The Death of a Congregation
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel.
God judged Ananias and Sapphira, members of the Jerusalem church, killing them when they lied to Him. One wag has commented that if God should decide to kill every Christian that lied before Him, there would be no Christians left to attend services. I am not so confident as to make such an assertion, but the God I serve is a holy God. Because He is holy, He holds His people to a high standard. Perhaps many have been slain in judgement and we are simply too obtuse to recognise the divine justice.
Whether God slays individuals or not, it is patently obvious that He does permit congregations to die. It was a trip to Saskatchewan which persuaded me to move to Canada. Travelling throughout the region surrounding Saskatoon, I visited little town after little town without a Christian congregation. Every one of those little prairie towns had a church building, or in many cases two and three church buildings; but there was no longer a lamp of witness left in those prairie towns. Some of the church buildings were being used for granaries, some had become private homes, a couple had been transformed into bars, and others were simply boarded up. Those desecrated buildings said that the heart of the church, the congregations, had ceased to beat long ago.
How does a church die? Why would God permit the death of a congregation? Could such a thing happen to us? Would God actually call us to account with the consequence that we ceased to exist? Such an event could happen, and if we are not careful such an event may well happen. We are not immune to embracing sin with the consequent judgement of Holy God. Paul cautions us through his first Corinthians letter against setting our hearts on evil things. You will note that he uses the first person plural pronoun, including himself in the word of caution. If the Apostle to the Gentiles was careful to avoid sinning against God, we will do well to take heed to our own lives.
God Does Judge His Holy People — For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
A false profession is dangerous in the extreme. To claim relationship to Holy God is to invite Him to judge motives and attitudes as well as actions. This forms part of the warning issued together with the instructions which are given for observing the Continuing Ordinance. Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognising the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgement on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgement. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world [1 Corinthians 11:27-32].
To claim kinship to the Living God while yet living a sinful life is to defy Him to discipline His own child. Christian, be aware that God loves you too much to permit you either to disgrace His Name or to harm yourself. He will restrain you. Perhaps it will be helpful to review the disciplines of God. I am quick to state that no one undergoing divine discipline need guess at what is happening. The relationship between Father and child is broken and the child knows intuitively that the Father is working His discipline. Whenever you hear someone moan that God must hate them, mark it down that that one is not undergoing discipline. Divine discipline is recognised as just and proper by the child being disciplined even though they may resent the attention received.
At first God attempts to correct us through mild rebuke. His Word corrects us and the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely [cf. James 4:5]. If we fail to heed the conviction of the indwelling Spirit of God He shall intensify His efforts to turn us from our mad race toward destruction. If we fail the gentle rebuke of conscience pricked by the Spirit we face the dire prospect of buffeting of the soul. There is found in Peter’s second letter an enigmatic verse. In order to understand that verse to which I refer, listen to a brief passage which captures the context.
If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgement; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) — if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment [2 Peter 2:4-9].
Note in particular the eighth verse which states that Lot, identified as a righteous man, was tormented in his righteous soul. We would not know that Lot was a righteous man save for this verse. Though we might deduce from his relationship to Abram that Lot knew of God, the account of his life given in Genesis is silent concerning his worship of the true and living God. In fact, we are left with the distinct impression that personal advancement in the social order of Sodom was of greater importance than was righteousness. This verse further attests that he was tormented in his righteous soul. Literally, he tortured his righteous soul. He was distressed by the enormity of the sin which surrounded him and as a consequence he was grieved to the point of inner torment. Seeing and hearing the filthy lives of those about him injured him to his soul.
The child of God cannot live in the midst of filthy lives without being adversely affected. If he attempts to remain silent in the face of wickedness and blatant defiance of Holy God, he will discover that his soul is tortured by a self-induced form of torment. This is nothing less than the Spirit of God dealing with His wayward child.
If somehow the child of God fails to respond to the inner torment of the soul, God may well touch the flesh. Perhaps the individual will lose that which is greatly valued and which has begun to compete with love for God in the life of that one. Perhaps God will touch the body and lay that one of a bed of illness. Perhaps God will permit financial reversal or the loss of all that seemed necessary in order to capture the attention of the wayward child.
This is perhaps best summed up by the instruction Paul gives concerning an unnamed saint in the Corinthian church. Having reviewed the awful sin which was flagrantly being paraded before the horrified eyes of the pagan world the Apostle instructed the reluctant church. When you are assembled in the Name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord [1 Corinthians 5:4,5]. There is safety within the church and there is danger outside the fold.
I have mentioned before what an indelible impression church discipline exercised according to the Word made upon me as a young Christian. A man in the church to which I first belonged had deserted his wife and children so that he could take up with a younger woman. The church made inquiry and discovered that this sin was actually taking place. Swiftly the church acted to exclude that man from the fellowship, informing him of the action. If nothing else the congregation made it clear that it was pure and wanted nothing to do with his wicked actions. The church had acted quickly before the community to declare herself innocent of this evil.
Weeks went by and from all appearance nothing much had changed. We knew little of that man’s affairs and he had no contact with us until one night during an evening service. Nearly six months had passed since I had last heard of that man and here he was in a service. Requesting permission to speak the deacons granted him opportunity to address the congregation. That man stood before the assembly to confess his sin and to ask that the people of God forgive him. By his demeanour and body posture he was a broken man. One statement he made has remained with me since that night. Asking that the church receive him again into membership, he said, “It’s cold out there.” Indeed, there is safety within the church and there is danger outside the fold.
If sifting by Satan is somehow insufficient to gain the attention of the wayward child, God may find it necessary to call the individual home. As a child there would come a point in my childish rebellion when my dad would find it necessary to simply say, “Get home, son.” I knew what that meant! His words were the preamble to some serious adjustment of my attitude. John, in solemn tone and with frightful words speaks of this ultimate discipline from the Father. If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death [1 John 5:16,17]. Similarly, this must be the meaning of James words in James 5:19,20. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
There is deep comfort in this knowledge that God does discipline His children. We need but recall the admonition which is provided in the letter to the Hebrew people. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it [Hebrews 12:7-11].
Underscore in your mind this comforting thought. God does not discipline the devil’s kids. If you have never received divine discipline, you share no relationship with God. Though you may have participated in a religious rite and perhaps even united with a congregation, if you have no intimate times of discipline from the hand of the Father, it is a powerful indication that you have no union with Him. On the other hand, if you have experienced His discipline you know that you are loved because the Father does not waste His time on those who are outside His love. His discipline is evidence that He loves you. That is a comforting thought in the midst of the pain of discipline.
I must note that just as the Father judges us as individuals He judges us in the context of our broader relationships to one another. God judges churches. What an awesome thought is that caution Jesus issues to the Church at Ephesus! I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place [Revelation 2:4,5].
This is a word of warning which is repeated to the church of Pergamum [Revelation 2:16], the church of Thyatira [Revelation 2:20-25], the church of Sardis [Revelation 3:2,3], and the church of Laodicea [Revelation 3:14-20]. God does judge churches and some die. It is a tragic, though verifiable, fact that few churches are able to maintain their power with God beyond a matter of decades. The churches which have existed longer than one hundred years and which are still true to the founding principles of that congregation can be enumerated on one hand.
God Deals with His People Openly —I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers… Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
When your father punished you as a child, you did not question that you deserved correction. Just so when God punishes His child there is no question of the source of the correction. The child of God does not wonder whether he may be then undergoing divine discipline … he knows that he is seeing the hand of His Father in Heaven. He is likewise assured that if he attempts to ignore that discipline that his Father loves him too much to ignore his destructive behaviour. He knows that God will not give up on him.
Though God can move in mysterious ways and though some of His work seems to be obscure to the wondering eye, God deals openly with His own people. God does not work in secret when He disciplines His children. That child experiencing divine discipline knows with great assurance that it is God who works. That child experiencing divine discipline knows with certainty why God is focused on him or her.
Similarly, God judges congregations and denominations openly; there is purpose in this openness of judgement. Such openness reveals His holiness. God is holy and when He acts openly it demonstrates that He will not tolerate just a little bit of sin. We are great at categorising sin. We designate some sins as great sins. Murder, gross immorality, property crimes all seem to us to be great sins. Perhaps this is because we inadvertently reveal our priorities. Personal safety, relationships with those we love and our possessions are priorities for the most of us. Even within our categories of great sins, however, we can make exceptions. If we are involved in an illicit sexual alliance, we can justify it and demonstrate why it is reasonable. If our spouse is unfaithful to us, however, it is a most heinous sin and worthy of immediate divine judgement.
In our estimate other sins are less damning. Lying is not such a terrible sin, especially if through the lie we avoid a confrontation or spare someone’s feelings. Some theft, especially time theft or petty theft of office supplies, is not really wicked. It is just expected and companies make allowances for such activities. Failed intimacy with our Saviour, laxity of commitment to His service, a casual attitude toward exercise of our spiritual gifts, or withholding our gifts to supply the work of the ministry are not terrible sins. We are simply exercising our right as Christians.
Our God is holy and He calls His people to embrace His holiness. There is no such thing as a little sin. Because all sin is abhorrent before the Living God all sin is equally condemned and judged worthy of death. In fact, it was for all sin, including our little sins, that Jesus gave His life. When God judges sin openly it is a reminder to us and a statement to outsiders that He will not tolerate even a little bit of evil.
When the televangelists were exposed for their greed and for their proclivities to sexual deviation many among the churches bemoaned that the Faith was given a black eye. At the time I saw things differently, and I still see matters differently. Professing Christians were brought up short by the knowledge that God will not protect anyone. Those who claim relationship to Him must expect to live by His standard. If they think to play fast and loose with holy truth, they will be exposed for the perfidy of their heart. Outsiders are caused to wonder and worship before the holiness of our God.
In the account of the judgement of Ananias and Sapphira is a wonderful demonstration of this truth. You recall the story which is related in Acts 5:1-11. Ananias and Sapphira conspired to lie to God. They sold some property and pretended to give all to the cause of the Faith. Outwardly it appeared that they acted with great generosity. Inwardly they were motivated by a desire for flattery, by greed, and by zeal to promote themselves. The Spirit of God exposed them as frauds and both husband and wife were struck dead by the Spirit of God.
Two verses are worthy of serious consideration. Verse eleven tells us the impact on the church of God’s judgement. Great fear seized the whole church. Fovbo" mevga" is the Greek phrase translated great fear. The Christians were gripped with terror. When God judges, He does so openly that His people may fear Him because He is revealed as holy. Verse thirteen tells us the impact of this judgement on outsiders. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Who would dare treat with studied casualness a God capable of striking dead the liar? The casual adherent was deterred from associating with the people of God. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number [Acts 5:14]. God nevertheless worked in the heart of some who watched and they were converted by the knowledge of His holiness.
That the Lord openly judges His people serves yet another function related to the former. Such openness reminds of His righteousness. The holiness of God is distinct from the righteousness of God. Whenever an individual is judged by God, that individual cannot charge God with favouritism or charge that God is unfair. The judgements of God are manifestly fair and just. The punishment fits the sin.
God is precise in His dealings with His people. He is not capricious, changing with every shift in public opinion. Far too many of God’s people today organise their lives and arrange their conduct according to the prevailing opinions of the masses. Opinion polls have no place in deciding how to live if we will please God. He has spoken and we know the mind of God. That which is righteous is known to all and is identified with Him.
Canadian politicians draft their legislation according to the latest polls. American politicians are leaders in this realm. Tragically, leadership among the churches is too often prone to make decisions based upon a similar agenda of observing the public mind and ordering decisions according to the prevailing mindset. We need to remember, however, that friendship with the world is hatred toward God [James 4:4]. What is more important, embracing the spirit of this age or submission to God’s righteousness?
If God chooses to appoint gifted men who are Spirit-taught and who are trained through walking intimately with the Lord their God, how can churches choose leadership on the basis of personal wealth or notoriety or credentials honoured by man? Should God judge a church for having rejected His criterion for appointment to holy office, will His righteousness not be exalted? The churches of this day are rushing to demonstrate the breadth of their tolerance by appointing women to ministry despite the clear teaching of the Word. When God judges the presumption of such religious organisations will He not be revealed as righteous? Do not permit yourself to slip into the moral muddle of compromise with the spirit of this age which is at enmity with God.
It is folly to imagine that a mere mortal can challenge God, yet throughout the course of history multiplied individuals and multiplied churches have presumed to resist God. When God judges such folly inevitably there is one who will complain that God is unfair. Listen to the Word of God which meets that objection. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God [Romans 9:19,20a]?
There is yet another purpose in God’s open judgement of sin among His people. Such openness restrains madness. It is madness to presume against Holy God, and yet too often that is precisely the impact of decisions made in the absence of God’s open judgement of sin. Individuals unsuited for holy office think that election to a position as a deacon is an opportunity to exercise power over the people of God. Instead of seeing that position as an opportunity to serve they begin to rule the heritage of God. If they are not judged, others may think it reasonable to plunge into the same spiritual madness.
If God ignores denominations which ignore His written will and appoint to holy office whom they desire according to the latest sociological fad, others will follow their madness and exceed the folly of that sin. God gently rebukes a denomination, prods their conscience and seeks their attention. If they ignore His rebuke He touches what they value most – their income and power. If that fails to get their attention He will kill that denomination. Witness the death throes of the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church in Canada or the United Methodists in the United States.
The same holds true for a congregation. Though for a moment it seems as though God ignores the deliberate insult to His will, we may be assured that He is at work. Though a crowd still seeks out the entertainment provided week-by-week, it is not necessarily an evidence of the rich blessing of God. Even as Israel was steadfastly marching toward judgement and Babylonian captivity the Temple was filled with worshippers. There is a difference between a mob and a congregation, though the numbers may be similar. The one lacks purpose and the other is defined by holy purpose.
God Defines those Particular Sins Which Defile His People — Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel.
According to our text, three sins are exposed as particularly detestable to God: Idolatry; Immorality; and Insolence. Whatever else may be true about our God, He hates idolatry. God is a jealous God. When He gave His commandments to Moses, the first commandments dealt with this issue.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.
[Exodus 20:2-5a]
God reveals that His Name is Jealous [Exodus 34:14] and that He is a consuming fire, a jealous God [Deuteronomy 4:24]. His warnings can only be said to be awesome. Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land [Deuteronomy 6:13-15]. Joshua would warn the people that the Lord is a holy God and a jealous God [Joshua 24:19]. Idolatry is especially detestable to the Living God.
We would likely say that we have no idols, but I remind you that anything which vies for our deepest affection becomes an idol. Family may be an idol, if family becomes more important than service to and love for our God. Likewise, friendships may become idolatrous. Wealth and the pursuit of wealth may easily become an idol for us. Our possessions may lead us into idolatry. Our pleasures, even the gratification of our personal desires, may vie for our religious affections and deceive us into idolatry. We must guard ourselves against idolatry, for we are susceptible to falling.
The congregation which values denominational approval more than the approval of God, that congregation invites judgement and flirts with spiritual death. Should a congregation accord undue respect to an individual because of power or because of wealth, that congregation is moving toward idolatry as surely as if they erected a golden calf in the auditorium and announced, “This is your god!” If a congregation surrenders to the spirit of the age instead of seeking the will of God, it has become idolatrous.
Immorality is detestable before the Lord our God. Perhaps a congregation would not itself be immoral, nor even openly promote immorality; but if that congregation is silent concerning immorality of those in membership or of adherents, the congregation shares in the wickedness of the immoral among it. Paul did not hesitate to give his opinion concerning a situation arising among the saints in Corinth.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgement on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord… What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you” [1 Corinthians 5:1-5,12,13].
These words are nothing less than an anticipation of those words found within the encyclical of Ephesians. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Pay especial attention to the next two verses and the conclusion drawn for the churches in verse seven. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them [Ephesians 5:1-7].
The openly immoral, those determined to have their way instead of obedience to the will of God, are to be excluded. Those who demonstrate by their lives that they have no respect for their holy vows are to be refused part in the Body of Christ. Do not be deceived. To fail to do so is to challenge God and ensure the death of a congregation.
The last particularly dreadful sin is the sin of insolence. The incident to which Paul alludes arose because the people grumbled against Moses [see Numbers 21:4-9]. To speak against God’s appointed leadership is to grumble against God. Grumbling, complaining, is a dreadful sin before the Lord. It is a sin of ingratitude. It is a sin of unbelief. It is a sin of arrogance. Because it reveals such wickedness, insolence is a particularly detestable sin before the Lord God.
Whenever a congregation begins to grumble, to cease practising loving co-operation and to cease giving loving support to God’s appointed leadership, it is a congregation on the threshold of death. That congregation has become ungrateful, detesting God’s gift of leadership. That congregation has ceased to believe that God is directing its paths and it no longer walks in faith. That congregation has ceased to walk humbly before the Lord and has begun to walk arrogantly. The grumbler always knows better how to do the work of God. If such insolence is not exposed and stopped, the people of God are in grave jeopardy of divine judgement. Just as Aaron was compelled to quickly make atonement for the rebellious people [cf. Numbers 16:46-50], so someone must quickly move to avert the Lord’s wrath or disaster awaits that congregation.
Three grave sins – any of which and each of which if unchecked ensure the death of a congregation. God does judge sin, for He is a holy and a righteous God. Perhaps we Christians of this day have too long trifled with holy matters and we have consequently grown insensitive to the Spirit of God, but far too many of our churches are for all practical purposes dead. They have become memorials to idolatry, immorality and insolence. They are under judgement of Holy God.
I have spoken as I have because I long for this church to be a Temple of the Living God. I long that this congregation seek to exalt the Name of God through insisting upon purity and righteousness among those participating in our services. To fail to do so is to invite divine judgement. I urge you to cultivate a spirit of submission to the mind of Christ and to those whom He appoints to lead the flock. I do not ask that you cease to think or hold pastoral leadership to a high standard, but I do ask that you ensure that you are seeking the mind of Christ by exercising a spirit of submissiveness to the leadership of God’s shepherd.
I urge you to reject all immorality among those sharing in the services of this church. I urge you to refuse to make concession to the spirit of this age. I urge you to insist that those sharing in the worship of this church must not only be pure, but that they must be seen to be pure by living a life which does not permit insinuation of immorality or impropriety.
I urge you to resist all idolatry, either among individuals within the church or as a community of faith. You must not make concessions for individuals of power or position or because some hold great wealth. You must not accede to the attitude which would ignore the wandering from Christ and which would approve of accommodation to the wickedness of idolatry. You must be pure and holy as a people called by His Name.
The events cited by the Apostle are meant to serve as examples and each has been written down as warnings for us [1 Corinthians 10:11]. The logical conclusion is that we need to examine ourselves. If as an individual you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall [1 Corinthians 10:12]. By extrapolation, if as a congregation you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. Cultivate the art of ruthless examination of your actions that every act may be presented before Him for His scrutiny and approval. Ruthlessly challenge your attitudes and your motives through reading the Word of God to ensure that you are pure before the Lord your God. To fail to do so is to challenge Him, and who are you, O man, to talk back to God [Romans 9:20]?