Do We Keep on Smiling and Say Nothing?

In Nehemiah 13:25, Nehemiah, (in charge of the city of Jerusalem just couldn’t take it anymore.) The city is restored, and the temple opens again for worship, but the people have returned to their forefathers’ sins. They have joined with the people of the land, married foreign wives, and even their children no longer spoke Hebrew. Also, the merchants and tradesmen in the region filled the city during the Sabbath, profaning God’s holy day. Pastor Nehemiah loses it! Nehemiah ran to the marketplace – jumping on the men, pulling their hair out, and ripping their clothes off, chasing them through the city. Suffice to say this was not a pastor trained in the nuances of “Seeker Sensitive” church leadership that is so common today.

What about your church? We’ve attended Sunday services where the lights are down low; the misting machines were churning out “theatrical” atmosphere while watching two women making out sexually while communion elements were being served. All this in the name of “being a witness” and “being open and inclusive.” This was a dynamic, growing church with a reputation for being on the “cutting edge” of everything God was doing.

Why did Nehemiah act so inappropriately toward the people? Because they had come out of 70 years of captivity. Nehemiah knew the brutal cost of compromise. He was willing to displease men in order to humble himself to God. What about you? Do we keep on smiling and say nothing? Our churches are abandoned, the buildings are mostly vacant. Perhaps this is a time of reflection. Perhaps we should turn the lights back up on Sunday morning. Perhaps we should suggest that same-sex couples refrain from groping one another during communion. Perhaps we should reflect on the things we see going on around us and draw a comparison from scripture that just might apply?

Things are the way they are because of what we are doing. If we want something different, we must do something different – or nothing changes.