Once upon a time the doors to a church were always open. The doors were never locked. You were always welcome in God’s house. You could come in off the street and go to the alter. You could kneel down and pray, cry, talk to Father. Your own private thing. If you were cold Father beckoned “Come in get warm, my child.” You did not have to have a bed. A pew would work, because you were warm.
We do not always know where the homeless are. We do not always know who they are. Do we go out and look for them? If there is ice why should they freeze?
What happened? The doors are now locked. You can only go in Father’s house when the people allow you too. I know you can talk to Father anytime and anywhere, but somehow you always feel closer in His house. It should be unconditional. You should be able to walk in and shout, “Father, I am here. Help me. Save me.” With or without an audience.
“Save me,” Does not always come during church service, and yes you can be saved anywhere. But Fathers house is glory.
Are you worried about stealing? If they want to bad enough they will break the door’s down. It is easy to break a window. Where is your faith? It is Father’s house. Do you not think he will deal with it? Father’s wrath would be worse than anything we could ever do. Besides once they get in there the spirit might just hit. They may become a better person.
Father will replace what was lost. Father will take care of the church. Everything in that church really belongs to Father, not us. To God goes the glory.
Where is the faith?
I left the church that we were members of and got married in because the people that 'ran' the church pushed out on of the best pastors I have ever met. During service the doors are locked. When you leave after service on Sunday morning, you have to knock to get back in if you forgot something, etc.. This is supposedly for safety but it is a small city (15,000) and not even in the worst neighborhood.
So now my church is in the woods, along the shore of a lake, in the middle of a corn field, and place that I feel God. I know I need to go to his house. I just need to find one that I feel comfortable in.
Exactly. You are supposed to follow Christ not material things. Churches were once a safe haven where everyone was welcome. Jesus did not lock the temple doors when He prayed. He welcomed everyone from the murderer to the rapist in the hope that He could draw them in to Father. That one person that comes in at midnight or later might just be the one that needs the feel of sanctuary.
Ladyreck
You are completely right. Sad what the world has come down to. Many churches have gotten away from God and are too religious. It is no longer a sanctuary. It is no longer a haven for sinners.