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This past week I watched a video from a sermon Jordan Green of Pursuit Church in Denver, North Carolina did, where he made a sharp and valid point:

“When the religion and the tradition and the pews, and the steeple mean more to you than changing the world, you stop being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ and you started being a part of the American religious system.”

Ouch! I have been in full time ministry since April of 1997. Over the past 25 years I have witnessed more arguing, fighting, splitting of church families over the color of the carpet, the removal of pews which were falling apart, the curtains my great grandmother made being taken down and replaced, the donation given to build a steeple on our building “so we look like a real church”, the changing from traditional hymns to a mix with contemporary music, and so many other items that are not only not-biblical… they are items that are not the reason the church exists.

We need to pray for each other and pray for at least one soul that we can be used to impact and draw that one person into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Prayer is powerful and effective because God is all-powerful and all-effective.

Jordan continued in this sermon to say the following about prayer:

“What prayer does more than anything else…prayer does not move the hand of God. Prayer does not change Gods will. Prayer changes you and moves you in alignment with Gods will. The thing that changes the most about you when you begin to pray is you.”

Re-read that last quote. “Prayer changes you and moves you in alignment with Gods will.” Who are we too think that our prayers make God change His mind? God loves when we pray. God loves when we come before Him with all our cares and our concerns. God loves to hear our voice in worship and in communication. God. Loves. Us. PERIOD. Who are we to think that life, worship, churches are all about what we think/want/desire? Pray. Pray for all who claim God to live a life that is beautiful in being the good needed and reaching the lost around them. Pray for one person you know who needs to grow in their faith and come to live in God and His way. Take the time to invoke God through prayer. Invest in the lives of those around you.

Invite people to worship with you. Then, don’t stop invoking, investing and inviting. Let’s make church great again by making Church what God intended.

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.