Through the years I have heard many people make the comment, “Church just isn’t what it used to be,” or “We should go back to what the first century church was.” These comments make me think about what church was like when I was growing up. The church building was packed, there was great possibility that your seat was going to be taken but it was alright. I remember revival meetings that would last for hours and people from all over town would come to hear what the preacher had to say and boy could he do some shouting. Fifth Saturday night singings were always a hit. You would praise the Lord and be entertained all at the same time.

Then the question comes to my mind, “Was the churches packed because the competition was limited?” Now I am not bringing into question their love and commitment to God. However, those were days that shopping was a necessity and not a recreation. There weren’t ball games going on seven days a week. People lived practical lives that were focused on their family and their community. People looked forward to the next church event because it was the hub of the community and possibly the only thing going on.

I believe people slowly became more concerned about being entertained rather than serving God. As big business moved into peoples lives through television and multimedia the general population began searching for the Kardashian lifestyle rather than a Godly lifestyle. The church has tried to compete with the entertainment value the world is offering and has departed from the Biblical principals the church is founded on.

“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” and Jesus said, “...upon this rock I will build My church.” So what does that mean? If Jesus is the Christ then we, the church, must look at His life and live as Christ lived. We must return to the Godly principals given through the life of Christ and through the instruction given to us in the scriptures.

Over the next several posts we will look at Biblical responsibilities of the church. We will dive into roles of service, methods of service, why we do what we do, areas we should be reaching out, areas we should be reaching in, what is ministry and how do we do it.

I am so excited to be sharing these insights with our family of readers. I believe that each church should know what their ministry is and how God desires for them to serve. The only way that takes place is for us to go back to the scriptures and not only see but also put into practice the standard God has given for His church to live.

In Christ,

Randall Hamer