A Sad Reality

  

 

"Evangelical and Pentecostal church attendance looks stable,
but membership isn’t keeping pace with population growth.

Olson says although the same number of people
 are attending church as 15 years ago,
there are an additional 48 million people
living in the country."

“A couple of polls show that 40 % of Americans
(the same as 1950) are church attenders,
but only 17 % attend church services weekly.”

I came across these quotes as I was studying and researching for a conference that I'll be teaching. As I read them my heart, mind and soul became very disturbed.  So, out comes a blog.

  

Here's what is going through my mind... We can no longer sit back and pat ourselves on the back and claim to be following Christ when we're just "stable" and not even "keeping pace" with the growth of the population!  It's 2013 and there are people spiritually dying and what are we doing about it?  

And, if only 17% of the Christian population see weekly church attendance as important... what does that show an unbelieving world? Why would "they" want to come to church if those who claim to be Christians don't even go to church?  And, if we place little g gods above the real, true, living, big G God, how are we any different from them?

 

Then, I started thinking again about a message I heard last night. I've heard this evangelist speak before, but this message left me very unsettled in my spirit.  It wasn't the part of the message where he was encouraging young people to step out in boldness and do the hard things - I agree with that;  but when his focus became very self-serving with a defiant attitude, I had to perk up and really listen.  As I listened and watched, this evangelist never picked up a Bible, yes he quoted a few verses and he made references to God and Jesus, but something just didn't feel right in my soul. The more he spoke the more it sounded like he was blaming others for poor choices he has made in the past year.  It sounded like he was claiming a conspiracy against him and because of this conspiracy he was being kept from doing what God was telling him to do. It sounded like he was calling all the people who were listening to join him in an act of defiance toward those who were trying to stop him.  At this point the Holy  Spirit was shouting at me to get my kids outta there!

I'm not saying that at one time this young man wasn't on fire for Christ. I'm sure that God has used him to bring many to a lifesaving knowledge and relationship with Jesus. What I am saying is that it appears that somewhere along the way he has gotten caught up in the flash, flesh and fame of "his ministry" and the focus as turned to him.

In scripture we find this warning:

2 Peter 2:1-3 says: 

But there were also lying prophets among the people then,
just as there will be lying religious teachers among you.
They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other -
biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back!
They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction,
but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can't tell right from wrong.
They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything,
that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it.
They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.

The room last night was filled with young, immature spiritual Christians who aren't really sure what they believe. They have an admiration for this young, handsome, charismatic, preacher and they will believe whatever he says and will do whatever he suggests. They will drink the Kool-Aid. 

Fortunately, most of the students that were with me acknowledged the uneasy feeling they had about the message before I ever said anything.   I am very proud of these student. They proved to be good listeners and that their hearts and minds are in tune with the Holy Spirit. They own their faith and their foundation is firm.  I'm not worried about them because last night they showed a spiritual maturity that a lot of people much older than them don't have!  

So my bottom line...

Guys, we've got to wake up and shake up the world. A personal relationship with Christ isn't meant to be private. We've got to step out in boldness, proclaiming the name of JESUS CHRIST, and it has to begin in the heart of every individual follower of Christ. We have got to live a life that denies self and make JESUS CHRIST the centerpiece of our lives. We need to be looking for that 48 million and invite them to meet our best friend, Jesus Christ.

If we want an unbelieving world to come to know Jesus Christ we've got to make Him look GREATER than the world!  

But you belong to God, my dear children.
You have already won your fight with these false prophets,
because the Spirit who lives in you is greater
than the spirit who lives in the world. 1
John 4:4