As I travel around the country & sing at all different types of churches in different areas, something has become more & more clear to me over the past few years, many churches have a problem! Not all churches, but many churches have a major problem today & the problem is not financial or a problem with their programs & activities, the problem is a lot of churches don't have Jesus there anymore. The people in them merely come because it's a routine of what they do on Sunday but they have totally lost sight of what God's love & the Gospel message is all about. I know there is no such thing as the "Perfect church" but you can also feel when you walk into a church & there is a coldness in the building & the hearts of the people sitting in the pews, & I see it all the time. When people go out of their way to make visitors feel unwelcome in God's house, that's a big problem to me! God put this song on my heart a few months back, & I'd like to share it with you. This song tells 2 different stories about 2 different people, that come from different walks of life, but when they finally find the strength to go to church they are met with the same type of rejection at the very place they came for help. These are stories that I have a personally seen played out many times. I hope this song challenges you as a believer to think about the way that we represent Christ not only in our church, but the way we present God to the world around us through our life everyday. This is a song I don't take credit for because God totally wrote this song, I didn't even have to think about it, God just dropped the words & ideas right into my heart. I even woke up in the middle of the night 2 nights in a row & wrote most of this song so I know it was all God! Hope it speaks to you!
"Jesus Doesn’t Go To Church Here Anymore"
(Written By Jimmy Dooley)
V:1/ A single mom down on her luck, Not sure what she’s going to do, Stares at the church door from her car, Not sure if she can walk through. But she is running out of answers, And she is running out of hope, So she finds the strength to go inside, And sits on the back row, She could feel the looks of judgment piercing through her soul, Though the pews were full that day, She’d never felt so all alone
Chorus:/ She heard them sing Amazing Grace, But there was no grace to be found, She saw people lifting up their hands, But no one reaching out, The only Jesus that she saw there, was a picture by the door, Cause Jesus doesn’t go to church here anymore
V:2/ For many years he tried, but couldn’t put the bottle down, But now he had lost everything & the good times had ran out, It took everything within him to drive to church that day, The other people wore their suits & ties, But he wore guilt & shame. He came there searching for acceptance, But found rejection instead, Their actions spoke so loud, When not a word to him was said
Chorus:/ He heard them sing Amazing Grace, But there was no grace to be found, He saw people lifting up their hands, But no one reaching out, The only Jesus that he saw there, was a picture by the door, Cause Jesus doesn’t go to church here anymore
Bridge:/ Are we lifting up the broken, Or do we kick them when they’re down? Is it too much to love our brother? Can compassion still be found? Are we really moving forward, Or are we just spinning around? And if Jesus walked into our church would we recognize Him now?
Chorus: Cause we sing Amazing Grace, but is there still grace to be found? We can lift our hands to heaven, But are we really reaching out? Can people still see Jesus, When they walk through the church door? Does Jesus come to church here anymore?
Tag:/ Do we come to church to worship God, Or do we sit there like we’re bored? Does Jesus come to church here anymore? Oh oh, Does Jesus come to church here anymore?
Please feel free to leave feedback & comments, I love to hear from you all.