Several years ago my family visited the country of my wife's birth, Sweden. While there, we ministered in a particular church which was quite impressive. Not only did their building have a Sanctuary, along with the normal array of classrooms and offices. This church also had a hotel, as well as their own cafeteria. I thought that was pretty cool!

Well, this week I finally found a match in the U.S. However, according to the American way of doing it better and bigger, this facility was truly outstanding.

Everything was very well done. There were a large number of rooms in the hotel part, and there were actually several eating places all under one roof - in one of them, my son and I had a wonderful time of fellowship with some good Christian friends. Throughout the entire building, from the carpeting to the light fixtures, all of the appointments were very tastefully done, and everything in sight was neat and clean. I can't say enough about how exciting it was to be in this church.

One of the most noticeable aspects was the fact that the church was always open; the activities sponsored seemed almost non-stop. As for the people, I have rarely seen such intensity and focus. They gathered from all races and walks of life: young adults, children, babies and a large number of middle-aged and elderly people. There were even some in wheel chairs, and the building was well designed with proper ramps and handicap access bathrooms.

Also, I was quick to notice how well the ministry staff attended to the needs of all the people. They were all well dressed and obviously well trained.

There were, however, a couple of things which bothered me. Although the dedication level was commendable - one could well call this a "high commitment" church - it seemed that many of the activities were quite repetitious and ritualistic. I also noticed that, like many other larger churches I have visited, many participants seemed isolated from the others. The "Fellowship Factor" was obviously lacking.

But the thing that bothered me the most was the constant emphasis on money. Obviously the people present were willing, and even seemed eager to make whatever sacrifice was called for, and no doubt they felt a sense of pride being part of such a well furnished, equipped and exciting environment. But for me, the constant appeal for more money was too much. Perhaps I shouldn't criticize; after all, everyone seemed so willing to give; obviously they felt it was worth it.

The longer I lingered, the more it dawned on me that, as attractive as it was, with new people coming all the time, they all seemed to be coming only for what they could get in return. Maybe that's why they didn't talk much with each other - they all just wanted to get a blessing for themselves. And when one did get blessed, there was little noticeable sharing of the joy.

As I reflected on these matters, the things that bothered me began to outweigh any of the positive feelings I may have had in the beginning. I began to say to myself, "With all this emphasis on money, and the obvious motivation of each one intent only on realizing their own individual blessing - perhaps this shouldn't even be called a church."

Then suddenly the realization hit me like a soul-stirring, heaven-sent revelation. This wasn't a church - I was in Las Vegas and this was a casino!