Evangelist Ted Alexander

by Pastor Matt McPhillips

(Pastor McPhillips is a contributing editor from Port Huron, MI.)

     Who is the main person in our audience on Sunday?  Some have taught it is the one that is not here and therefore we need to find out why and make changes to accommodate them.  Some may say it is the lost person in our midst and therefore the message, song, and the atmosphere should be all about the Gospel.  We have teaching today that the main person is the visitor and therefore everything needs to be done to make them feel comfortable and wanting to come back so that we can increase our attendance.  Many churches use smart marketing plans and controlled atmospheres to catch people like a fish on a hook and then reel them in.  Some have said the church exists entirely for the church member, and therefore must be designed completely for their benefit and to meet every need in their lives today.  While there is some basis for this and one could find a verse of Scripture to build off of, these are not the main persons in our audience on Sunday.  In I Kings 6:1 it states, “…he began to build the house of the Lord.”  This is where Solomon started to build the house of the Lord; it was where the presence of God was to dwell.  Everything in the house was dictated by God and for God.  We find, that when they had placed the Ark of the Covenant in the temple, a cloud representing the glory of the Lord filled the temple.  We must ask ourselves to whom does the church belong?  Is it our house for our pleasure; is it a hospital for those in need?  Is it a place to reach lost people?  The truth is the church is God’s house and therefore the number one person in the church is God.  He should be the center of attention; He should be the director of music and preaching.  If we would spend as much time trying to get God in our midst and trying to please Him, our church would be transformed and filled with the glory of God.  When we try to get God in our midst, certain things will happen.

• Secondly, when the presence of God is with us we are moved to repentance and sanctification (Isaiah 6:6-7).   If God is in our midst we are brought under conviction and led to repentance and sanctification.  We have this idea that God is sitting in heaven wanting to give us our best life now, or desiring to teach us how to become a better you.  When in reality, God is sitting on a throne high and lifted up, and the object of praise is He, not us.  If God is the center of our church, all glory and praise is towards Him, not us.  Many a pastor has robbed God of glory that belonged to Him.  Heaven is not working on a way to give us purpose or how we can move to the next level, but everything in heaven is centered on God and His holiness.  All music exalts Him, all praise is towards Him, and all effort is for Him.  Heaven is not designed for our pleasure, but for God.  The streets of gold and mansions are not built for our arrival; they are built for God’s glory.  If we are going to have God‘s presence in His house, we will transform to His image, not to transform Him into ours.  We will become more concerned about God’s presence then our momentum.  We will not need self-help programs and attendance gimmicks to keep people; we will humble ourselves to God and seek His holiness and power.

• Thirdly, if the church was to seek God’s presence, service would become a way of life, not a way to climb the ladder of success (Isaiah 6:8).  When we know the presence of God, there is only one response to God’s will, “Here am I send me.”  We will not need videos, altar calls, and promotions to get men into the ministry.  There will be no need for soul-winning campaigns and discipleship drives.  People will simply know the debt they owe God and return to the purpose of their creation, which was service to God.  There will be no need for conferences to learn how to build a church, but simply to surrender to the will of God whether big or small in man’s eyes.  Our children will respond with their hearts to God’s call and desire His will more than theirs.  There would be no need for prizes to give to a building fund, but simply a commitment to give God the best house to dwell in.  Our services would become about the only One in attendance who matters- GOD!  Things like church membership, discipline, and growth would be done to honor God, not protect and promote man. 

When we talk about revival, it is not for the presence of people and growth of ministries, but it needs to be about a return to God in our churches and Him adding to the church daily such as should be saved.  The Great Awakening was not about church growth that was the half-way covenant mentality which started how we can get the largest amount or people to attend without being completely apostate.  The Great Awakening was an awakening to the presence and holiness of God.  When Jonathan Edwards preached “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” he did not do it to give them their best life now, but to please the only One in the audience that matters- GOD!  In order for this to happen today, we need to seek the One that matters.  The only attendance record we need to keep this Sunday is whether God is here or not.  There can be no wedding with out a bride or groom, there can be no race with out a driver, and there can be no church service without God.  May our desire be to prepare the house of God for the presence of  God.  

                                                                                                              -THINK