THE PERFECT HABITAT
John 13:34-35
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
One of the biggest words in deer hunting and management over the last couple of decades is HABITAT. Habitat is a general term for, what does a property have to offer. You can hunt a piece of property that has very poor habitat and it will produces very poor results in hunting. You can change the way you hunt and throw out lots and lots of bait on that property to try to attract the deer on your property, it might attract more deer, it won't hold them there and they won't grow strong there.
This same concept is true of our churches today. If you look back over the 80 years in America you will see that regular church attendance is nearly ½ of what it used to be. What has happened? The habitat has changed.
It is so similar to deer habitat that it amazes me. Deer need to have quality food and protection to survive and thrive. The same is true for people. We need to be fed, but not just any food, but nutritious spiritual food to grow into what God wants and we need security.
I'm not talking about the days when church pot lucks were popular and everyone had plenty to eat. No, I'm talking about being fed quality spiritual nutrition. True Bible teaching that speaks the truth of sin, God's love and even His wrath. There is so much great quality information in the Bible and fewer and fewer churches are honestly teaching it anymore. So many are getting "baited in" to churches that tell you how great we are and how much you deserve and if you just follow a few steps you will be healthy, wealthy and wise. But that's not what the Bible teaches.
The other thing that good habitat supplies is a safe and protective place for it's occupants. Churches have been known as the only place that shoot their wounded. How sad is that? Gossip has killed more good churches in our country than arsonists ever will. People need a safe place and if they can't find it in a church, they will find safety somewhere else, although it will most likely be false safety.
The job of the church to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19)
A disciple is one that follows Jesus and works alongside Him. Are our churches doing that? Are we preparing those that come, helping them in turn make more disciples through their lives? Are we giving them the right nutrition and security that good habitat provides?
If you are not in a church like that I challenge you to find one, they are still out there.
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