Scripture Reading: Hebrews 2:1
It was early in the morning of March 28th 2009 that a loud series of explosions rang out through Charleston WV as the old historic Building 82 of the once widespread Union Carbide Chemical plant came crashing down. The building was a towering giant of 10+ stories and had a double jutted wing along with a penthouse atop it. The building was the home of the offices for the once largest chemical foundry in the world. After years of disuse and a gradual reclaiming project the owner's signed its death warrant. Traces of the former chemical empire such as a small train switching yard with a rust covered steam locomotive, a glass block deco style bus depot and underground passage, and chemical bunkers and huge boilers were all cleared out within a year. It was a sad day to see that magnificent giant tumble, though most people thought it "cool." I used to pass it every day going to my job. For weeks demolition crews began gutting it to an empty shell, prepping it for explosive charges that would weaken its remaining superstructure and cause it to collapse on itself...thus the term "implosion."
Well all that sentiment is fine and dandy, so what, what does it mean? To me, seeing that shell of a building fall into a cloud of dust reminds me of what can potentially happen in the Christian's life when spiritual neglect rots away at the core of our beings.
When we stray from God, His Word, fellowship, praise, etc we set the stage for degeneration in our selves that paints a disastrous picture to others, ourselves and our Savior. Can such a state really materialize in the life of a Christian? Yes it can and it does every day. However, taking heed and placing value on our spiritual state can avoid such catastrophes. Below, we will look at the stages of degeneration that leads to implosion, and we will notice that God can rebuild a life, though it is far better to keep building on the sure foundation He puts within us.
The first sign of decay comes from a lack of interest.
All of us get bored with something. Eternity and the living for it should never be one of them. When we have a lack of interest, I liken it to the large office building pictured. Gradually over the years there is a ho hum lack of necessity for going on with the daily operations of spirit filled life, i.e. Bible reading, prayer, worship, attendance. At first it looks as if we are taking a slight vacation or rest, but later on as we pay less and less attention we find out that God has ceasing became a high priority in life. The fire in the heart has steadily been lowering down to a flicker. When this happens our faith dwindles, we don't see God working and wonder if He really is in control. People we used to serve now are thought of less often, giving is down, no joy to speak of, cynicism and apathy sets in. Every point of future degradation in our lives has its roots in lack of interest.
The second sign of decay comes from the gradual laying off and shutting down spiritually vital areas.
Think of a large office building like the one pictured. In it's day all the floors were a bussle with the sounds of paperwork, conversations, running up and down the halls, deadlines to meet, the typewriters going full speed, etc. Every day the workers filled the necessary roles of a growing vital institution. Then over the years, one department gets closed, another department gets consolidated and one by one, once busy floors now turn off the lights and never see another person in action. Gradually, whole sections of the building are now shut down and only a few floors near the bottom are occupied by a skeleton staff. Sounds sad? For the Christian undergoing the process of change leading to implosion, this is precisely what happens. There would be no need for concern in the body of Christ if all the "floors" are busy and occupied. Missions department vibrant. Children's ministries vibrant, Visitation, Choir, Hospitality, all these departments slowly shutting down. When apathy sets in and disinterest reigns, things that once seemed important to you, areas of the heart, are now being closed and sectioned off.
When this happens our hearts begin to be seriously hardened. What is alive and well is selfishness. Selfishness has deemed a restructuring of your spiritual heart and the price is your witness and testimony. Pretty soon, you forget all the once busy and vibrant areas that once were true of you.
The third sign of decay is a inward rotting of once strong supports.
As areas in a building or house see no use or upkeep, they decay and lose strength. Once strong in faith, your decayed heart can no longer bear the words of Christ it used to. Oh we still love to hear of the true wonderful love of Christ (praise the Lord for that) but when conviction and repentance is preached, the load bearing supports collapse and we get bitter even hostile to the Lord and the Preacher or teacher. We no longer care what sin has done to us. We remember how we used to keep a short account with God, but now there is no resistance of sin and no strong witness for Christ. What is really happening on the inside is that we are dying. We are in the process of becoming nothing more than an imposing shell of great Christianity, with nothing inside to show, its all getting to be a facade at this stage, as one by one the infrastructure and interior comes apart.
The final stage of decay is a collapse of spiritual structure from a weight of sin and destructive charges.
When the day came for old Building 82 collapsed it did so because there was a lot of prep work to rig dynamite charges to the last remaining structural supports that held the shell of brick in place. Engineers worked to strategically place the series of charges that they knew would impact the most negatively. Once ignited, the first set of charges finished weakening what was left of the supports, then the final blast blew apart the joints and the weight of its own body collapsed on top of itself, thus implosion. The last step in our downward spiral is implosion. No our bodies don't blow themselves up, yet, if we neglect vital spiritual areas, our physical man suffers and in many cases we do DIE. However, just as bad, we live and all around us collapses. Our minds can turn so carnal that we fail to reason God's Truth from worldliness. Our hearts gets so hard that God is no longer welcome. Our inner man is so vexed that we have no light or witness in the world. Spiritual implosion is the collapse of all things spiritual in us. It is hitting rock bottom spiritually as we are in our greatest despair, our greatest guilt and anguish, and no life is seemingly in us.
Question. Is there any hope for a believer when they have traversed downward this far?
The Scripture nowhere indicates that a Christian can sin so far as to fall out of God's protective hands. As a matter of fact, the Bible speaks more of restoration than it does of the chance of being unforgivable. In fact the Apostle Paul says boldly there is no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus. The love of God is so large a sphere that we cannot find its boundaries! This does not give us license to sin. Many think that they can sin willfully and it will be okay. The mark of a true Christian is not have a open willing desire to sin at all, though he or she does. Temptations are great, and we do fall into them sometimes willingly, but a constant lifestyle of sin with no remorse or no desire to be made right with God indicates strongly that the person doesn't really have Christ in them.
So, YES there is much hope! BUT it is far better to take necessary measures to grow spiritually and avoid implosion rather than rebuild from it.
Do you feel like there is a growing degradation in your spiritual walk? Maybe you are already at the shut down stage? Maybe implosion has happened. Wherever you are in life, ask God to restore you to a right relationship with Him. He will do so, but it won't happen overnight...but it will happen.
Heavenly Father, thank You that we are not cut off from You even in the darkest hour of failures. Help us to maintain our spiritual lives before You. Our desire ought to be to please You and serve You as best we can for as long as we can. Help us Lord, we are feeble. In Your Name, Amen.
Showing posts with label Charleston WV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charleston WV. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Inner Diamond
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3
If you lived in Charleston, WV before 1980 you will cognitively remember the old Diamond Department Store. The former Diamond was a seven story building downtown that employed up to about a thousand workers give or take during the holiday rush. Photos of The Diamond are rare, this is the only one I know of on the Internet. It was West Virginia's largest department store sort of reminiscent of a small scale Macy's in New York City. When you watch the classic holiday movie "Miracle On 34th Street" you sort of get the idea of what it was like. Retail fashion life in Charleston revolved around The Diamond. If you wanted to get something nice, have a big shopping trip, eat lunch, see the Christmas glitter and glamour, then The Diamond is where you went. Being from a small town, when I would go to Charleston (the big city for me) my first look at stuff like Escalators, huge clothes displays, something called a Mezzanine, elevators that had operators in them (anybody remember that??) all had its roots in that store. Kids were drawn there because the top floor was touted as "Santa Land" during Christmas. Trains, planes, whatever the toy fancy was back then could be found there. I say all that to say people were attracted to the store for what was on the inside.
We are very attracted to what we find to be genuinely inside. Actually, for an art deco style building, The Diamond wasn't immensely beautiful on the outside. It had a many small show windows, but no real defining architecture. It was big and tall, but outwardly not remarkable. This describes what we as Christians are like to many people we meet. Outwardly, we may not be the most handsome or beautiful, but folks should be attracted to us for what they find inside pouring out of us. I can't remember too many people standing outside The Diamond exclaiming how much they enjoyed shopping there, that was reserved for the inside, for there was the attraction. Granted the first things drew in outside shoppers were the things on display in the windows. In our Christian lives we need to have on display the work of Christ. That should be some of the following:
Next, we as believers in Christ need to provide a welcome and friendly response to those outside the Faith. Whether you could afford to shop there or not, on a cold winter day, The Diamond was a nice place to come in and be warmed. The lunch counter upstairs served hot soup and other things to help bite the chill of the air. Christians likewise need to be hospitable to unsaved folks as well as to some of our own brethren. This sounds like a no-brainer but it is often difficult due to social upbringings, church teachings, and other formative values. I struggle with these issues as much as anyone of you do. The point is that even though we struggle, we are to be making positive progress towards hospitality. This is an area in which my church really strives in. The church even has a "Hospitality Team" that does so much to make newcomers and everyone else feel welcome. If folks look at our lives and judge Christ by our own actions, what does that say for the job evangelism is doing? The fact is we show others how we want Christ to be shown. Christ Himself does not change and conform to what we want Him to be, but to a person who knows nothing of Christ, then our image in their mind equals His image. Therefore it behooves us to be our best for this reason. Do others see your life as at the very least approachable, kind, and hospitable? Is there anything that makes them want to come to your church by what they observe its members doing?
Lastly, though whatever happens to our outward person, out inner person must not go into decline. My facts may be a bit off, but The Diamond was open from about 1903 to 1983. The building was getting harder to take care of and there was something new in town--a mall--namely the current Town Center Mall. The Town Center had a multitude of stores, more eating places, more open environment and The Diamond sort of faded into the shadows. Now a days you can drive past the old building and it looks the same as it did years ago, but inside the story is much different. The building is now completely renovated and holds nothing of its former glory. It is now State of West Virginia government offices. This sad change, in my opinion, is what happens when Christians begin to lose sight of their God, begin to fall into worldly carnality, and dabble in practices un-befitting to a believer. In fact we can let our lives stray from the Lord that we become unattractive to everyone. We no longer are a show window of what God is doing, because we don't let it be known. We no longer have an inviting spirit because there is not much in us that is cheery or lively. We don't even have much impact because we have let some other course of life hinder our testimony. Spiritual decline is rampant. It doesn't mean that we are lost all over again, but it does mean that we are not pleasing God and that we are not actively helping to advance His Kingdom. What a contrast to what He desires of us! When we see the signs of our spiritual decline we must:
The outer Diamond building still stands, but it is what was inside, the inner Diamond, that attracted. Let's ask God to help us this week to be that inner attraction that will lead others to Himself and glorify Him.
Father thank you that you love us when we were unlovable. Thank you that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us better than we ever could be ourselves. Help us Lord not to lose sight of the attractiveness of Christ in our hearts and lives. Help us to reach out to people and show them directly or indirectly that there is a difference in knowing you. When our lives decline due to sin that is all around us, lovingly bring us back to the point of restoration so that we may sparkle as diamonds do. Thank you for loving us and helping us, in your Name. Amen.
If you lived in Charleston, WV before 1980 you will cognitively remember the old Diamond Department Store. The former Diamond was a seven story building downtown that employed up to about a thousand workers give or take during the holiday rush. Photos of The Diamond are rare, this is the only one I know of on the Internet. It was West Virginia's largest department store sort of reminiscent of a small scale Macy's in New York City. When you watch the classic holiday movie "Miracle On 34th Street" you sort of get the idea of what it was like. Retail fashion life in Charleston revolved around The Diamond. If you wanted to get something nice, have a big shopping trip, eat lunch, see the Christmas glitter and glamour, then The Diamond is where you went. Being from a small town, when I would go to Charleston (the big city for me) my first look at stuff like Escalators, huge clothes displays, something called a Mezzanine, elevators that had operators in them (anybody remember that??) all had its roots in that store. Kids were drawn there because the top floor was touted as "Santa Land" during Christmas. Trains, planes, whatever the toy fancy was back then could be found there. I say all that to say people were attracted to the store for what was on the inside.
We are very attracted to what we find to be genuinely inside. Actually, for an art deco style building, The Diamond wasn't immensely beautiful on the outside. It had a many small show windows, but no real defining architecture. It was big and tall, but outwardly not remarkable. This describes what we as Christians are like to many people we meet. Outwardly, we may not be the most handsome or beautiful, but folks should be attracted to us for what they find inside pouring out of us. I can't remember too many people standing outside The Diamond exclaiming how much they enjoyed shopping there, that was reserved for the inside, for there was the attraction. Granted the first things drew in outside shoppers were the things on display in the windows. In our Christian lives we need to have on display the work of Christ. That should be some of the following:
- Life that is different in attitudes and values than what the world proclaims
- A spirit that is meek towards others and serving as well
- Desire to share openly with others what Christ has done
- A peace and joy that transcends what this world has to offer
- Sense of love for fellow believers and a song of praises to God on your lips
Next, we as believers in Christ need to provide a welcome and friendly response to those outside the Faith. Whether you could afford to shop there or not, on a cold winter day, The Diamond was a nice place to come in and be warmed. The lunch counter upstairs served hot soup and other things to help bite the chill of the air. Christians likewise need to be hospitable to unsaved folks as well as to some of our own brethren. This sounds like a no-brainer but it is often difficult due to social upbringings, church teachings, and other formative values. I struggle with these issues as much as anyone of you do. The point is that even though we struggle, we are to be making positive progress towards hospitality. This is an area in which my church really strives in. The church even has a "Hospitality Team" that does so much to make newcomers and everyone else feel welcome. If folks look at our lives and judge Christ by our own actions, what does that say for the job evangelism is doing? The fact is we show others how we want Christ to be shown. Christ Himself does not change and conform to what we want Him to be, but to a person who knows nothing of Christ, then our image in their mind equals His image. Therefore it behooves us to be our best for this reason. Do others see your life as at the very least approachable, kind, and hospitable? Is there anything that makes them want to come to your church by what they observe its members doing?
Lastly, though whatever happens to our outward person, out inner person must not go into decline. My facts may be a bit off, but The Diamond was open from about 1903 to 1983. The building was getting harder to take care of and there was something new in town--a mall--namely the current Town Center Mall. The Town Center had a multitude of stores, more eating places, more open environment and The Diamond sort of faded into the shadows. Now a days you can drive past the old building and it looks the same as it did years ago, but inside the story is much different. The building is now completely renovated and holds nothing of its former glory. It is now State of West Virginia government offices. This sad change, in my opinion, is what happens when Christians begin to lose sight of their God, begin to fall into worldly carnality, and dabble in practices un-befitting to a believer. In fact we can let our lives stray from the Lord that we become unattractive to everyone. We no longer are a show window of what God is doing, because we don't let it be known. We no longer have an inviting spirit because there is not much in us that is cheery or lively. We don't even have much impact because we have let some other course of life hinder our testimony. Spiritual decline is rampant. It doesn't mean that we are lost all over again, but it does mean that we are not pleasing God and that we are not actively helping to advance His Kingdom. What a contrast to what He desires of us! When we see the signs of our spiritual decline we must:
- Pray for a fresh desire to please and serve God
- Ask God to forgive our selfish behavior
- Look for new ways to increase our awareness of His service
The outer Diamond building still stands, but it is what was inside, the inner Diamond, that attracted. Let's ask God to help us this week to be that inner attraction that will lead others to Himself and glorify Him.
Father thank you that you love us when we were unlovable. Thank you that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us better than we ever could be ourselves. Help us Lord not to lose sight of the attractiveness of Christ in our hearts and lives. Help us to reach out to people and show them directly or indirectly that there is a difference in knowing you. When our lives decline due to sin that is all around us, lovingly bring us back to the point of restoration so that we may sparkle as diamonds do. Thank you for loving us and helping us, in your Name. Amen.
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