it has a catch.
(I've been in a boat with a fisherman in Columbia, who fished with nets.)
(I've been in a boat with a fisherman in Columbia, who fished with nets.)
Tilling, planting, weeding and harvesting are all hard work.
(As a young man, I grew up on a producing acreage, and also worked for large-scale farmers).
There is hope in planting, fore-known profit in weeding and joy in harvesting.
But too few people understand that there is less to celebrate on Sunday
when they make no effort during the week they bring a harvest to church with them.
Song: Bringing in the Sheaves
So, how does this tie into church websites?
With the opportunity that websites provide, I believe that a church will always win more souls
WITH a good website than WITHOUT a website. A website is one tool in the evangelism tool bag.
And a church without a website is missing a tool.
Consider me. I am actually a rather withdrawn person, though I put up a good front when I need to.
I've built websites for various topics, look for a way to include Jesus,
and the use social media to encourage people to visit the sites.
Each of my websites draw a few visitors each month, clicking on pages like this one.
(though this website is only advertised to churches)
Hopefully, some of them have felt led to visit a nearby church because of something I've said.
And I'm doing this right now, trying to encourage you to expand your communication options.
Make each Sunday a real Harvest celebration by knowing you've done something during the week to make Jesus known to someone who isn't currently 'churchy'.
When I planted sunflower seeds in my garden this spring, many of them failed,
and I had no way of knowing which seeds would sprout.
If I plant good seeds in good soil with good weather, some will grow.
It's the same with Jesus.
Technically, we don't win souls...we share about Jesus.
The Holy Spirit draws the souls and creates the harvest.