It is entirely possible for a group of God’s people to die. There are congregations throughout this country that are every bit as dead as the church at Sardis. Like Sardis, some of them have good reputations and a great past. They assemble every Lord’s Day and observe the “acts of worship” described in the New Testament Acts 2:42. Sometimes they point back to the past and take pride in the fact that some “great” preachers used to work with them. But, like in The Wizard of Oz, you can pull back the curtain and see them for what they really are: spiritually dead.
In our society when a dead body is found and the cause of death is not immediately known, the county coroner will order an autopsy. An autopsy will not only give the immediate cause of death, but will also list the “contributing causes” of death. In this article we are going to do an autopsy on a dead church and look at the immediate cause of death and some contributing factors.
In local congregations seldom is the “cause of death” easy to see. Most of the time it is not a single item that killed a church—it was a combination of several things that brought about their demise. I think of several congregations I know of that used to have large numbers of people assemble together every Lord’s Day, but now struggle to keep the electric bill paid. As an outside observer it seems to me that all of the “dead” churches I know have several things in common, and it is these elements that I want to examine here. Some of these elements might be classified as “causes” and others as “effect.”
- Neglect Of Bible Classes
- Neglect In The Pulpit
- Lack Of Joy Among The “Saved”
I use the word “saved” in an accommodating sense, for if there is no joy in your life I sincerely doubt if you are really saved to begin with.
Recently one of the children at this congregation showed me a piece of sour candy he had just purchased the candy even had a warning label on it. When that little boy put the candy in his mouth he made a terrible face that reminded me of some Christians I have known over the years. They sit in the pew as if they are at a funeral and when they leave they stick out their hand and you are not sure whether you should shake it or pray for it. This lack of joy is easy to spot and the “Christianity” they offer no one in their right mind would want.
As churches go, I am not sure if this lack of joy is a “cause” or “effect” of a congregation’s death.
Joy is a part of Christianity. Christ is to be received with joy Matt. 13:20. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” Matt. 13:44.
After going out on the limited commission, “the seventy returned with joy” Luke 10:17. Jesus told the apostles, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” John 15:11. While on this earth, He told them, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” John 16:24.
There is joy in heaven over a sinner who repents Luke 15:7.
After the resurrection of Christ, the disciples worshiped the Lord and “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” Luke 24:52. When the people of Samaria received the gospel, “there was great joy in that city” Acts 8:8.
The apostle Paul tells us “the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” Rom. 14:17. Joy is a part of the “fruit of the Spirit” Gal. 5:22. As Christians, we can even “count it all joy” when we “fall into various trials” Jas. 1:2.
King David had sinned grievously against God by committing adultery and murder. In humble repentance he prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit” Psa. 51:12.
What happens to a congregation filled with saints who have lost the “joy of their salvation”? They end up losing their children and scaring away anyone who is even remotely interested in the gospel. Who would want a “religion” that makes people so miserable? In the end, they lose their own soul as well.
by David Padfield
