Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Big Rip-Off


No doubt you have heard about our little situation last week. Some not-so-nice people came to our church Friday night, and tore apart two of our air conditioning units for the copper inside. They caused thousands of dollars of damage, to get at best $50 at the scrap dealer.

Our first thought might be "how could somone rip off a church? To steal from the Lord's house?" But after the anger wears off, we are left with the cleanup; putting things back together again, and installing some security (fencing and video cameras) to fend off the next set of thieves.

In a way, this is a picture of the world we live in. The bible tells us that our adversary is a thief and a destroyer. He goes around looking for opportunities to rip us off! He destroys everything he touches. Unfortunately we often give him the opportunities that he seeks, leaving our lives unguarded. Then after he rips us off, we have to clean up the mess, and hopefully we learn and install some additional security measures.

But our security is not fences and video survellance. We are to remain guarded against our enemy by:
  • Being obedient to God's word
  • Worshiping Him in spirit and truth
  • Remaining close to the congregation in fellowship and accountability
  • Seeking His face in prayer and thanksgiving
As we study the book of Judges on Wednesday nights, we can see the long-term ramifications of drifting away from the Lord. The picture is not a pretty one! The encouragement is "be watchful, be prayerful, and be worshipful!"


Till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

1 comment:

Brad Wright said...

That's so sad, that they tore up your church for just a few dollars...