A church leader and dear friend told me a story that arrested my attention recently. The associated churches in his state gather in his town for a large family camp every year, and the attendance just keeps growing year after year. He said that the proprietors of a family-owned restaurant in the area became so frustrated that they decided to close the doors for the duration of the event because they didn’t want so many customers!

Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but I thought people opened restaurants, shops, stores, and other businesses specifically to attract customers. What separates this story from a hundred other interesting tales of odd human behavior is its shocking similarity to the behavior of many churches today.

Sometimes I am afraid that God is whispering to our deafened ears, You might as well close down this service. Why? We act as if we don’t really want any interruptions from our Divine Customer. We are too busy blessing and congratulating one another on our funny stories, shallow sermons, gifted solos, and splendid choir renditions. We are irritated by every interruption that might pull us away from our coffeepot conversations. It’s as if we’ve forgotten that His Word says, “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.”

God’s Eyeview p. 12, Tommy Tenney, From GodChasers.network, The Ministry of Tommy Tenney

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