Island Mentality Within Church — E.A. Johnston

The Great Commission and the Healthy Church

Whenever the church fails to carry out the mandate of the Great Commission and proactively storm the gates of hell, then a vacuum is created. A healthy church advances the gospel to the ends of the earth and makes disciples.

Holiness, Prayer, and the Church’s Mission

Its members exude vital Christianity through lives of surrender and holiness, and passionate, prevalent prayer is the heart of a healthy church. However, when the church becomes like the world and begins to build upon her own foundations to further her own agenda, it becomes an island unto herself, interested in preservation of self rather than surrendering to the clear commands of Christ to bring the gospel to the nations and to make disciples.

The Church’s Loss of Influence in Its Community

In many cities around the world today, the churches within their communities are visible in name only. There's little influence, friends, made upon society in which we live. In fact, if a church fails to bring light into a community, it creates a void, which in turn brings in further darkness, for the witness of the church is then tarnished and labeled ineffective and self-absorbed.

Consumerism and the Institutional Church

Many churches in America, Canada, and Great Britain and around the world are experiencing division, internal chaos, and strife because they've lost the focus of what a church really is meant to be. Many falsely believe that a church is to be an organization that is continually on the grow, ever expanding its campus and facilities to attract more of the unchurched around them.

The mentality seems to be the more church can offer community, the better. See how churches advertise their large nurseries, many ball fields, huge basketball, gymnasiums, exercise facilities, and there's seemingly little difference between them and the local country club.

Comfortable Christianity Versus Radical Discipleship

When the church ceases to be a house of prayer, comprised of holy members who live only to advance the gospel of Christ, then it becomes a self-serving, self-absorbed entity whose interests are focused upon making its members more comfortable.

Listen friends, comfortable Christianity is not found in my Bible, rather it's a radical Christianity where members are willing to lay down their lives for the cause of Christ. When the church prospers, it slumbers.

When it's persecuted, it thrives. When the churches sleep upon comfortable cushions, listening to comfortable sermons, its members become comfortable to their environment and desire no one or anything to disturb their peace.

Meanwhile, the world waits to hear the gospel and people perish daily, falling into a Christless eternity and a burning hell. When will we awake? In the book of Amos, there's a picture of the backslidden people of God who refused to learn the lesson of God's increasing judgments against them for their waywardness and sin.

Amos’s Four Progressively Severe Judgments

Turn if you will, friends, to Amos chapter 4. In there, we'll see that the divine displeasure increases in severity each time the lesson is unheeded. There's four judgments I want us to look at today from Amos chapter 4.

Each one is more severe than its predecessor. Judgment number one, a famine is brought upon the people of God. Look at Amos 4 and verse 6, and I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and wine and bread in all your places, yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

Judgment One: Famine and Refusal to Repent

Judgment number two, a drought is brought upon the people of God. Look at verses 7 and 8, friends, and also I have withholding the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city.

One piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered, so two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied, yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

Listen, friend, a person can live several days or longer without bread, but take water away from an individual, and that person will soon perish, so drought is more severe than famine. For those who object to the idea that a loving God brings judgment upon his people, I'll point you to this fact in Amos 3 .6, which states, shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it.

God is very much involved in the affairs of man, friends, and in his providential dealings with mankind especially, his wayward people. Now observe the next severity of judgment on the wayward people of God, judgment number three, a financial collapse is brought upon the people of God.

Judgment Three: Financial Collapse and Hardened Hearts

Look at verse 9, I have smitten you with blasting and mildew when your gardens and your fields and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer worm devoured them, yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

Now the people of God have suffered famine, drought, and financial ruin, yet they've not returned to God, they won't learn the lesson of divine displeasure upon them. More and more, like Pharaoh, their hearts are hardened by these God-directed calamities.

Pity the poor Israelite who claimed in his day that God was sending this judgment upon them, he would have been judged by the people for claiming God would find fault with them. Now observe how the displeasure of God increases towards his wayward people in judgment number four, pestilence and war is brought upon the people of God.

Judgment Four: Pestilence, War, and National Ruin

Look at verses 10 and 11, friends. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manor of Egypt, your young men have I slain with the sword and have taken away your horses and I have made the stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils, yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning, yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord. When the young men of a community are taken away, the future of the community is removed as well, yet the backslidden people of God do not hearken to his voice through the increased judgment against them.

National Backsliding and the Church’s Loss of Light

Here in America, can the same scenario be applied to us as well? When will we awake to the fact that we as a nation, as a church, have grieved the heart of God with our multiplied sins? When the people of God, friends, fail to live for God and in obedience to God, we see they will no longer travel with God, Amos 3, 3 declares, can two walk together except they be agreed.

And when this occurs within the church, then the community in which the church exists is affected in a negative fashion. When there's no light to push back the darkness, then darkness prevails in rise in crime, homicides, prostitution, drug use, alcoholism, and unwanted pregnancies, which often become aborted babies or grievous to the heart of a holy God.

Revival Through Repentance and Prayer

If you wish to travel with God, friend, then you must prevail with him. Our hearts must be occupied with what is on his heart. If not, we are doomed. If you have a desire for true biblical Christianity and you want to get back to the God of the Bible, I believe that there's many a discouraged Christian out there today, weary and ready for a return to vital New Testament Christianity, the kind of Christianity which storms the gates of hell and in turn affects a positive Christ-transforming influence upon the pagan community in which we live.

Listen, friend, God is looking for those who want to live on their knees. He's looking for those who desire for something more than just playing church in your day and my day. It's maybe your desire as well as it is mine to see revival in our day, friends.

Let's take this following time as we go to our knees and pray for God to send revival to this country once again. Let's confess the sins of the land to God. Let's confess our own sins to God. Let us confess the corporate sins of the church to God.

And it's my prayer you'll have your heart stirred within you and that God will grant you the grace to pursue him more passionately and fervently to make a difference within your community all to his glory.

Let's go now to a time of prayer and lay hold of our God in desperate prayer.