Junkyard Church

Ephesians 4:14 "We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming..."

Not too far from where I live is what I call the Junkyard Church.  I remember, not too many years ago, when the church was built.  It is a small, white frame building, with a simple steeple, on a two acre lot, big enough to seat at least a hundred and fifty people.

But it's not a church anymore.  It's a junkyard with cars and car parts scattered everywhere.  The owner seems to have a good business of doing mechanic work on local vehicles.  I'm sure the owner is a good man with a good reputation for repairing automobiles.  But every time I drive by the Junkyard Church I cringe.  I always slow down when I drive by - and think...

I think about the folks who built that church.  I think about the prayer meetings and excitement that led them to step out on faith and build a new church.  I think about the people who were saved there.  I think about believers who were baptized there.  I think about men and women coming together to form a church body.  I think about the pews, the piano, the pulpit...I think about the Gospel that was preached there. And, of course, I think about the preachers...

But something happened.  I don't know what happened.  But something devastating happened to cause a thriving church to become an automobile repair shop.  As I look at the verse from Ephesians 4:14 I wonder if the problem could have possibly been an issue with immature believers (children)?  Could it have been because of someone teaching false doctrine?  Could it have been because of someone's "trickery?"  Was it because of someone's deceitfulness?  I don't know.

But what I do know is whatever happened to the Junkyard Church can happen to any church.  Believers...we must pray for one another.  Guard your fellowship.  Grow up.  Forgive one another.  Stop complaining about the color of the carpet or the brightness of the lights.  Be on the lookout for weird theology.  Guard against anything deceitful.  Love God.  Preach Jesus.  Be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.

If the Devil has his way, one day you'll drive down to the church where you were saved...where you gathered with your family for worship... for an oil change and tire rotation.  This is not a parable.  It's real and it's nothing short of a tragedy.  M