HOW DEAD IS TOO DEAD?

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

If you’ve read the last few blog posts then I applaud you for coming back to read another one! I understand that they haven’t exactly been what I’d call “uplifting”, but through them I pray that we’ve all come to the realization that different parts of the Church are dying. To be honest, I’m afraid those segments we have discussed, the younger generation and then many of the adults are on “religious” life support. They are almost dead.

Please notice I said “almost”; not “is”. There IS indeed hope.

The reason for hope is because there are still a FEW who are willing to make other choices. However, I’ve recently been wrestling with the question of how dead is too dead? Is there a point where the FEW should just stop trying because the souls they are trying to reach are already dead?

I quite often feel like that. It seems like there’s only so much you can do before it’s just a lost cause and wasted effort. I mean, there are some people out there who just don’t care how much you help them and tell them the hard truth, right? If you feel like I’m literally reading your mail by saying that, I just want to quickly say that I know it’s tiring and that it’s frustrating…

But are those people you are trying to help actually “dead”?

Let’s just be real. If you’ve ever done ministry and, remember that is what we are all called to in our everyday lives, then you know that the people around us who are “dead” spiritually, typically end up leaving us with pretty good scars. Even though we’re the ones trying to help them heal their own scars.

Whenever I’m dealing with situations like that, I am usually reminded of Ezekiel 37:1-6 which says, “The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?

I replied, “Lord God, only you know.” He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

There is so much there that we could get in to, but there’s one place where I think our focus needs to be… hope.

You know that one person that doesn’t seem to get it after you’ve given them all you got? Keep pouring in, they aren’t too dead for God to change their mindset.

Your local church that seems to be a million miles from the New Testament Church, it’s not too dead for God to recover the good that’s left; even if it appears to be the smallest amount.

Can I just say it a little bit louder for the people in the back? NOTHING is too dead for God! Only He knows what will actually come to life. But you know what, I won’t be that Christian who gives up and asks the question “what if” later on.

I want to be the Christian who doesn’t ever give up on people. Because there’s always a chance that God will resurrect the dry bones and I don’t want to miss it when it happens.

You know, most times we don’t realize we’ve been asleep until we wake up. I believe that’s the state of many of our churches and Christian’s across the world.

God didn’t place you in 2020 on accident. Timing isn’t a coincidence. You were made for such a time as this. Keep breathing on those dry and dead bones; they just might come alive.

“I think the most awesome task in the world tonight is not to be the president of the United States or the king of an empire, but to be a man who stands between a living God and a dying people.”  (Leonard Ravenhill)

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Has there ever been a time where you wanted to give up on someone or something because it appeared useless?

= Do you believe you have an awesome task?

= What are you going to do differently?