Facing the Unthinkable

It is highly likely that New Life Church will die within the next six months. It is likely, but it is not a foregone conclusion. 

It is really important that as you read below, you adopt a humble, non-defensive attitude. Please remember - the Lord holds leaders and teachers in the church more accountable - so I will be diligently going through this myself. Our aim is that, if the Lord has something against us - that He would show us and bring us to repentance and the church be saved and more alive than ever. There is no other motivation, no condemnation, no finger pointing, but a deep concern for our little church. I want us to be a tough, loving, faithful, faith-filled and humble little church - that grows.

The church is in a critical state. It is running out of money. However, as I have said before I repeat - if the church dies, it is not because Jesus couldn't get any more money for us. What kind of a Lord and Saviour would that make Him? Whatever the reason - we must all be settled in our mind - money may be the Lord's mechanism for closing the church - it is definitely not the reason.

Secondly, we must be clear, if the church dies - it is the Lord who has closed it. Jesus created the church, He sustains the church. If He determines the church will continue - the gates of hell cannot stand against it. If He chooses to close it - no-one can keep it open. 

Churches close because of intense persecution (In Syria churches have been obliterated). But that is not our problem. Churches close because populations move away. We are surrounded by 10,000 people - that is certainly not our problem.

The only other reasons for closure the Lord gives in the scriptures are significant faults within the church. 

There may be other reasons for church closure other than a fault in the church - but if there are - the Lord has not revealed them to us. 

Therefore, we must face the unthinkable. It is possible that I, Julian are the Achan in the camp (Joshua 7-9). If I am, I really want to know and repent. Maybe you are. Or maybe we all, to some degree are. We must face the unthinkable. I could be the reason - part of the reason the church is closing". Only if we humble ourselves and genuinely accept the possibility (that only pride would prevent) that we are the problem,  can we receive from the Lord, repent and be restored.

Please prayerfully consider Jesus words to churches threatened with closure below, asking the Lord to show you if it applies to you or us as a church.

Revelation 2

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Jesus has much to praise the church in Ephesus for, but for all their good - and there is much good - it is sunk by thier loss of love. And this is as much about love for brothers and sisters within the local church as for God Himself.

Consider - do you love your brothers and sisters more now than ever before? If your answer is 'yes', then answer this ... How is that love expressed in your words, your time and your money, your actions? Get concrete about this. Love is active. If you answer 'no', then will you repent?

Do you think the church has grown in love? The Lord's problem with the Church in Ephesus was not with one or two individuals - but with many in the church - so that the church was characterised by a growing coldness of heart toward God and each other. Is this the case for us? What do you think?

Revelation 3

2 I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Imagine I interviewed people who know of our church - people you know and I know, from outside of our church and asked -"what is New Life Church like? Is it a good church? What is good about them? What is not so good?" What do you think their answers would be? That is our reputation. But now imagine I interviewed God and asked Him what He thinks of us. Do you think his report would match our reputation? The question here is, are we a fake church. Look good to others - but God sees something different?

What about for yourself. What do you think others in the church think of you? Do you have a reputation for being spiritually alive? What would the report of others say about you? Your integrity, your love for God and others, your diligence, your sacrificial love etc? Imagine I then interview God about you - would His report match your reputation? 

Do you / we as a church. need to 'wake up!" Do we need to 'repent of deadness' and strengthen what remains?'

Revelation 3

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 

Do you think that in reality, you are luke warm as a Christian? Or are you on fire for God? What would your spouse say about you? What do you think others would think you are most passionate about? Would they need to think about it? Is it possible they could get it wrong? Or would they answer in a heartbeat "they are passionate about Jesus and His church". 

What about the Church - do you think we are / have been lukewarm? If the church is lukewarm, that is because the members are lukewarm. Do we need to repent?

Please be prayerful about this. If we all conclude that we can have a clear conscience before the Lord, then we have self-examined ourselves, trusting the Spirit to convict us and bring us to repentance. Then we can move on. If after self-examination we conclude we need to repent - then we can do that - and move on in confident faith. But we must not leave this out.

Remember also, the Lord loves us with an everlasting love. The Lord wrote to the churches in Revelation because of His great love for them. As we consider them for ourselves, we must keep in mind His great love for us. Jesus is rooting for our church!

Thank you all so much for your grace and willingness to face the unthinkable.