In my home town is a major soft drink bottling plant. I remember driving by there as a child and seeing the soft drink bottles rolling down a line, being filled with refreshment. I also recall the elementary school field trips to visit the plant. I can remember hearing from an an employee after I had grown up how that very plant was busily crushing all its returnable bottles in preparation for using non returnable bottles. An era was passing.
But I digress....
Behind the plant is a church building. Once that church building held a lively and thriving congregation. Once it contained squirming children learning about God. Once that building rang with the sounds of a worshipping community, gathered weekly to sing praises to God and hear his word.
Today that church building is a warehouse, full of soft drink cases.
The building, with beautiful white columns and red bricks, looks like hundreds of church buildings throughout the South. But inside, pallets have replaced pews. Workmen replace worshippers.
What happened? Likely, the neighborhood changed and the church didn't. It had to move out or die out. It looks as if it did both.
Could it happen to other churches? Could it happen to ours? When compassion goes cold, worship becomes work, soul winning becomes secondary, service grows sour, and sacrifice becomes superficial, it will happen. If revival does not come, many churches will become empty shells, sad and stark reminders that churches cannot live in the achievements of yesterday.
We can choose- revival or a warehouse.
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