The Church Walking With The World

[nightingale]

Here is a poem I found and it made me cry It is long but I hope you take the time to read it...Sister Debbie

The Church and the World walked far apart

On the changing shores of time,

The World was singing a giddy song,

And the Church a hymn sublime.



“Come, give me your hand,” said the merry World,

“And walk with me this way!”

But the good Church hid her snowy hands

And solemnly answered “Nay!



I will not give you my hand at all,

And I will not walk with you;

Your way is the way that leads to death;

Your words arc all untrue.”



“Nay, walk with me but a little space,”

Said the World with a kindly air;

“The road I walk is a pleasant road,

And the sun shines always there.



Your path is thorny and rough and rude,

But mine is broad and plain;

My way is paved with flowers and dews,

And yours with tears and pain.



The sky to me is always blue,

No want, no toil I know;

The sky above you is always dark,

Your lot is a lot of woe.

There’s room enough for you and me

To travel side by side.”



Half shyly the Church approached the World

And gave him her hand of snow;

And the old World grasped it and walked along,

Saying, in accents low:



“Your dress is too simple to please my taste;

I will give you pearls to wear,

Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form,

And diamonds to deck your hair.”



The Church looked down at her plain white robes,

And then at the dazzling World,

And blushed as she saw his handsome lip

With a smile contemptuous curled.



“I will change my dress for a costlier one,”

Said the Church, with a smile of grace;

Then her pure white garments drifted away,

And the World gave, in their place,

Beautiful satins and shining silks,

Roses and gems and costly pearls;

While over her forehead her bright hair fell

Crisped in a thousand curls.



“Your house is too plain,” said the proud old World,

“I’ll build you one like mine;

With walls of marble and towers of gold,

And furniture ever so fine.”



So he built her a costly and beautiful house;

Most splendid it was to behold;

Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there

Gleaming in purple and gold.



Rich fairs and shows in the halls were held,

And the World and his children were there.

Laughter and music and feasts were heard

In the place that was meant for prayer.



There-were cushioned seats for the rich and the gay,

To sit in their pomp and pride;

But the poor who were clad in shabby array,

Sat meekly down outside.



“You give too much to the poor,” said the World.

“Far more than you ought to do;

If they are in need of shelter and food,

Why need it trouble you?



Go, take your money and buy rich robes,

Buy horses and carriages fine;

Buy pearls and jewels and dainty food,

Buy the rarest and costliest wine.



My children, they dote on all these things,

And if you their love would win

You must do as they do, and walk in the ways

That they are walking in.”



So the poor were turned from her door in scorn,

And she heard not the orphan’s cry;

But she drew her beautiful robes aside,

As the widows went weeping by.



Then the sons of the World and the Sons of the Church

Walked closely hand and heart,

And only the Master, who knoweth all,

Could tell the two apart.



Then the Church sat down at her ease, and said,

“I am rich and my goods increase;

I have need of nothing, or aught to do,

But to laugh, and dance, and feast.”



The sly World heard, and he laughed in his sleeve,

And mockingly said, aside-

“The Church is fallen, the beautiful Church;

And her shame is her boast and her pride.”



The angel drew near to the mercy seat,

And whispered in sighs her name;

Then the loud anthems of rapture were hushed,

And heads were covered with shame.



And a voice was heard at last by the Church

From Him who sat on the throne,

“I know thy works, and how thou hast said,

‘I am rich, and hast not known

That thou art naked, poor and blind,

And wretched before my face;’

Therefore from my presence cast I thee out,

And blot thy name from its place.”

by Matilda C. Edwards

[benshelpmeet]

This is so good Debie, I love this poem it clearly discribes the church and it's walk and direction. We've come a long way, in the wrong direction.

[peopleofhispasture]

Good one!

Getting forwarded to my folks!

Kat

[benshelpmeet]

[sojourner]

I'm preaching a series on the churches in Revelation right now...and this would go well with it, so thank you.

in HIS grip
bro bobby

[benshelpmeet]

[glenda]

Wow.. I sat there reading the poem and honestly I was not sure if I was going to cry or just look at the computer screen... My heart is breaking because i know that the poem is so true of many too many of our churches today.. Thank you for posting it...

glenda

[Brother Randy]

This is a great poem. Since I ran across it years ago it has been one of my favorite poems. Like sister Genda say it makes one almost cry, when you think of how this applies to the church today. And this is so true of our Christian life too. How many people where strong solid believers, but over the years have compromised to the point where they stand for nothing today. It should be a stern reminder that we need to daily be walking close to our Lord and making sure we are on that narrow way.


Bro Randy

[George]

Ah yes, the Church walling with the world. I seem to recall that in my Bible this fellow named Paul wrote of those things some 2000 years ago. He wrote of the problems in the Church in Corinth. He wrote of the problems in the Church at Ephesus. He wrote of the problems at the Church in Galatia. He wrote of the problems in a number of Churches.

You see friends, it is not all about what is happening in the Church today. This has been going on since the beginning. The thing that brings tears to my eyes is that we have learned nothing.

Reading this particular poem does nothing for me personally one way or the other. Perhaps it is a great poem. I don't really know. What I know is that in I and II Corinthians the apostle Paul wrote about every problem that ever existed in a Church, every problem that exists in a Church today and every problem that could ever exist in a Church.

Again, the thing that pains me and causes me grief is that so many of our Christian brethren have the same Wonderful Book available to them to read and yet they continue to stumble about blindly in the dark.

You see, it is impossible to walk in the light when you are hugging the dark.

Yours in Christ,
George