Bad Times Draw Bigger Crowds to Churches

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itg3712 Dec 15, 2008

New York Times permalink: ~~[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/nyregion/14churches.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink]~~Bad Times Draw Bigger Crowds to Churches[/url]

An upside to the downtown is that people become more open to relationships with family, neighbors, church, and their Creator and Judge.

Less money to get by on also mean less money to consume on lusts.

Afflictions, economic and otherwise, also make us more likely to pray.

sermonindex Dec 15, 2008

Too early to get excited about revival... but God does send hard times to get our attention. As I said once before, during tough times like this one of two things happens... either people will curse God, or turn to God. Lets pray that people turn!

Krispy

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JoanM Dec 15, 2008

Seattle is pretty "dark". Checking out the news artical and then the church site, I am impressed with how biblical the messages on the top of the home page. Really. Check out "Doors and Walls", and the Q&A on that series (pastor and wife) also on the top of the home page.

With this teaching they have grown 1000 this ~~[u]~~past[/u]year. Doesn't look like hard times. Hunger if nothing else. Krispy you would like this. Could Seattle be turning?

sermonindex Dec 15, 2008

Sure Seattle could be turning. We need a move of God here in NC too. Most folks who grew up here in the South consider themselves "Christians"... but dont live it at all. We're almost satuarated with the gospel to the point where it has no effect.

In the meantime, a lot of yankees from the northeast have moved here and most of them have no Christian upbringing and therefore dont even give God a thought. Or, if they had a "Christian" upbringing it was sadly a Roman Catholic one.

We need a move of God here desperatly.

Krispy

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ginnyrose Dec 17, 2008

Most folks who grew up here in the South consider themselves "Christians"... but don't live it at all. We're almost saturated with the gospel to the point where it has no effect.

This describes the Bible belt quite well and that includes Missippi. Most people - even if living in sin - consider themselves Christians, believing they are too good for God to send ~~[i]~~them[/i] to hell...we see here the consequences of Calvinism gone to seed ...

ginnyrose

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KingJimmy Dec 17, 2008

At church lately, it seems the number of visitors we've had has increased in the last month or so. Especially the one's that are complete strangers to us-- not being related to, co-workers with, or otherwise associated with anybody in our fellowship. Granted, it is also the Christmas season, which may also have something to do with it. But either way, we are glad to have them come just the same :-)

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itg3712 Dec 17, 2008

In the Book of Jonah, Jonah prayed better when in affliction in the belly of the great fish than he did when on the outside.

May our churches be a "house of prayer" and a "pillar and ground of the truth" and a place where love "abounds" for those seeking refuge from economic crisis.