Grand Paw Amos - Smith & Jones

"Grand Pa Amos laid the corner stone to this here church back in 1932. He passed away in 1934 at age 83. Who was Grand Pa Amos? Well, he was my Great, Great Grand Pa. That's who he was! I never knew him, you see, as I wasn't born until 1968 and all we got to remember him by is this old and faded picture hanging here in the vestibule. Yep..., that's Grand Paw Amos right there. That other guy is his older brother. He's gone now to. Yep, our family goes all the way back even before this church was built. Back then, everyone used to meet on Sunday morning under the leanto at his younger brother barn. Then, they would eat Grand Ma's fried chicken and spend the afternoon together as a family. A practice we ain't never altered from. Hey, it's worked back then and it still works today."

So it is with small local rural churches across this nation.

“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Ye men of today, why are you standing around gazing upon what Great Grand Pa Amos did 82 years ago? Just as Amos was taken away, so shall you be taken away in like manner. After a while all that will be left is a few faded pictures.

Do you belong to a small local rural church with a ruling family? If so you're wasting your time expecting any real blessing from the Lord. An absolute waste of your time! Yes, your pastor might be very persuasive and elegant in delivery of his messages and very sincere in his prayers but he knows that he must appease the controlling family. He must keep them happy. The Lord has to take a back seat so as to appease the family.

Years ago I happened upon an old (spoof) that reads as follows. A man had submitted his resume' to pastor a church. He clearly indicated that his record would reflect many arrests; incarcerations in various prisons; that he would often need to be absent so as to preach in other cities; he owned no suits of clothes, that his health wasn't all that good, his credit rating was wrecked and he would need transportation. Well, needless to say this Church rejected him based on his admitted past record but specifically, they they took exception to the way he signed his name. He only signed his resume', Paul. Nobody knew who “Paul” was so his application was rejected.

I heard of an old story where this young pastor was hired at a local, rural church. After a bit he noticed that everyone in the Jones family sat on the left side of the church and that all of the Smith family sat on the right side of the church. Accordingly, this little church needed no aid-conditioning. About six months into his pastorate he opened the Sunday service by stating..., “It does not take a blind man to see a division down the center of this church. I am now going to ask Grand Pa Jones..., what is this division all about? At the same time I am going to ask Grand Pa Smith the same”. Well, the two sat quietly for a few minutes and one finally said..., “You know, it's been so long I don't even remember what the fuss is all about”. The other elder himself had to agree. What ever had happened was so far removed neither could remember. At this point, progress took hold in this little church and the rest is history.

The point I am trying to make here is that if YOU are a part of a controlling family in your church you need to step down and let the Lord take over! IT'S HIS CHURCH. Not yours nor does it belong to your family! If you are a part of the controlling factor of your church, why do you gather on a weekly basis looking up? It might just be time for you to get out of the way! If you are a member of a church with a controlling family perhaps you should look elsewhere as you're shoveling sand against the tide.