Looking For A Great Church

Illus: A woman goes to the doctor's and says:

• "Doctor, Doctor, you have to help me. Every time I eat I throw-up DIMES!" The doctor tells her to relax, go home, rest with her feet up and come back in a week.

• A week later the woman returns and says, "Doctor, Doctor, it's gotten worse! Every time I eat I throw up QUARTERS! What's wrong with me?" Again the doctor tells her to relax, go home, rest with her feet up and come back in a week.

• Another week passes and the woman returns and yells, "Doctor, Doctor, I'm still not getting any better, every time I eat I throw-up HALF-DOLLARS. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!!"

• The doctor says, "Relax, Relax,... you're just going through the change!"

We all are going through change, EVERY ONE OF US! We live in a changing world…

• Once, when a family moved into a neighborhood, that family lived their entire life in that neighborhood and knew everyone in the neighborhood. EVERYONE!

• When children got to be adults, they would have fond memories of living in that house as they grew up. But today, many families have moved from house to house, and the only memories some children will have is how often they had to pack up and move.

Illus: Moving makes me think of the coworkers that sympathized with a woman as she complained that her back was really sore from moving furniture.

•“Why didn’t you wait until your husband got home?” someone asked.

•“I could have,” the woman told them. “But the SOFA is easier to move if he’s not on it.”

It used to be that a person got a job they stayed on that job their entire life. After they retired, they were given a gold watch to honor them for their faithful service over the years.

Illus: Two older gents, working as waiters, were talking:

• "You've got to give the President credit for creating all of these new jobs."

• "Yes, I know, I have three of them."

It used to be when a person got married, it never crossed their mind about getting a divorce. They had their arguments, but divorce was never a thing that was brought up.

Illus: I think of the woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove, that seemed way too qualified for the job.

• “Look Miss," said the foreman, "have you any actual experience in picking lemons?"

• "Well, as a matter if fact, yes!" she replied. "I've been divorced three times."

We live in a changing world!

Back in the 50’s, who would have ever thought we would have people changing their sex through operations. Back then, a man was born a man and he was happy with being a man, but we have some today who can not even be satisfied with this. We have men that want to look like their sister.

With all this CHANGING and SWAPPING, it is no wonder that people are constantly changing churches. There was a time when a family would join a church and they would stay in that church all their life, but today, many go church shopping as much as they go shopping at Walmart’s.

Most people will not find a great church, because they do not know what constitutes a great church. To many, a great church is -

• A church that has many programs and activities and ministries that cover all ages.

• A church that has an upbeat, updated music ministry with a dynamic worship team having instrumentalists and good vocalists.

• A church that has a spacious state of the art facility that is attractive and pleasing to the eye.

• A church that has a dynamic pastor that can preach a good message, and a congregation of people that are outgoing, warm and friendly to first time guests.

• A church that has a coffee or café area where they can gather and fellowship over a hot cup of java or cappuccino.

Yes, many people are seeking a “great church” with all these things and more!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY IS A GREAT CHURCH? In the eyes of God, according to the scriptures, a church can have all these things that people today are looking for and still not be considered by God to be a GREAT CHURCH.

The church that is great, according to the Scriptures, is a church that WHOLLY ACKNOWLEDGES THEIR NEED OF GOD. It is not about:

• How much talent is in the congregation

• How much wealth is in the congregation

• How much money they use to build a building

• How talented a preacher might be

A GREAT CHURCH IS A CONGREGATION OF ANY SIZE THAT HAS COME TO RECOGNIZE THEIR NEED FOR GOD! Any church of any size can be a GREAT CHURCH in the eyes of God!