2 Timothy 2:20
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.”
When God is talking about a “house” in the verse above, He is talking about the church. God gives us a comparison of three different types of churches. There is the dishonorable church, the great church and the honorable church. Your church is going to be one of these. God’s desire is not for you to have a great church, but an honorable church. Let me point out several things about the church and how to help your church become honorable.
First, no church is going to be perfect. You will notice that God says in the house were “…vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth…” God is showing that if a church is going to be busy about reaching the lost for Christ, then it will be filled with different types of Christians. There are going to be Christians in the church who are young in the LORD and have some worldly tendencies, but there are also going to be Christians who have matured in the LORD. Any good church will have a combination of all these which assures us that there is no perfect church.
Second, not every person in the church is the same. You will notice that there were different types of vessels in this house. Likewise, in the church there are going to be different types of people. This is what makes up the variety of the church. Too many churches are only going after the rich when God wants us to go after everyone. Don’t just go after the gold, but also go after the silver. Stop worrying about what class a person is and just go after all people.
Third, there are some things that are not good for the church. You will notice that this house also had vessels of “wood and of earth.” These are worldly vessels. These are vessels that are copying the world. Friend, the church is not to have worldliness in it. The church is not to copy the music of the world. The church is not to copy the dress of the world. The church is not to copy the lifestyle of the world. Every church is going to have Christians like this, but they should not stay like this.
Fourth, if your church is going to move from being a great church to an honorable church, then your church is going to have to purge itself from worldliness. You may have wood and earth in your life, but God wants you to purge yourself from these things. That means you are going to have to separate yourself from worldliness if you are going to become an honorable church.
Christian, are you keeping your church from becoming an honorable church? Your church may be a great church, but it can become an honorable church if you will purge yourself from worldliness. No church will stay a great church, they will either become a dishonorable church or an honorable church depending upon what Christians like you do with their worldliness. I challenge you today to start helping your church become honorable by removing the worldliness from your life. A church will only become honorable by removing worldliness.
Allen Domelle is the editor of the Old Paths Journal which is more than just a Christian’s publication. It is an excellent place to learn how today’s headlines will forge tomorrow’s laws and statutes. Keep yourself in tune with what is happening around the world, as well as in your own backyard with our daily updates and devotionals.