We Won! Oh, Really??

We Won! Oh, Really??
By Eddie Smith
© Copyright 2010, Eddie Smith

One church beats out another, and thinks it has won!

Many pastors can't explain why their churches are spiritually and numerically stagnant. They repaint, retop the parking lot, manicure the lawns, redecorate the nursery. They promote, advertise and produce new programs. But nothing seems to work.

Of course there can be any number of, or even a combination of things that can contribute to this. One, however, is rarely mentioned. "What," You ask?

"A spiritually polluted atmosphere."

"Huh?"

In our recently upgraded and enlarged best selling book, Spiritual Housecleaning, we explain. In our chapter entitled, Spiritual Church Cleaning, we offer several reasons the spiritual atmosphere of a church's building can become polluted. The Holy Spirit is grieved and withdraws and the enemy infiltrates. You'll be surprised at the possibilities.

So, the reason some guests don't return to a perfectly wonderful church is quite subconscious. They may not even be able to explain it. Because of past events, the door has been opened to darkness and the atmosphere is polluted. Until leadership discovers the pillar event that opened the door and repents (as Nehemiah did) for the past misuses and mistakes of previous leaders, darkness is legal right to remain.

This is quite serious. What follows is a story from that chapter.

We had just stepped of the plane and were met by the missionary who would be our host for the next several days. He was an American missionary in this major world class city.

On the way to his house he explained how expensive property was and how fortunate they were to have their place of worship. “Where do you meet?” we asked.

“We meet in the (he named the building). It’s an ideal worship facility. And we almost missed it. You see another church had it rented on Sunday mornings. So, they offered us Friday nights. But I did some investigative work and found out how much the other church was paying. I offered the owner more money, and he immediately bumped them to Friday night and gave us ‘prime time’ on Sunday morning. Amazing, isn’t it?”

After a few minutes of driving I said, “Pastor, what do we have planned for tonight?”

“Nothing at all--you can rest. Why?”

“We’d like to attend church.”

“Church--what church?” he asked puzzled.

“The church that meets on Friday night,” I explained.

“Why on earth would you want to attend that church?” he asked.

“Pastor, we’d like to attend that church to give you the opportunity to repent to them for taking their worship time. For if you think we are going to stay in your country and minister in your church with this sin hanging over your head, you are sadly mistaken. We’ll catch the next plane home.”

Needless to say he was shocked, and convicted. After a few moments of thoughtful deliberation he humbly agreed.

That night after we went in and sat down I was able to get the pastor’s attention and said, “Pastor, my name is Eddie. I’m from the United States. I have with me the pastor of the church that meets in this facility on Sunday mornings. He is the one who took your Sunday morning worship time from you. He would like to repent publicly to you and your people for doing that. Would you allow us 2-3 minutes of your time tonight?”

He graciously agreed. And when the time came, he introduced me. I introduced my host pastor. He stood before the people and sincerely repented to them with tears for the ‘backhanded’ way he had treated them. When he finished, I asked, “People, will you forgive pastor for what he has done to you.” They did.

What should you expect?

You should expect a supernatural response. In the case of these two churches with different denominational doctrines, members of both congregations began to meet together in city parks together for picnics.
They merged some of their ministries and the pastors preached in each other’s pulpits in the months that followed. And, over the next two years, both churches tripled in size!