Refiner's Fire

We get regular emails from GEM with prayer requests that come from GEM missionaries. Lately there has been a series of prayer requests highlighting the plight of a pastor in Azerbaijan, a small country nestled between Russia, Turkey and the Caspian Sea.

Pastor Zaur was arrested May 20 while conducting a worship service in his home. He has been convicted of preaching (yes - illegal) and is also accused of attacking and beating 5 police officers (he is in poor health with a heart condition). His sentence is 2 years in prison and the police continue to harass his family and the other church members.

We are praying for his release and for his family and church. At the same time, the members of the church family are growing stronger, their faith is increasing -- they are not despairing, they are not dismayed.

The whole scenario playing out in Azerbaijan has caused me to once again examine the western church, and specifically the American church.

We cry "foul!" when prayers are banned from public gathering such as ballgames or when our kids can't write about their faith when composing a school essay. We think we are being persecuted. Ha.

It stems from the consumer attitude that people have toward "church". I was speaking to a good friend who leads worship at a new church plant here in NW Florida. They are still very small and have had a number of people visit and say they liked it, but that they wanted something a little bit bigger. If all of those had stuck around, the church body would now be more than a little bit bigger!

When our pastor, Robert Pooley first planted Coast he had people telling him that they liked what was happening, but would wait and see if the church survived and then they might consider returning and becoming members.

So it brings me to the question - how did we get to the point that the majority of America views church as somewhere you go, something you do, and not something you are? The goal in the search for "the perfect church" seems to be to find the place that you get the most out of, instead of, "where can God use me the most?"

Of the fat and happy chosen who grace the pew each week, how many would be there should their gathering for worship be outlawed?

In some sick way, I would like to see real persecution break out against the church here on our own soil, as we see in China or Azerbaijan. I would like to see the church filled with the power of God, moving ahead in faith and being the Body of Christ, not continuing on with the fortitude of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man. But I'm afraid that we won't see that happen until the church in America is refined -- and refining happens only with extreme heat and pressure.

Am I wrong? Please prove me wrong.