I have always appreciated this description of a Dead Church that I ran across a few years ago:
A painter was asked to paint a picture of a dead church. What the client expected was probably the picture of an old ruin that had been taken over by vines of ivy and has been left in disrepair, such as the remains of some Gothic cathedral such as are seen in France or Italy. The painter, however, took a different approach, and painted a picture that was like a sermon. On his canvas he painted the inside of a cozy, well-furnished church: upholstered pews, a large organ, a beautiful wooden pulpit, and a congregation whose appearance indicated sophistication and prosperity. But over in the corner near the exit, he painted the picture of a box bearing the inscription “FOR MISSIONS,” and covering over the slot for contributions you could see a large, undisturbed cobweb. The painter knew that a church that cares nothing for missions is dead (or is dying), even if there are plenty of people in attendance.
James tells us to “Be Doers of the Word and not Hearers only.”
If you are involved in a healthy church, you’ve heard that you should be involved in missions. So have you done anything about it? It doesn’t have to be missions overseas. There are people who live near you and work beside you who God has placed near you for a reason.
Don’t be so busy with your own life that you miss the very ones that God has brought into your pathway, so that you can be the hands and feet and voice of Christ to these who are hurting and need to know Jesus.
Pray that God would break your heart for the people around you who need to know Him.