Something's Amiss
(...in the Church or the Christian’s walk…)
When love is often talked about but not so seldom seen,
When purses are healthy but the offering bags are lean,
When quantity’s viewed as more important than quality,
Or when truth is sacrificed for the sake of unity.
Something’s amiss...
When the noise inside the church sounds the same as that outside,
When one’s cries have gone unheard and the backdoor’s open wide,
When preaching delivers what’s liked rather than what’s needed,
Or when biblical instruction’s ignored rather than heeded.
Something’s amiss...
When one’s music and the world’s are difficult to tell apart,
When one’s walk is more in the head and lesser in the heart,
When what’s on TV is studied more than what’s in God’s Word,
Or when one’s busily repeating what they’ve overheard.
Something’s amiss...
When the salt has lost its saltiness and the light’s a mere glow,
When material interests divided loyalties show,
When behaviour in worship’s more laidback and less refined,
Or when beat that stirs the body hinders what should stir the mind.
Something’s amiss...
When personal rights and desires figure more than the Lord’s,
When one seldom says an “Amen” but frequently applauds,
When amplification robs worshippers of meditation,
Or when the peripheral encroaches on revelation.
Something’s amiss...
When preaching seeks to satisfy rather than sanctify,
When rather than saying “Yes” one’s more inclined to ask “Why?”
When discipline is seen as a violation of one’s rights,
Or when it’s amusements and not the Scriptures that excites.
Something’s amiss...
When one’s Bible looks like a novel and reads as commonly,
When lower necklines and higher hemlines displace modesty,
When preaching simply lulls and strokes rather than warns and spurs,
Or when a holy and unholy mixture God’s will blurs.
Something’s amiss...
When one’s seat is used far more regularly than one’s knees,
When it’s others or self, rather than God, one seeks to please,
When it’s thought God’s grace covers sin and not just the sinner,
Or when the membership’s not growing but getting thinner.
Something’s amiss...
When dressing up for church is less common than dressing down,
When instead of a preacher there’s an actor or a clown,
When instead of joy and peace there’s a discontented frown,
Or when the voice of the majority attempts to drown.
Something’s amiss...
When there’s a pandering to the younger generation,
When instead of compassion and mercy there’s condemnation,
When there’s a harsh debate rather than a conversation,
Or when there is little taste for reconciliation.
Something’s amiss…
When those who speak out are maligned rather than encouraged,
When compromise is common and talking straight’s discouraged,
When it’s “End justifies the means” rather than trust and prayer,
Or when visitation and outreach are a spasmodic affair.
Something’s amiss…
When sin is left unchecked and not called by its rightful name,
When it’s heresy, rather than truth, that leaders proclaim,
When silence and inaction let injustices arise,
Or when man’s word, not God’s Word, any seek to emphasize.
Yes, something’s amiss alright!
By Lance Landall