Sinners In Every Church

"Dear Lord, Deliver her from scoffers without,
Who seek to separate Christ from His church;
Warm the cold hearts of those within who doubt
Their pastor's guidance, his leadership smirch!
Warn carpers they work in Satan's employ,
Their whispered words fomenting inner strife,
Robbing believers of salvation's joy,
Making more difficult their new-found life!"
Satan on his own is trouble enough,
For neophyte Christians with new lives to learn,
Without facing barrages of bad stuff,
From veterans who long since made the turn!
The baptized believer leaves ranks of sinners
For others forgiven but still sinners!

This sonnet opens with a pastor's prayer for his church. The first two lines ask God for His aid in battling the critics outside the church; he devotes six lines for asking His help with carpers within the church, which proportionally is equal to the troubles every church faces. The church members themselves do more to create strife and hamper its progress than non-members. I own a prized T-shirt that pictures a truth of the Bible of which many Christians are unaware. Emblazoned across the front is the one word, "FORGIVEN"; across the back is the rest of the story, "I AM NOT PERFECT, JUST FORGIVEN"! When someone intrudes on you and asks if you have been saved, your proper reaction should be of gratitude; first, because he cares enough about your future, to call your attention to a very important matter, of which it is possible you do not know; and second, because he risks an angry reaction that can destroy a wonderful relationship. This angry reaction usually takes the form of anger, because you may think he thinks he is better than you. That is absolutely untrue. He loves you and wants you to spend eternal life in heaven, and you cannot do that unless your sins have been forgiven. He is not claiming he does not sin; he could live a more sinful like than you. The only difference is that he has been forgiven of his sins, and possibly you have not. You don't have to live a perfect life to be saved, but you do have to be forgiven.

Once a hew believer is forgiven of his past sins, he is urged by the Holy Spirit to be "born again". He is a gentle and loving Counselor that knows that as long as you live you will commit sin. He is persistent; as long as you listen to His advice and try to follow it, He will never give up, and by that you know that you are saved. Your sins are forgiven by God freely, merely by your asking. But if you keep on with your old habits and quit listening to the Spirit, He will slowly withdraw from you and eventually remain silent. This happens to a lot of would-be Christians who are Christian in name only. This means that within every church ever member commits sin; it also means that a lot of bickering, gossip, destructive divisions, and the like goes on in God's institution the church/ New members are often shocked to find imperfect Christians in the church; many drop out because of it. Mark 3:20 cites that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable sin. Ignoring Him will "quench" His efforts to save you.