The Church as an Archway

I heard an illustration given one time that the church is like an archway in a garden inscribed with the words “We Preach Christ Crucified.” Overtime, vines around that archway begin to grow and, as they move upward, they cover part of the writing so that it then says, “We Preach Christ.” The church is still preaching God’s Word but skipping the uncomfortable sections. More time passes by and the vine continues to grow thicker and higher until the sign reads, “We Preach.” The church is teaching how to live a good and moral life, how to raise your children and what to do when decisions must be made but they have forgotten Christ. Time continues to pass and, eventually, the vines cover so much of the archway that all that is left is simply, “We.” Thus, the church has become merely a social club and they have forgotten why they exist.

No one church is immune to this tragic possibility. We must always be on guard and we must never forsake any teaching of Scripture. The churches in Revelation are long gone because there came a time when they allowed worldliness to creep into their doors and take them captive. If we desire our church to succeed, then we as individuals comprising our church must strive to be holy in every area of our lives and serve our faith family by working diligently to ensure that any vines springing up from the world are cut away, both within the life of our church and also within our personal lives. Therefore, let us regularly take time to examine ourselves and ask the Lord to show us any areas of our lives that we may be allowing the vines of the world to grow and ask Him to give us the strength to remove them.

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!

~ Lamentations 3:40

About the Author

Cameron Neace is the pastor of Watermark Church. Born & raised in Missouri, he & Caitlin and their two cats, Pierogi & Poptart, have called Union home since 2023. In his free time, Cameron enjoys playing board games, writing, reading, & drinking coffee.