Ichabod Community Church

"Like peas, music should not be canned."

                                                                                      ~ Unknown

Years ago I found the above quote; I like it because it demonstrates a need for the human soul to interact in worship - not with a radio or CD or iPod, but with a live musician worshiping as they play.
As God created music, through music we worship our Creator.

The same is true for life; as God has created life and given us life - our lives should endeavor with equal purpose to worship Him in our actions and words.
Anything less could be considered an act of treason against Heaven's High King and blasphemy against His Holy Son.
Yet, God will not make those who say they love Him embrace His values, mercy or compassion; He has given humanity free will and after pleading with us, wooing us and even shouting - if we refuse, God will let us have our way regardless of how bad it might hurt us in the end.

Our Creator will seldom impose Himself upon us; He will not force love nor obedience.
Maybe that is how we imagine a relationship with God is supposed to be; but in the economy of New Testament grace, it does not work that way. 
When things, people or issues attract us and dominate our time, finances and service more than the Lord; God will often withdraw, honoring our freedom to ignore Him.

Yet, you nor I can escape God; nor can a Body of Believers escape His person, even when we don't behave honorably or act like He would have us act for His glory.

As wineskins retain a smell of wine and Creation retains the touch of God's hand, so does the

individual Christian and the Church - regardless of where we are or what we may do.
The question for us is if we are honoring the Lord in our lives and Churches or are we giving people outside our walls a reason to stay away from Christ?

This question takes on even more importance in the modern era than at any other time. The reason is because of the modern miracle we know as 'the internet.'
The internet is a wonderful tool, but it can also provide keen insight to our post-modern world through its suggestions in our search engines.

For example, I just typed the following phrase in a search engine: 'Why are Christians..."
While there were various negative suggestions, it is the first phrase suggested which tells me that the Church is in serious trouble with the next generation.
The search engine suggested: 'Why are Christians so MEAN?"

I believe the answer to this question is not found in something, but rather in what we don't have.
Many Christians have lost their spiritual sight and hearing; if they ever gained it at all.

My father passed away several years ago, but one thing I can honestly say is that I have never met a person who is as quiet in the woods as he was. 
But not only could he move quietly and discretely; he could also hear things and see things that I couldn't - fox dens, yellow jacket nests in the ground, squirrels barking and from which tree, etc.

These things I couldn't do as easily as he; I was a child and he had been a hunter and outdoorsman for most of his life - I had neither the years nor the experience.

As I grew older, my eyesight and hearing in Creation improved; as did my spiritual sight and hearing.
But what many Christians fail to understand, a person can lose their 'expertise' in spiritual things if they are not exercised for the glory of the Lord.

Years ago, after I had gained the ability to move in nature decently, seeing and hearing more than most could, I found myself transplanted in Louisville, KY. 
There wasn't a lot of ways I could exercise my acquired abilities in the steel, glass and concrete of what we affectionately called 'Kentuckiana.'
Pursuing a Seminary degree and serving on the Police Department soon caused me to go deaf and blind; not literally of course, but figuratively in my outdoor ability.

Yet, I did not realize this fact until I returned to my home state, in a rural, small town and was awakened one morning by the sound of robins singing outside my window.
I had grown deaf to natural sounds; at that moment I knew Louisville had made me deaf and wondered what else I had become deaf to since I lived in a city.
And I knew, if I was blind and deaf to these things in the natural realm, chances were I had also become deaf and blind to things in the spiritual realm as well.
I was right.

The word "Ichabod" means 'the glory has departed;' as Christians grow deaf and blind to the needs of people around us in life, the evidence of the Lord's glory departing from us is astonishing.

Sadly, in our time, many Christians could rightly say that they worship in Ichabod Community Church because the Lord's glory in their lives and in their churches departed long ago as God honors the free will decision to reject Him and His way.

In the Southern Baptist Convention, it has been reported that an estimated 70% of all churches have stagnated or are currently in decline. 
Many are up in arms over this negative number, including one Baptist leader who stated that by 2030, he believed half of all churches would permanently close their doors.
Given the 'mega-church' model which is loved by thousands of Christians who aspire to that level, the idea that a church may go through a season of decline does not set well.
Personally, I cannot fathom why anyone in the ministry would attempt to 'pastor' a 5,000 to 10,000 member church. 
Even the thought is ridiculous.

But many layman in leadership are attracted by the flash and numbers; and it puts many ministers at odds with those within their own churches.
It is at this juncture where numbers on the roles become more important than the souls and spiritual condition of the people who remain in the pews.
If the concern of any church's leadership is of numerical value, no real or meaningful ministry for the Lord can take place; the glory, therefore, will depart.

In rural areas, the tendency is to place the vast majority of ministry responsibility on the Pastor; this is to be expected.
Yet, all Christians should minister to one another in various ways; if they do not, people quickly get hurt and the Church body suffers.

For example, I know a person who recently lost a sibling in their family. Though they were grown adults, this person was hurting.
They received condolences from friends, other family members, acquaintances through work and hobbies, and their minister - but no one else from their church.
That truly hurt them - for if that minister had not reached out to them in love, no one in the Church would have done the Lord's work at all.
In this situation - the Lord's glory has departed from the lay leadership.

People will sit back and criticize ministers who can't do everything every person desires.
Maybe we ought to be thankful for those faithful men who attempt to do all they can for the Lord and the Body of Christ - even when they are deathly sick.
These are the ones who are truly called; serving to bring glory to God.

It probably won't comes as much of a surprise that in the United States, Americans spend more money on beauty products than on our education system.
And it shows.

To put it in perspective, while the rest of the world copes with hunger and trying to fight basic diseases, we spend billions of dollars on cosmetic surgery and weight loss programs.

The bottom line of these facts - American Christians tend to be shallow.
When this shallowness bleeds into our churches and is demonstrated through our opinions of others because of what they own or don't own, what they drive, wear as clothes or even whether or not they shave - the glory has departed.

As He ministered, Jesus Christ gave His full attention to whoever the nameless person was in front of Him.
The truth is that these people, whose countless names have been lost to history, mattered to God. They still do.
As such, we should never underestimate our ability to meet their need in the name of God, bringing glory to His name.

In our modern era, engaging people where they are in life has become time consuming, hard work and, at times, very expensive. And many times, the results are far lower than what we have envisioned in our minds.
Yet, I am reminded of the time Jesus healed ten lepers; only one returned to thank Him for his restoration.
This sums up what happens today as ministers and Christians seek to reach the lost through various avenues in sharing the gospel and the power of God.
But when ministry is condemned because that 'one who returned' is not enough to merit our efforts, the glory has departed.

Again, our Creator will not force Himself to be glorified through our lives; He's not going to force Himself on any shrine we have erected in our lives.
He will let us have our way, even when our way is not His way; and His glory will depart from our lives and our churches.

To the Apostle John, Christ commanded that we 'love not the world.'
But it is obvious that many Christians do love the world, do love being materialists and do love themselves more than they love God.
I've met many Christians who seem to stand before their mirror every morning and sing 'How Great Thou Art;' worshiping at the shrine of self. 
When this level of materialism, arrogance and pride takes precedence over the will of God in their lives and in the leadership they may have in the local church - the glory of the Lord has departed.

In Jesus' ministry, lasting spiritual lessons and teachings were drawn from the most ordinary things of life.
When a Christian, group of Christians or a Church body withdraw from the ordinary things of life, seeking to show a disbelieving world the fullness of God's work through them and instead

meeting alone, secluded, aside and without the rest of the body, plotting and planning together - the glory of the Lord has departed.

While it is true that there have been some saints in the past who withdrew to the seclusion of the desert and became hermits; the truth is that this lifestyle facilitates extreme attention - attention to oneself.
Today, we have nearly a 'rock star' culture in Evangelical Christian circles; and when this culture is chosen over repentance and faith among the brethren, the glory of the Lord has departed.

Societies of all eras and times have tended to reward the wealthy, the skillful and the beautiful. 
Jesus was not in the least bit impressed with what we may call, 'Societies Finest.'
When a Christian or a Church group nearly idolizes these material things and places them above the spiritual values of compassion, mercy and grace - the glory of the Lord has indeed departed.

A few years back, I spent some time on the Chaplain mission field in an Arab country. 
I discovered there are some Christians in the Islamic World who have converted and follow Jesus, but do all the required 'Muslim Stuff' in society.
Yet, this is a minority among them; most prefer a clean break with the Islamic way of life, embracing truth and grace.

In our Churches, we could learn much from these brave Christians; for when our church leaders, Sunday School teachers, and even individual Christians cling to the worldly way of thinking and carnal practices in their lives - the glory of the Lord has departed - for Jesus requires a clean and clear break from the world in order to rightly follow Him and glorify Him.

While in the Middle East, I witnessed Christians being arrested for their faith, heard of an execution of a sister because she had converted to Jesus and personally knew a man who was arrested and jailed for over 2 weeks because he dared to own a hymnal. 

With this backdrop, our church fights and accusations upon one another seem insignificant.
And when we think of these things that other Christians endure in our time, some Christians ought to be ashamed of themselves for bringing discord and disunity into the Body of Christ.
For when this happens, the glory of the Lord has departed.

Being allowed to travel by God's grace to various parts of the globe, something has stood out in my mind.
I have found that as Christianity permeates and infiltrates a society, the Christians in that society tend to embrace values that contradict the Gospel.
I don't know why this is - but I do know that when it happens, God's glory has departed.
As evidence, simply look to Europe; quite possibly, that is the American future of Christianity unless we get our minds back on Jesus and off of ourselves, our wants, our desires and our worldly ambitions within the Body of Christ.

As Jesus ministered, we find in the Gospels that grace came to those most willing to receive it; the same is still true today.
Failing to dispense the grace we have been given is a tragedy.
Usually, those who experience God's compassion and receive His grace, do so because they are holding out open hands because they have no where else to turn.

With every criticism of each Christian from within the Body, with every Church fight, with every

accusation unfounded, with every indiscreet tumultuous campaign within the walls - the lost stay away without a reason to seek Christ.

In your life and in your Church, don't miss the moment God has given you in your life.
We are part of a holy universe, created by God Himself for the purpose of His glory.
Therefore, whatever you do, whatever you might say - do so as unto the Lord.

If you choose otherwise, I can promise you that His glory will depart and you may not realize it until it is too late.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.