Babysitter Pastors Deacons in Diapers

The average pastor today needs an injection of Holy Spirit boldness to confront the worldliness and sinfulness in his congregation, but he won't do it. He's too afraid. He's afraid to offend somebody.

He's afraid he will run off his richest member, offend his deacon body, risk losing his job security, so he plays it safe. He has a safe ministry that rocks no boats or does not turn over any mossy stones. Instead of having a prophetic ministry of transformed lives for eternity, he's settled for the ministry of being merely a moderator between him and his people.

He is there to smooth things out, maintain the status quo, which means business as usual. He may be likable. He may be amusing.

He may be entertaining, but more than anything else, he is but a babysitter to them. Vance Havner once said, Paul speaks of spiritual babes who won't grow up. Some of these 150 to 200 pound church babies keep the pastor busy, running around with a milk bottle when they should have been on beefsteak years ago.

When the church calls a new pastor, these infants may be heard to complain, I don't like the new preacher. He changed my formula. The title of my message today, friends, is Babysitter Pastors and Deacons in Diapers.

And our topic today is spiritual immaturity. I don't think I've ever seen a time in my life where the church was less powerless than it is right now. I can't remember a time when there were so few prayer meetings being held at church, when things are so critical in society.

So few Christians who really know how to pray. So few Christians who don't know their Bibles. So few Christians who don't know their God.

It seems to be a time of grade school level Christianity at church, where the majority are content with a day of comfortable Christianity that makes no noise in the world and leaves no mark upon it. It's as if the average level of learning in the church is still stuck in grade school, fewer in the school of Christ, following a crucified Savior with surrendered lives. I'm reminded of a story about a man passing through a town, and he wanted to go by and visit a historic church that had a reputation for doing good for the Lord.

And when he got in the town, he stopped at a local restaurant to grab some lunch and ask directions to that famous church. The owner of the restaurant was well familiar with that church. And when the visitor went on and on about all the great things that church had done, the owner of the restaurant looked at him strangely and commented, Yes, it used to be that way some time ago.

If you want directions to that church, go up the road a piece, turn right at the next stop sign, then go up a hill, and at the top of the hill, there'll be a sign telling you the way to that church. What does the sign say, he asked. The man paused, and with a sad look said, The sign says, Caution! Children at play.

I'm sorry to say, friends, I've known churches like that, too many, that once did great things for God, and God did great things through them, and now there are signs out front that say, Caution! Children at play. The hour is late, friend. It's time to get serious with God.

Our world totters on the verge of destruction, and I can almost hear the trumpet of the final judgment call. We have to stop babysitting our congregations and instead challenge them. We need to line up our deacons in front of a mirror and show them how ridiculous they look in diapers.

We should all be on our faces, crying out to God for forgiveness of our sins and our spiritual apathy. Are we living for this world, or are we living for eternity? There is a Bema seat for believers waiting, where we will receive gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw, when the works of our lives pass through the fire. What will remain? Will it be the gold, silver, and precious stones of a consecrated life, lived unto the lordship of Christ? Will our lives be like a brilliant jewel, reflecting its glory, or will we stand there in diapers, knee-deep in the ashes of wasted life, and then bend over to scoop up those ashes and press them into his nail-pierced hands? Only one life will soon be passed.

Only what's done for Christ will last. This has been a message from Evangelism Awakening. To support this ministry, go to our homepage and press the give icon, then press donate.

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