Psalm 122:1 (KJV)
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Are you truly glad to go to church? Exactly what is it that has to occur
in order for YOU to go home from church saying, "I’m glad I went!" Is
it that you had a chance to see some good friends again? Is it that you
were able to show off your new outfit and ensure that you were the best-dressed
woman there? Is it that you were able to get your desired seat, right
near the door for a quick and unnoticed exit after service? Is it because
you were able to beat the Sunday crowd at your favorite restaurant? Is
it because the sermon wasn't too long and you were able to get home at
a decent hour and still squeeze a nap in during the afternoon? Perhaps
church was great to you because the pastor preached about some sin your
husband is guilty of and made him squirm. Or maybe because you were able
to send your kids off to Sunday school and be free of them for a while...
Be honest ladies, what makes you glad you went to the house of the Lord?
Luke 8:15 (KJV)
But on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having
heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The Bible says here that we are on good ground when we HEAR the Word of
God. Do you HEAR the Word of God in church? I don't mean with just your
ears, I mean with your heart! This is why we should be glad to go to church
- to receive the TRUTH. Many of us go home mad at the preacher because
we came to church for every reason BUT that one! By the way, if you were
not a regular churchgoer, would you be delighted to be invited? When you
miss church do you get upset when folks check up on you or does your affection
for God’s house welcome their concern? When pressed to attend do you easily
offend? Those who are glad to be called are usually glad to go…
Psalm 26:8 (KJV)
Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine
honour dwelleth.
Before salvation, my husband avoided confrontation of any kind. But today,
as a pastor, he confronts sin head on and preaches hard against it. What
do I mean when I say hard? I mean that he is an honest preacher! Isn't
that why we come away from preaching saying it was hard?? It's considered
hard simply because it's honest - telling us the truth about ourselves
and hitting us right between the eyes. Without honest preaching, I would
not be able to be honest with myself about my sin, nor would I be able
to be honest with God about my sin! A pastor's courage to preach the Word
of God boldly and honestly paves the way for people to HEAR the Word of
God. But then again ladies, how many of us really come to church to receive
the truth?? How many of us are actually standing on that good ground of
which the Bible speaks?
Hebrews 2:1 (KJV)
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we
have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
Ladies, it should bring tears upon our cheeks to hear sermons in which
the honor of God is so far from being the preacher’s object… Just what
kind of a preacher do YOU want anyway? One that tells jokes and makes
you laugh, one that only tickles your ears a bit, skimming the surface
of your heart but never reaching down to the depths of your wickedness
where sin lies at the root? Have you ever stopped to consider what kind
of a preacher GOD wants you to have??
2 Tim. 4:2-4 (KJV)
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
The apostle Paul here was charging Timothy to preach God's Word with the
authority of Heaven behind him! The Word of God is what sinners and saints
both need. Ladies, in our desire to go to church, we must be ready to
hear the truth about ourselves, for scripture says man's heart is desperately
wicked and deceitful. We certainly don't always tell ourselves the truth,
amen? But God always will in His Word and through His man in the pulpit.
It is a pity that in most churches today other things are being substituted
for the truth! It is a shame that doctrine is no longer important. Many
pastors have bowed to the wishes of an ungodly congregation and given
the people what they wanted. However, nothing changes individual lives
like the honest preaching of the Word of God!! Nothing preserves saints
like sound doctrine!! Don't foolishly run from this; find a place where
the truth is preached and doctrine upheld and sit yourself down, fasten
your seat belts, and receive it for a change! Let the Word of God carve
away that sin from your heart and mind - it's what you need!!
Psalm 51:10 (KJV)
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Sadly, the time has come when believers want preachers who satisfy their
cravings for things that usually oppose the truth. They don't want to
hear what they NEED to hear any longer! They simply can't endure hard
preaching and they won’t be invited to it. Many especially want doctrine
removed from all preaching so as to eliminate any discomfort it might
create or persecution it may attract. Dropping doctrine would also drastically
reduce any differences from other teachings they might be required to
confront and/or defend. By this means God's people are then easily and
willingly turned toward fables, that which is nothing more than a religious
speech. This is definitely not the kind of preaching that God wants His
children to hear!!
Jeremiah 3:15 (KJV)
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed
you with knowledge and understanding.
So then, what can we do to improve our receptivity to the Word of God?
Luke 8:15 says we must first have “an honest and good heart”. Is your
heart in honest condition today? Does it really covet the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth?? Is it in good condition today? Does
it want to wholly do right? If not, you won't HEAR the Word of God! You
see, an honest heart WANTS to hear the truth, no matter what it feels
like! A good heart is bent on doing only good and desires to be even “gooder”
and frankly, apart from hearing the truth, this will never take place.
Warm and fuzzies don't take you to the finish line - truth does! Therefore,
to understand the Bible and to benefit from it's teachings and truths
there must be honesty and goodness, sincerity present within our hearts,
making ready soil in which the truth can be planted...
Luke 8:11 (KJV)
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Ladies, it is a serious thing to both hear and understand the Word of
God, because this puts on us the obligation to share that Word with others,
and be honest with them too! What have your soul-winning efforts been
like? When is the last time you invited someone to go to church with you?
You see, if you don't receive the truth first yourself and then live by
it, I can guarantee you won't be discussing your church with anybody else!
Why would you invite someone to receive what you've rejected?? You won't!
As a matter of fact, you won't bring forth any fruit in your Christian
life at all when you reject the truth. What a wasted life this would be
- and just what the devil intended all along!
1 Thes. 4:12 (KJV)
That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without....
2 Cor. 8:21 (KJV)
Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also
in the sight of men.
Yes, it will be obvious to others what you think of the truth, both inside
the house of God and outside it. Are you providing for honest things in
the sight of God and man, are you upholding the truth? What about your
children, what are they learning about the importance of truth from you?
With what example have you been providing them? Have you shown them that
truth is important enough to you that you gladly go to the house of the
Lord for a dose every time the church doors are open? Or do they see you
picking out a church based on the topics preached from the pulpit? “Too
many hard issues preached there, we won't go to that church!” What about
your lost neighbors, friends, family? There are many around you destitute
of the truth! Will they be challenged to develop a taste for it as they
observe you gobbling truth up with a ready heart, a heart that is honest
and good and desires to do right? Is your pastor able to preach hard against
sin without you getting upset and mumbling all the way home about it or
withdrawing your attendance for a few weeks, even permanently? Can your
pastor confront you personally and be honest with you about your sin and
you receive it in a good heart? Think about it today, ladies - are you
really on the good ground the Bible speaks of or have you deceived yourself
into thinking so?
Eccles. 5:1 (KJV)
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to
hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that
they do evil.
When you and I accept the truth that we do evil (that we sin), then it
is we'll understand the importance of preaching against sin. We must humble
ourselves and willingly place ourselves under the hard and honest preaching
of God's Word and go to church for the right reasons - to HEAR truth and
forsake our sin. Only then will you be able to return home saying, "I
am glad I went to the house of the Lord!"
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
