You sit down and you read through various news items. So you come across a news story from the Barna Group. You know them. They're a group like the Gallup organization that provides "research and marketing expertise as a service to Christian ministry." This should be of interest. The headline reads "Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist."
Any genuine Christian would be saddened by such a story. Clearly that group called "most American Christians" are not Christians, but deluded people who have no concept of what Christian is. And the details of the story don't really get better. Nearly a quarter of such "Christians" believe that God is something like "the realization of human potential" or "the god in everyone". A number approaching 60% believed that Satan is just a symbol of evil. Only 22% believe in the divinity of Christ. (I mean, seriously, people, how can you call yourself a "follower of Christ" and not even know who He is?) It doesn't help when something like 73% believe that "the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches" when they obviously haven't a clue what it teaches. A third of them held that the Bible, the Quran, and the Book of Mormon all taught the same truth. Not a clue.
The tendency, then, is to get discouraged. I've talked to many when these types of things arise and they wonder, "Is there any hope for the Church?" You might feel like, "If God doesn't do something drastic ... and fast ... there won't be anything left!" And I get it. That kind of discouragement is to be expected. In fact, it was Jesus Himself who said, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8). Even He knew it would be this way.
So I thought I'd offer a little bit of hope both for those who read such stories and those who are aware of the sorry condition of the Church. When Jesus made that statement in Luke 18, He did so at the end of a parable. Here's what Luke wrote at the beginning of that parable: "[Jesus] was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart ..." (Luke 18:1). The point of the parable was encouragement. That alone ought to encourage you. The other thing that I constantly have to keep in mind (and, apparently, so many churches have forgotten) is this: Jesus said, "I will build My church" (Matt 16:18). In Acts we read, "And the Lord added to their number day by day ..." (Acts 2:47). It's easy for us -- believers -- to lose sight of the fact that God Himself is in charge, that Christ will build His church, that nothing is catching Him by surprise, and the outcome is a given. When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth? Yes, He will -- exactly the amount of faith He intends. "... And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Comfort one another with these words.
9 comments:
Before coming to Christ, even though I couldn't have articulated it at that time, I thought that theological liberalism was apostate and really didn't pay much attention to them. The extremely scant attention I did pay to religious matters was all that was needed to see that liberal churches were little more than a pathetic arm of the politically correct crowd.
Even those who did not buy into the prostituting of The Word, but did nothing to live a life that reflected their supposed belief systems, other than attending church, I found to be just as pathetic.
But there were a few that were the real-deal. Those were the ones that always caused me to reflect on my eternal destiny and caused me the most fear; and vitriol to boot. Paul says that God's truth is plain to us, and looking back their authenticity was plain to me.
I now try to keep fresh in my mind those individuals that I once knew that attemped to live up to the standard they set for themselves. What is amazing about it is that I was always a lost cause for them, yet the ripples of the lives they lived are still impacting me across the span of time.
Great assessment with your encouragement that the church is alive and well and under the careful guardianship of its shepherd.
I definitely understand what you mean about true Christians being saddened and discouraged by so much confusion and false teaching/false believing in the church.
I love what you had to say about Christians who are the "real-deal," though Dan. Such authenticity is plain, and it is certainly a blessing!
Finding "the real deal" isn't as easy as one might think ... but it sure is a good thing.
I would suggest it is unfair to paint all "liberal" churches with one wide brush. You certain would find it difficult to find a church full of more obviously authentic Christians than our church, which I'm sure many would label "liberal."
Such discounting of brothers and sisters in Christ is less than helpful, I'd suggest. We're all in this together.
You will know they are Christians by their love.
By this, shall all know that you have the love of Christ within you: If you have love one for another.
Authentic religion is this: To care for the widows and the poor.
Now I'm confused. I didn't reference any "liberal" churches. Ruth didn't reference "liberal" churches. The post wasn't about "liberal" churches. I wasn't thinking about "liberal" churches. I don't know to what you're referring.
If you're referencing my comment that "finding 'the real deal' isn't as easy as one might think", I meant anywhere in America. (Frankly, it is the evangelicals that came first to mind.)
Sorry, I was referring to the other Dan's statements, not yours...
I thought that theological liberalism was apostate and really didn't pay much attention to them. The extremely scant attention I did pay to religious matters was all that was needed to see that liberal churches were little more than a pathetic arm of the politically correct crowd.
I took it to mean that he had re-thought his position since then ... that he had found "real deal" Christians there.
Thank you, brother dear. It is encouraging to remember these things. I also draw much encouragement from the fact that Jesus said this would happen and that when they did, it would herald His coming soon.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Post a Comment