Well, I took a little time away from my blog to go on a mission trip to Wise, Virginia. After that was a few days of scrambling to prepare for a few days off (which I am now enjoying). I hope to take time to write several posts during these days.
Something which concerns me greatly, and I believe to be a tremendous hindrance to the effective work of God's Kingdom, is the un-Christian behavior of so many of those who call themselves Christian. Numerous scientific surveys agree with what I have observed -- most Christians (church members) live no differently from those who do not claim belief in Christ and are not interested in being a part of the Church. The divorce rate among church members is virtually the same as that of the unchurched. Teens raised in the church are as sexually active as those not raised in the church. Strife and ill-will among church members have robbed most churches of their effectiveness. This is so tragic! It is shameful! And, it is so terribly harmful to the cause of Christ!
Why is this happening? I see two primary reasons. First, our church membership rolls are filled with people who have never had a true salvation experience and are just as lost now as they were before joining a church.
You may be thinking, "Ken, that sounds pretty harsh and very judgmental." The truth is sometimes very harsh, and the "judge not" crowd are theologically uninformed. I am not alone in this assessment of today's Church. A number of years ago Billy Graham, the great evangelist for God for our generation, proclaimed that he believed that at least 80% of the membership in Christian churches are "lost" (without a saving relationship with Christ). Eighty percent! How could he make such a statement? Isn't that being judgmental? Graham could make such a statement simply by looking at the lifestyles of most church members. They do not reflect the kind of lives the Bible says is consistent with those who are indwelled by God's Holy Spirit. Read what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia:
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery (drug abuse), hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like: of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of god. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (5:19-23)
Those who practice such things (verses 19-21) will not inherit the kingdom of God. Whether you are a church member or not, if these works of the flesh (evil deeds) are a way of life (practice) for you then you are giving evidence of an unredeemed, unforgiven spirit. Church membership is not the equivalent of salvation. Salvation is the result of confessing our sin to the Lord, trusting that what He did on the cross of Calvary was the only sufficient sacrifice for our sin, and committing to follow Jesus as our Lord.
The conclusion: those who do not demonstrate the reality of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives act like they do because they do not have a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ! A church member who doesn't act any differently from those who don't claim to be Christian is in all likelihood just as lost.
A second reason why so many church members don't act differently is that many, though being saved, they have really never grown much in their spiritual lives. As Paul would say, these believers are still taking only spiritual milk and have never moved on to the meat! They believe, but have never sought to grow in the spiritual disciplines which are required for developing a "Christ-like" lifestyle. Such believers usually are weak and often cave in to the pressures to conform to this world rather than to stand firmly in the standards set forth by Jesus. Romans 12:2 exhorts the believer . . . And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
What about you? Does your life reflect a real and vibrant relationship with Jesus? Are you truly different from those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior? If not, a life-changing relationship awaits you if only you will follow the One who created you and has a significant purpose for your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment