Have you ever visited San Francisco? It was once a vibrant, thriving city—a jewel on the West Coast, brimming with life, culture, bustling restaurants, and endless stores filled with treasures. People flocked there to experience its charm, its energy, its beauty. But that was the San Francisco of yesterday. If you visit today, you'll find a starkly different picture. A big section of the downtown streets, once buzzing with shops, now mainly stands eerily quiet, as though the soul of the city has vanished. What was once a locality of prosperity has become almost a ghost town—a place where nobody wants to be.
But here's the sobering reality: it's not just cities like San Francisco that have fallen into decay. Churches across America are experiencing a similar degradation, becoming ghost towns, too, in their own right. While many are quick to blame the government or culture for this decline, the real fault lies within the church itself. The very people who are meant to be the salt and light have lost their way. When a church becomes lukewarm, complacent, and disconnected from God, it will wither just as surely as a once-thriving city falls into ruin. In many churches across the land, God is no longer welcomed, and the consequences are evident.
Consider how God can take what once was resilient, full of blessings and flourishing, and turn it into a ghost town. This applies even to His own church. I've seen it happen before my very eyes. Take, for example, what was once the largest Baptist church in the United States—Akron Baptist Temple in Ohio. It used to pulse with life, with bustling bus routes and a strong emphasis on evangelism and missions across the world. Today, that church sits empty, a broken shell echoing with forgotten memories of what once impacted the world.
And Akron isn't alone. Across the country, in places like Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and beyond, churches that once thrived with fervent passion and mission are now shadows of their former selves, forgotten in time.
Why does this happen? How can a vibrant place of worship, once filled with God's Spirit, become a desolate shadow of its former self? The answer lies in the gradual decay of the heart—both in individuals and within the church body. Pride creeps in, complacency takes root, and a lackluster attitude begins to dominate. Ongoing sins are brushed under the rug, and while the outward appearance of religion looks fine—clean and proper—inside, it's void of life, replaced with vanity. The genuine presence of God is absent, leaving behind only superficial remnants of what once was. When God's presence is no longer sought, He withdraws Himself, and the consequences are terrifying to behold: the church ceases to exist with Christ. God removes His Spirit and bestows it upon another church—one hungry for Him and eager to seek Christ and His Word.
The warning is urgent and clear: if we, as the church, don't get serious about seeking and serving God, we risk becoming the next ghost town.
Look at the modern church today. Praise and worship have shifted from being centered on Christ Jesus to becoming performances. We applaud the talent of the singers and, in doing so, worship ourselves—chasing emotional highs without repentance and true surrender. A warning from Jeremiah 7:19 rings as true today as it did then: our ungodliness, our turning away from God, isn't hurting Him—He remains God. It's hurting us. We provoke our own confusion, stirring up strife and troubles that lead to ruin.
Today's church is lukewarm—neither hot nor cold for God, just stagnant, indifferent. That indifference makes God sick. Revelation 3:16 makes it clear: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." While America's churches have grown comfortable in their complacency, God is moving His hand of blessings elsewhere. He's pouring out His Spirit on regions around the world that are hungry for Him while we sit idly by, wrapped in self-satisfaction.
The warning is clear and the consequences are dire: if we, as the church, don't get serious about seeking and serving God, our entire nation risks becoming the next ghost town. Yes, the grand ol' USA. Just look at America today. We have forsaken God, and the results are undeniable. Our nation is weakened and teetering on the edge of destruction. Do we really think God won't let America fall? History begs to differ. The historical accounts of ancient Israel are a constant reminder that no nation is untouchable. Time and again, God brought Israel to its knees when they turned away from Him. God wiped out many other nations, tribes, languages, and masses of people before, and He can do it to America. God can make even the mightiest nations into ghost towns.
This is a warning: Do not take God's grace for granted. Do not take His church for granted. And even worse, as America is now doing, do not forsake God and the church altogether. If we continue down this path, we soon risk becoming a wasteland, a ghost town where God's presence isn't found, His blessings fade into the shadows of yesterday. America's strength lies not in her economy, military, or innovations but in her relationship with God. But if we continue to abandon God, we will soon reap the consequences.
It's not too late to turn back, forsake our complacency, seek God fervently, and prevent our churches and nation from becoming barren. Let us forsake our sins, be sincere in serving the LORD, be serious in our commitment, and be humble in our approach. May we never take God's presence for granted—lest we, too, become a ghost town.
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But here's the sobering reality: it's not just cities like San Francisco that have fallen into decay. Churches across America are experiencing a similar degradation, becoming ghost towns, too, in their own right. While many are quick to blame the government or culture for this decline, the real fault lies within the church itself. The very people who are meant to be the salt and light have lost their way. When a church becomes lukewarm, complacent, and disconnected from God, it will wither just as surely as a once-thriving city falls into ruin. In many churches across the land, God is no longer welcomed, and the consequences are evident.
Consider how God can take what once was resilient, full of blessings and flourishing, and turn it into a ghost town. This applies even to His own church. I've seen it happen before my very eyes. Take, for example, what was once the largest Baptist church in the United States—Akron Baptist Temple in Ohio. It used to pulse with life, with bustling bus routes and a strong emphasis on evangelism and missions across the world. Today, that church sits empty, a broken shell echoing with forgotten memories of what once impacted the world.
And Akron isn't alone. Across the country, in places like Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and beyond, churches that once thrived with fervent passion and mission are now shadows of their former selves, forgotten in time.
Why does this happen? How can a vibrant place of worship, once filled with God's Spirit, become a desolate shadow of its former self? The answer lies in the gradual decay of the heart—both in individuals and within the church body. Pride creeps in, complacency takes root, and a lackluster attitude begins to dominate. Ongoing sins are brushed under the rug, and while the outward appearance of religion looks fine—clean and proper—inside, it's void of life, replaced with vanity. The genuine presence of God is absent, leaving behind only superficial remnants of what once was. When God's presence is no longer sought, He withdraws Himself, and the consequences are terrifying to behold: the church ceases to exist with Christ. God removes His Spirit and bestows it upon another church—one hungry for Him and eager to seek Christ and His Word.
The warning is urgent and clear: if we, as the church, don't get serious about seeking and serving God, we risk becoming the next ghost town.
Look at the modern church today. Praise and worship have shifted from being centered on Christ Jesus to becoming performances. We applaud the talent of the singers and, in doing so, worship ourselves—chasing emotional highs without repentance and true surrender. A warning from Jeremiah 7:19 rings as true today as it did then: our ungodliness, our turning away from God, isn't hurting Him—He remains God. It's hurting us. We provoke our own confusion, stirring up strife and troubles that lead to ruin.
Today's church is lukewarm—neither hot nor cold for God, just stagnant, indifferent. That indifference makes God sick. Revelation 3:16 makes it clear: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." While America's churches have grown comfortable in their complacency, God is moving His hand of blessings elsewhere. He's pouring out His Spirit on regions around the world that are hungry for Him while we sit idly by, wrapped in self-satisfaction.
The warning is clear and the consequences are dire: if we, as the church, don't get serious about seeking and serving God, our entire nation risks becoming the next ghost town. Yes, the grand ol' USA. Just look at America today. We have forsaken God, and the results are undeniable. Our nation is weakened and teetering on the edge of destruction. Do we really think God won't let America fall? History begs to differ. The historical accounts of ancient Israel are a constant reminder that no nation is untouchable. Time and again, God brought Israel to its knees when they turned away from Him. God wiped out many other nations, tribes, languages, and masses of people before, and He can do it to America. God can make even the mightiest nations into ghost towns.
This is a warning: Do not take God's grace for granted. Do not take His church for granted. And even worse, as America is now doing, do not forsake God and the church altogether. If we continue down this path, we soon risk becoming a wasteland, a ghost town where God's presence isn't found, His blessings fade into the shadows of yesterday. America's strength lies not in her economy, military, or innovations but in her relationship with God. But if we continue to abandon God, we will soon reap the consequences.
It's not too late to turn back, forsake our complacency, seek God fervently, and prevent our churches and nation from becoming barren. Let us forsake our sins, be sincere in serving the LORD, be serious in our commitment, and be humble in our approach. May we never take God's presence for granted—lest we, too, become a ghost town.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
