Pastor’s Perspective: “What Is Wrong With The Church?”
By: Ron Woodrum
IT IS VERY FASHIONABLE nowadays to ask, “What is wrong with the Church?” It is no new subject. There has always been something or other wrong with the professing church, and there have always been speakers aplenty to discuss it. Unfortunately, their speaking usually relieves only the speaker and not the situation. One is reminded of the soap-box orator in London some years ago. He was lambasting the government with a vengeance. Somebody asked a policeman: “Why don’t you do something with him?” “Oh, leave ‘im alone,” the bobby replied, “It relieves ‘im and it don’t ‘urt us.” It is very easy today to focus on “What is wrong with the Church?” without attempting to encourage the Church. In the Book of Revelation Jesus gives us a picture of seven Churches and then gives them His encouragement on how to be overcoming Churches in the Last days. May we look at these words to be encouraged to focus on what can be right with the Church-so we can make an impact for him.
The composer Igor Stravinsky once wrote a new piece that contained a difficult violin passage. After several weeks of rehearsal the solo violinist came to Stravinsky and said that he could not play it! He had given it his best effort but found the passage tood difficult, even unplayable. Stravinksky replied, “I understand that! What I am after is the sound of someone trying to play it!” Our Lord knows our shortcomings as His Church. He knows that what He asks of us is impossible. But he wants us to give our all in trying and He will add his power to our effort and we can make a great impact for Him.
I remember hearing an illustration of this truth given by Earl Palmer, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, California. He was defending the Church against its critics who dismissed it for its hypocrisy, its failures, its inability to measure up to the New Testament’s high standards. He compared the Church to a High School orchestra attempting to play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. This is what he said, “When the Milpitas High School orchestra attempts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphoney, the result is appalling. I wouldn’t be surprised if the performance made old Ludwig roll over in his grave despite his deafness. You might ask, ‘why bother?’ Why inflict on those poor kids the terrible burden of trying to render what the immortal Beethoven had in mind? Not even the Chicago Symphony Orchestra can attain that perfection! My answer is this: The Milpitas High School Orchestra will give some people in that audience their only encounter with Beethoven’s great Ninth Symphony. Far from perfection, it is nevertheless the only way they will hear Beethoven’s message.” Every time I find myself discouraged by listening to the world talk about how far we as the Church fall short of what Jesus had in mind for His Church- I remind myself that although we may never achieve what the composer had in mind, there is no other way for His sounds to be heard on earth!