Empty Churches

“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.”

In this story, Jesus lays down a principle, He wants the house full. Now, you can read anything you want into this narrative, but it will not change this one outstanding objective. We are not speaking of the “numbers racket,” but simply declaring, if the Gospel is good for ten, then it’s good for twenty, and so on.

In Nehemiah we find the question, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” No doubt one can find many reasons, but one is for sure, they must be brought, says Jesus. I pastored twenty years, and in that time we had very few walk-ins. They were brought-ins. Like a good restaurant, it is word of mouth that gets people in.

We have a Calvinistic teaching today of sitting on your hands and doing nothing. Neither Calvin nor those who understand his teaching correctly, adhere to such nonsense. They believed, like the wise woman of Tekoah told David, “[God] deviseth means, that his banished be not expelled from him.” Paul used “all” means.

My dear departed evangelist friend, Dr. John R. Rice used to say, “Have you ever noticed there seems to be more of God’s elect in those areas where there is a soul winner.” Now whether you like the term “soul winner” or not, that is not the issue. The fact is more attend church where the people are aggressively attempting to bring them in.

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”