Funeral Services Are Not for The Dead.

This past few weeks, Community Bible Church has been the host for four funerals, served luncheons, and two of them had a visitation/prayer service the night before. None of the deceased were current members of this church. Our beautiful sanctuary and spacious, comfortable facility served hundreds of people in this community. We were Community Bible Church!

I was told repeatedly, “It must be hard to lead a funeral service for someone you don't know.” Honestly, it is not. I don’t make false promises, and I make sure that Jesus the Savior is preached. Instead of going outside these walls of our church to tell people about Christ, they are sitting right there! Looking for words of comfort. The person who has died has no more time to place their trust in Christ. On the other hand, all those friends and family who have come to pay their respects and contemplate their own mortality have the chance to decide to believe in Christ. I tell them it is not their baptism, their denomination, the works they do, or the size of the gifts made that earn them heaven. It is not whether I know them, but whether or not they knew Jesus Christ. As John 3:15-16 reads, “That whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

It is always an excellent opportunity to serve grieving families and to speak into softened hearts about God’s great love and the provision of salvation. Thank you, CBC, for your hospitality and the opportunity to share the gospel with the living.

Scott Granville