Always Abounding - Spring 2020

THE ABC’S OF CHURCH DEATH
by Pastor Randy Love (‘87)
The following
sermon was
preached at the
60th anniversary
of Berean Baptist
Church in Ogden,
Utah.
Congratulations on
your 60th anniversary as a church. God is
faithful, and in His faithfulness, everything
can continue to His honor and glory; but so
often, what causes the death of a local church
is not the battles it faces from the outside,
but the ones that start on the inside. Over
30 years ago, Mrs. Love and I were privileged
to follow the calling of God on
our lives to go to the Jefferson
City, Missouri, area to evangelize
and establish Old Paths Baptist
Church. We knocked on doors
and told people who we were
and what we were doing, inviting
them to join us for a service. On
one occasion, a man answered
the door. I introduced myself
and invited him to our new
church. As I was extending
our church tract toward him, a smile came
across this older gentleman’s face. Then he
asked me, “Who are you mad at?” Seeing
the confused look on my face, he turned the
question around and said, “Well, then, who’s
mad at you?” Still confused by what he was
saying, he explained, “If you’re starting a
new Baptist church, either you’re mad at
somebody or somebody’s mad at you; so
you’ve had a split.” I guess this conversation
was somewhat comical, but it is sad that we
as Baptists in particular are known among
denominations for being contrary with one
another. It should not be like that.
We see reported in periodicals a great
decline in our type of churches across
the United States. Many churches have
come to the point of destruction and final
“death.” I’ve had reports from preachers,
missionaries, and even evangelists who
have visited our church recounting the large
number of churches whose doors are closing
on a yearly basis. I think of Calvary Baptist
Church of Bowling Green, Missouri. I was
saved there in 1972 as a seven-year-old boy.
At the time, it was a thriving church, reaching
people throughout the community with the
gospel. Less than five years later, the church
was non-existent, as it still is today.
Matthew 16:18 may be referred
to as the “Magna Carta” of the
church. In it the Lord Himself
said, “upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it.” Jesus, of
course, is the rock upon which His
church is built. I say “Amen” for
Berean Baptist Church’s 60 years
of faithfulness in Ogden, Utah,
but remember that Satan always
has been and always will be the adversary
of the church. He is not powerful enough to
destroy the church. The gates of hell cannot
prevail against God’s church; but as the
adversary, he is deceitful enough to cause
the death of some of the Lord’s churches.
Let’s take a look at the ABC’s of church
decline, destruction, and death.
A – Apathy
One of the things that cause the death of
(cont., pg 4)
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