Titus 2 Men And Women

Help! H-E-E-L-L-P! What’s wrong with the people up there in that lighthouse? Can’t they see I’m out here in this storm tossed sea? Wait a minute- that beacon light seems to be getting weaker. HELP! Don’t turn out the light. Wait, I need help! Can’t anybody see I’m out here adrift with no lifeboat or lifejacket and I’m about to go under? Why is that light getting so dim? Is there trouble in the lighthouse? 

Have you noticed the havoc that is running rampant among churches lately? Everywhere I go I see somebody who has been hurt by the church. Recently I have had to stop and ask myself why? Why have so many being hurt? What is wrong? Why are so many being destroyed? The answer is simple; the devil is hard at work.

We have learned from Revelations 12:12 that there is woe to the inhabitants of the earth and sea. The devil has come down with great wrath because he knows his time is short so we need to be alert.  Innocent, misguided, and unaware describe my own feelings as I step through the church door. Innocent to the fact that Satan does as well inside the church as he does outside. Misguided to the fact that the church, God’s lighthouse, can still have some dark areas that needs to be brightened up, and unaware that everyone who calls themselves a Christian might not necessarily be one.

Our churches are lighthouses to this dark and dying world. The beacon that is to direct souls from the edge of destruction. What takes place when some of the lights are dim or not working altogether? Some poor soul can wreck on the sea of life.

I was one such soul who was all but lost at sea. I sent out the SOS signals, but to me, the lighthouse where I was looking for a bright light was growing very dim. I was hurt, and I felt misunderstood, and misdiagnosed.  I felt adrift at sea, a failure and all alone with very little light to guide me.

We say we believe the Lord’s return is very near so why should it surprise us that Satan’s attacks are so close to home. If we hurt one another we can’t lead them to Christ. The devil doesn’t want the church to be united, and he is working overtime to see that it isn’t. Satan already has the lost world so he doesn’t need to worry about them. It’s the church that is in danger.

Peter warned us in I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Can Satan deceive the church into destroying itself? Oh, Yes. the devil is very good at his job, and his job is to deceive as many people as he can, and if he can’t deceive them then he tries to put their lights out. 

Can a church’s light be made dim or even be put out? Yes, unfortunately it can. Sometimes in our zeal to do the Lord’s work we run over people, forgetting that the Lord’s work is people. We may open wounds in the guise of helping then walk away leaving them bleeding, pleased with ourselves thinking we did God a service. I know some people are wounded by hurtful words expressed by someone who thinks they are helping to get that person “straightened out,” whereas others are hurt in wrongful counseling. There are those who were hurt by lying or hastily spoken words by another that soon forgot what they had said so there was no attempt made for reconciliation. There are some that put their heart and soul into the ministry only to be ignored when new converts with more talent come along. Needs among our own are set aside, or even ignored, while we run out to

heal the world. On and on the list goes as the light for those hurting grows dimmer and dimmer. Why? Because Satan has tricked us into believing we are doing the Lord’s work and we leave the Lord out! How tragic this is as we see people fall by the way side.

God is not honored when the lighthouse starts to grow dim. Some have been so hurt that they leave the church altogether, and never want to return. This is especially tragic if the one who has been hurt is not saved. Our Lord must be heartbroken over such unnecessary evil.

What can we do to help prevent the lights from growing dim?  First we need to be aware of the enemy, and the tactics he uses. Second remember Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as much as lies within you, live peaceably with all men.” I realize there are personality clashes and other things that can hinder our fellowships. When these things cannot be reconciled don’t give up on God. He may be preparing you to move on or  He may just want you to step back for a while and expand your relationships. I know I had to make a choice, because I could not seem to get out from under the oppression I felt from my experience. As I was adrift on this wild sea of life I prayed for God’s clear direction in any decision I was to make, plus I sought out an unbiased Christian counselor. Never leave the safety of the lighthouse without clear direction from God! Leaving the lighthouse altogether is never God’s plan; it is the devil’s so don’t fall for it. People watch us to see if we really love God and if being hurt will draw us away from serving Him. Even though my choice was to keep serving the Lord I could not serve in the lighthouse that had grown so dim to me. I had to find a lighthouse where I was not continually reminded of the hurts that seemed to keep cropping up.

In any decision making we must be sure we make these decisions based upon the light of forgiveness. We must remember the ones who have hurt us may not have intended to run us aground. Their lights may be dimmed by Satan, or they may have been used as a pawn to try to ruin the lighthouse their church was meant to be. Even if they did intend to hurt us an unforgiving attitude breeds bitterness, and bitterness is an evil disease that will put out any light we wish to be. We must remember that there is many a time that we too fell into Satan’s web of deceit.

Are there troubles in your lighthouse? Is Satan trying to run you aground with a dim or dying light? If so remember Whom the lighthouse is to represent. It is not the people; it is our Saviour. It is not God’s desire that we run into the rocks. Keep your lamps trimmed and your light ever burning. Jesus is coming soon! Ahoy there! Thank You Lord for the light we so desperately need.

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