Greg Laurie Harvest Daily Devotional

Act now to share the love of Christ in the Middle East
<< Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie daily devotion - July 28, 2014


When the Church Is a Dangerous Place

“But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” - (Numbers 32:23)

Sometimes we think the bigger something is, the better it is. This is essentially an American way of looking at things. If you are successful, if you are making more money than other people, the perception is that you are the best. If a church has more people attending than other churches, the perception is that it is the best. But not necessarily. Nor am I suggesting that smaller is better.

The Bible says that in the last days, there will be people in our churches who are not true believers, among other things. Because of watered-down messages and compromise, people will feel comfortable in certain churches because they are never confronted with their sin.

I believe my job as a pastor is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. I also think the church can be a very dangerous place. If people are coming to church with no intention of applying the truths they are learning, then their hearts can get hard. As I have said before, the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. The same message that liberates one person can hurt another if he or she doesn’t respond appropriately. People who go to church, claim to be Christians, and then contradict it with an openly sinful lifestyle are hurting themselves.

The Bible says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). If nothing bad happens when we sin, if we don’t get caught or found out, we sometimes think that God has given us a pass. He hasn’t. Don’t confuse God’s mercy and grace with leniency or think that He has turned a blind eye. God still will deal with that sin. But He gives us an opportunity to repent so we don’t have to face the full ramifications of it.

Copyright © 2013 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

SPECIAL OFFER

“Do you value the teaching and encouragement you receive from A New Beginning with Greg Laurie

Is there credible evidence that Jesus really is the Son of God?

Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates who are specialists in the areas of old manuscripts, textual criticism, and biblical studies.

Strobel challenges them with questions like How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?



More Greg Laurie Daily Devotions Articles