Watch and Pray So We Do Not Fall into Temptation

Do you ever wonder why the church today is not as influential as it was in the past?  I do and quite often.  I remember when I was new to ministry some twenty-three years ago it was common knowledge that on any given Sunday 42% of all Americans were in church.  I remember being comforted by the knowledge that more people attended church each week than attended all NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL games combined.

There was, however, year by year a growing and nagging suspicion that we in the church had a diminishing positive impact on our culture.  Then a couple of years ago I received new data on church attendance that was informative and depressing.  In the county where I reside only 18% attend church on any given Sunday.  That means that 82% do not attend church on the typical Sunday.

Does your typical Sunday include gathering with other believers to worship and praise Christ?  Were attendance records kept at your church would you receive perfect attendance?  So what is our problem, and why are we as a nation becoming less and less Christian?  I think a part of the answer may be found in Jesus’ words to his disciples.

Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.  “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter.  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall intotemptation.  The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41

Sleeping, this is a picture of the church and too many Christians today.  We are asleep, not watching and praying just sleeping.   You know how I know because I hear us snoring.  According to webster snoring is “asleep breathing and making harsh noises.”

Discussions of church or denominational politics instead of encouragement, burden sharing, prayer for the lost, or witnessing are sounds of snoring.  We hear things like “can you believe what so and so did” or “did you hear. . .,” invarably harsh words follow such statements.  How do I know, because when I go to meetings I hear it happen and I am ashamed to say that there have been occasions when I have participated.

When a lost person sees the church asleep they think that either the church is dead, or worse that we don’t care.  Wouldn’t it be a better if we all woke up, and followed Jesus’ instruction to “watch and pray  so we will quit falling into temptation?”