Hellen,

Too true.



JulieMelton
visit me at
www.heart-and-music.com
Keep smiling!




>From: Helen <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Echurch-USA The Electronic Church
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: The Dry Rot Of Nonexpectation
>Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:58:14 -0400
>
>The Church: The Dry Rot of Nonexpectation
>
>"...but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the
>ministry of the word."...Then the word of God spread, and the number
>of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of
>the priests were obedient to the faith. --Acts 6:4,7
>
>The church is afflicted by dry rot. This is best explained when the
>psychology of nonexpectation takes over and spiritual rigidity sets
>in, which is an inability to visualize anything better, a lack of
>desire for improvement.
>
>There are many who respond by arguing, "I know lots of evangelical
>churches that would like to grow, and they do their best to get the
>crowds in. They want to grow and have contests to make their Sunday
>school larger." That is true, but they are trying to get people to
>come and share their rut. They want people to help them celebrate the
>rote and finally join in the rot. Because the Holy Spirit is not
>given a chance to work in our services, nobody is repenting, nobody
>is seeking God, nobody is spending a day in quiet waiting on God with
>open Bible seeking to mend his or her ways. Nobody is doing it-- we
>just want more people. But more people for what? More people to come
>and repeat our dead services without feeling, without meaning,
>without wonder, without surprise? More people to join us in the
>bondage to the rote? For the most part, spiritual rigidity that
>cannot bend is too weak to know just how weak it is.  Rut, Rot or
>Revival: The Condition of the Church, 8,9.
>
>"Lord, not more people, but more of You. Let me wait upon You, keep
>me faithful, send Your Holy Spirit. If You then send growth as well,
>I'll thank You and see it as an added blessing. Amen."
>
>~Tozer~