Missing in Action

Several years ago the Department of Defense announced that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, 1st Lt. Shannon E. Estill, U.S. Army Air Forces, who was missing in action from World War II, had been identified and returned to his family for burial with full honors. He had been considered missing in action for over 50 years.

Many servicemen went missing during the Vietnam conflict and it appeared nothing was being done to find missing personnel. Several famous movies were made about men who went in alone to recover their missing comrades.

There are many missing-in-action people from our churches these days, those who no longer are with us. No, I don’t mean they are dead. I mean they have quit going to church. The number one reason is that someone in the church did something to hurt them and it was easier not to go back.

Christians, look around this Sunday and think about those from your congregation who are missing. Write their name down and make a note to call them this week and invite them to come back. Sometimes all it takes is one invitation, one person who acts like she cares, that will be the deciding factor in bringing these people back to the church. If you come in contact with someone who has left their church, take that opportunity to invite them to go to church with you this Easter.

Everyone ought to go to church at least on Christmas and Easter to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. And if every person in town went to church on Easter Sunday, every church would be full.

Are you MIA? Missing in action from your church? If you just can’t go back to that church, find you a church where you can attend.

I know God’s heart’s desire is like mine—that every church in town be full and running over on Easter morning so people can hear the Good News.

One Reply to “Missing in Action”

  1. Hi Lavon,
    Did you find opportunities to invite anyone back to church or did God set up any “divine appts” for you to run into anyone to invite? Just wondering. Lately we’ve have several people ‘come back’ to our church. They left for other churches and returned after a year or two. Funny how that can happen.

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