Now I know I usually give you all messages of love and encouragement, but today is going to be a little bit different. God wants me to deliver a message that is a little tougher, but I encourage you all even if it’s tough, chew on it and swallow it anyway, because it needs to be eaten…
Last night I went to this amazing concert full of power packed praise and worship! God was really moving in that place. As I gazed around and saw the thousands of hands being lifted in worship and it really moved me, and I said to God this is what it’s about Lord, all of us getting together unified in your name! It blew me away. After the concert ended the group I went with (members of my friend’s church) wanted to eat, and one of them had friends at Navy Pier, so we decided to go. We took a long walk to the end of the pier, and finally we had reached our destination. I looked around and saw that we were in the “Beer garden”. There was loud music, and everyone was drinking and partying. At first I thought we had walked down there to find the friends of the guy who had led us there, and then we’d go eat, but instead they wanted to party along with all of the other people. At this point my heart was grieved and I didn’t want to be there, but I had ridden with them, and there were no buses running because it was late. But God is so good and I know Heard me because He caused the guy who was driving the car I rode in to say, let’s not stay here, lets go back to one of the restaurants down there and sit down and eat and talk. I was so happy when I heard that and as we walked it just saddened me that we could go from that awesome place of Praise and Worship, and honoring God, to the “Beer Garden” at Navy pier.
Maybe some of you think I’m over reacting, but the people I went with were the Praise and Worship leaders of my friend’s church, some were in their choir, and my friend is the youth leader. They were all adults some close to 30, and some over 30, and each of them didn’t only just attend their church, they were seriously involved in their church. Don’t get me wrong they were all great people, and I could tell they all loved God, but I just couldn’t understand how they could just turn it off and on like that.
I’m telling you this story to say God is not a light switch we can turn on and off. Revelations 3:16 says “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” You can’t straddle the fence with God, either you live in the Kingdom or you live in the world. I’m not saying that we all don’t do things which cause us to fall short because we all do, what I’m talking about is a lifestyle. We have to live and conduct ourselves in integrity. We are examples of the Kingdom of God. Whether we like it or not people are watching us, and if we act as the world does, what makes us any different? How can we say to people, come and serve my God, but they see us doing the same things as them. When we do that they call us hypocrites, and they won’t draw close to God.
I want each of you to remember the church is not just four walls we worship in, the church is you. Would we drink in the church? Would we smoke in the church? Would we fornicate in the church? No we wouldn’t, so why do we think that it is ok to do some of the things we do? If we don’t do them in the church, we shouldn’t do them in the world, because we are the church. Please don’t think I’m coming down on anyone, sometimes we have to hear the tough things because we are not babies on milk, we are adults that eat meat, and I believe we all desire to grow in God. I want you all to know that this message was just as much for me as anyone else; because I know sometimes I do things that are not glorifying to God also. I do not want anyone to get in condemnation over what I said, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1) but I do desire you to be convicted, because out of conviction change can flow. God bless!
Tracy Willey
wonderful!
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