How to Revive the Church

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When Faith Becomes an Heirloom

Scripture: Amos 5:21-23 (The Message)

“I can’t stand your religious meetings.

            I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.

            I want nothing to do with your religion projects,

            your pretentious slogans and goals.

            I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,

            your public relations and image making.

            I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.

            When was the last time you sang to me?

 

            Harsh words from Amos. I believe there is a message in these words for us today. The Christian church in America has been struggling for decades of dwindling membership and a general lack of enthusiasm for the cause of Christ. Sunday has become for some people a day of recreation and work not a day of worship and rest from work. Abraham Joshua Herschel has a powerful insight:

            “It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion – its message becomes meaningless.” From: God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism by Abraham Joshua Herschel

            Our situation is dire there is no doubt. How can we revive our faith in God so that God will be honored by our worship? What needs to be done in order to for God to bless the church and be pleased with our worship? The answer to the first question is simply we must fall in love with Jesus again. Like the church at Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2 we have forgotten Jesus as our first love. We can only worship what we love. If we find worship boring, we know we are not loving Jesus as he should be loved. The answer to the second question springs from the answer to the first. If we love Jesus and our relationship with him is vital and growing stronger our worship will become pleasing to God.

            What did Amos say God wanted from us? Here is Amos 5:24 from the ESV

            But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

 

                Justice and righteousness are only possible for the Christian whose first love is Jesus. If we are truly loving Jesus, then we will act in ways that are just and righteous toward our neighbor. Even toward our worst enemy we will be just and righteous. The secret to revival in the Christian church is a repentance of our lukewarm faith. We must pray in the spirit that Jesus becomes the first love in our hearts, so that we will be able to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God. Amen.

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