On the outskirts of a midwestern college town near a settlement of needy souls there once was a Gospel Mission. Their white clapboard building had no indoor plumbing. Their piano was out of tune. Yet every Sunday about 25 children would walk to the Mission to hear the dear Salvationist (She was an officer in the Salvation Army) tell the story of the cross. Though her husband had unexpectedly died many years before, she was a Mother to the scores of children she loved and brought to the Savior. Usually 5 or 10 people would stay after Sunday School for a worship service.
The year John F. Kennedy was inaugurated, a young Nazarene pastor and his family were led by God to move from Kansas and lead the fledgling mission. Though the young pastor’s stamina was diminished by heart disease, he prayerfully and faithfully set out to knock on every door in the settlement.
Those who came to the mission heard the Word of God, were touched by the presence of God’s Spirit, and they were changed by the power of God’s love. Many were saved. Within a year the mission grew to a record attendance of 100.
It was by divine appointment that the young pastor found himself calling along a nearby country road inviting a retired farmer and his wife to attend the mission. “No” they said, “we are moving.” Seizing the moment, the young pastor asked, “Have you sold your house and acreage?” Within a few hours a contract was written and signed. The four acres were located only a mile from the Mission.
The Pastor gave the house and the land to the Mission. The hardworking craftsmen of the Mission set out to build a new church. Clarence, Dave, Russ, Bob, and Ken were all there, along with their sons, and other volunteers. The new church would be called Faith Church. In less than a year the congregation moved into their new building. And God’s presence hallowed that first service.
As the congregation continued to grow, the young Pastor and his people were tested and tried—but their allegiance to God’s Word, and their determination to be holy and wholly God’s did not wane. Time after time God blessed! God supplied their needs! Souls were saved. Young people were called into the ministry.
Within 7 years the church outgrew their building. A new auditorium was planned and built, debt-free! The lovely colonial style building would seat 500. The first Sunday in the new building was thrilling. God again met with His people. Shouts of victory rang out in the services.
But only weeks after moving into the new auditorium the Pastor and his people were confronted with a life changing choice. Should they follow the lead of their denomination and compromise their stand against divorce and remarriage? Or should they lovingly insist that “what God has joined together let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6). Unwilling to change, the 40 year old Pastor resigned from the church and moved out of the parsonage.
The Church remained connected with the denomination and over the next twenty years called several pastors. The congregation struggled. Anxious to separate themselves from their former Pastor someone sawed his name off the cornerstone.
Some suggested that more contemporary music might help so the church brought in drums and electric guitars to replace the organ.
Others thought that the church could better attract young people with more entertainment. It was decided that the 500 seat auditorium should be transformed into a giant game room. The lovely colonial pews were taken up and stacked in the back of the building. Pool tables were moved onto the platform area. Air hockey tables and basketball hoops were added. A speaker system that would accommodate a heavy beat was added. And a snack bar window was added next to what had been the baptistry.
But programs and entertainments were no substitute for the presence of God that had once hallowed that place. Compromise led only to more compromise. There was no difference between the sacred and the secular. Finally the church was closed.
If only that were the end of this sad story: The vacant church was offered for sale. For months the building sat empty until recently the Church of Nazarene sold it to a Muslim group to be used as an Islamic center.
Now compromise has turned defeat into tragedy.
…Where once Christ was praised as King, today He is acknowledged as merely a prophet.
…Where once the Word of God was preached with clarity and power, today the dangerous and deceptive words of the Koran are honored.
…Where once the Holy Spirit moved with convicting, converting, and sanctifying power, today the spirit of anti-Christ prevails.
…Where once the Love of God was evident, today the hatred of Mohammed is praised.
Christians, let us never forget the lessons of this true account. Let us never compromise in the slightest way with the world, the flesh, or with the devil. Let us resolve to walk in holiness and righteousness. Let us pray that God will forgive us for the error of our ways, for making the slightest accommodations for sin, and for being more seeker-sensitive than Spirit-sensitive!
O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years
make known; in wrath remember mercy. O Habakkuk 3:2
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