Padded Pews and Empty Altars

Taken from "Fire upon the Altar" Chapter One

by Gene Easley

    Affluence. What a sought after and dreamed about blessing, longed for by the human heart! Yet what a deadly curse it can become! Amos spoke about the affluent lifestyle in Amos 6:4-6. Beds of ivory. The best food available. First class entertainment. It was all luxury, comfort and indulgence.

    But Amos prophesied of soon-coming judgment. There was something about this lifestyle that was offensive to God. What was it? Did He dislike the fact that people had achieved such financial success? Is it that God doesn't want His people to have money? No, that isn't it at all. Rather it is because the Laodicean spirit so easily takes over where a plush atmosphere exists. It is easy to lose the pilgrim spirit in the midst of wealth and comfort. We no longer feel that we are just passing through. We have come to settle down.

    Money came easy. Luxury was common. Entertainment flowed abundantly. But there was something missing in Israel. There was a noticeable silence around the altars of intercessory prayer. We have our beautiful churches; we worship in plush atmospheres. But we have no trouble leaving God's house having made no visit to the place of prayer.

    Amos said that they were "not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." Nothing troubled them. There was no concern for the distressed and needy among them. Neither was there a burden concerning their own spiritual leanness. Their tables were full, but their altars were empty.

    Where are we today? We are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. Who needs to pray when you have everything that money can buy? We are blinded by the "plush" life. Our riches are bringing temptations that are drowning us in perdition.

    Where are yesterday's altars of prayer? Where are the saints that love to linger in His presence? The weeping, the crying, the interceding for lost souls? The church needs to wake up!

    Sodom and Gomorrah became like home to Lot and his family. Lot looked at the well-watered plains of Jordan and cried out for the "plush" life. He then looked at Sodom and its wealth. Once more his longings were for the good life. Abraham stayed behind. His portion did not appear as glamorous. But God appeared unto him. There Abraham built an altar unto God. Lot chose the padded way; Abraham, the altars of God.

    Better is it to have a church where the altar is honored and used and where fervent prayers are a consistent practice, than to worship in the most lavish cathedrals that our riches can produce but where no cries are going up to God!

    Did Sodom have padded pews and empty altars? All the evidence says yes. They lavished themselves in their plentifulness. Their working hours grew short while their playing hours became long. They became idle. Having no desire to serve God, the only thing left was to look for something more thrilling and exciting to do. This desire for a new thrill led Sodom to the depths of sin and perversion and, ultimately, brought about total destruction as God's judgment was poured out.

    Ezekiel said that the people of Sodom did not "strengthen the hand of the poor and needy" (Ezekiel 16:49). Their attitude was, "Who cares about anyone else? It's all for me." Thus, no one was praying in Sodom. They saw no need for it. They were getting what they wanted, and who cares about the rest? There was no desire or time for prayer. No time for God!

    Intercessory prayer is foolish to those who live for self gratification. There is nothing to draw them to the altar of prayer to weep before God when they have no burden for the lost or even for their own spiritual needs.

    The carnally minded person thinks that the more things he can get, the happier he will be. It is not so. It is self denial not self gratification that brings true joy. Those who deny themselves and take up their crosses daily and follow Christ are the ones who have found life.

    We adorn our sanctuaries with the very best, which in itself is not sin. But God would have them adorned with tears for the lost. That is what is beautiful to God. We make them houses of comfort. But God would like to discomfort us with burdens for the perishing.

    There is a spiritual blindness that prosperity can bring. Let us emphasize that this is not an effort to glorify poverty. Poverty has brought and is bringing unimaginable misery to this world. Thank God that He does prosper His people. It isn't a matter of poverty versus prosperity or which of the two is better. Poverty has its own curses which could be discussed at length. Our purpose is to discuss what often happens when the money is flowing freely.

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