THE CHURCH'S GREATEST NEED

THE CHURCH’S GREATEST NEED

When I was a young man I pastored a university church. The church was made up of professors, grad students, and undergrads. The congregation also had a few military officers and enlisted men. There was even a few farmers in the group.

In one day, I could be on the university campus talking about apologetic with an under grad student, visiting the officer’s club on base, and even sitting on the back of a tractor. It was an exciting ministry.

But in the midst of all that God was doing, there was something about the leaders of the church that bothered me. I could not put my finger on the problem. I just kept sensing something terrible was wrong. 

One day I started to get a small glimpse into the problem. An elder was upset with me. What was my terrible crime? He let me know that I did not need to give the Gospel from the pulpit. It was not needed or even helpful.

Now this is what I discovered. Even though my elders could skate rings around my knowledge of the Bible, theology, and church history, they did not truly know Jesus. They did not have a regenerated heart. Within time they walked away from the faith and their families.

Today, American evangelicals grieve over their loss of cultural influence. Some propose the answer is church unity. (Churches in the community working together.) Others call for more prayer. Others tell us the answer is teaching our churches systematic theology. And still others think the answer is expositor preaching. (I love expository sermons.)

Please do not get me wrong. All the above elements are important. They have their place in the church. But this is the problem. There are many in our pews who do not truly know Jesus. They do not have a regenerated heart.

I was surprised to discover my elders did not know Jesus. After all, both the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church take great care to make sure their elders and members have a true testimony of Christ’s redeeming grace in their lives.  

But it is possible for a person to fool themselves into thinking they know Christ when they do not know him at all. Remember Jesus warns us at the end of time there will be people who think they are eternally secure, but Jesus will tell them to depart from him. (Mat. 7:23)

Perhaps the greatest need in the American Church today is to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield. They were not ashamed of the Gospel.(Rom. 1:16) In their preaching they made everyone aware of their need for a regenerated heart. They called upon everyone to confess their sin and make Jesus their Lord and Savior.

Why were they so concern to make sure their listeners understood the need for a regenerated heart? They had a love for lost souls. They knew without a regenerated heart people would spend eternity in hell.

I am not saying every sermon should be an evangelistic sermon. But I am saying this—On Sunday morning there will be people in our churches who do not know Jesus. There may even be church members who thought they knew Jesus, but are far from him.  We therefore need to take every opportunity to give the Gospel from the pulpit.