The most dangerous time that the Evangelical church has known for several generations is facing us today. For a long time now there has ceased to be convictions that united the Church in a practical application of Christian beliefs. This is evidenced by the number of people who have renounced their membership or have left the church from their indifference to spiritual life. The Church has lost its purpose and mission. The main message of the Church should be the salvation of the lost. This is first and foremost the purpose of the Church.
We are losing the battle against evil. We have lost our purpose and direction. Some will want to justify their purpose by pointing to their mission projects and the number of mission trips their members have taken. I will be the first to admit the good the Church has done around the world. I will stand up and voice my objections when individuals malign the name of the Church. However, I will also look deep into the soul of the Church and see where we have gone astray and forgotten the message which is Salvation. I have come to the conclusion that “foreign missions” and “mission trips” are no more than an activity to ease the conscience of a guilty church. While we are trying to secure new converts to the Faith, we are losing thousands of members here at home. These former members have forsaken the local church and adopted their own interpretation of Christianity. The consequences of this are found in the moral life of the country-- it is changing to a society that is amoral. The foreign mission outreach is no more than an administrative position of control over the foreign converts. Mission trips are glorified vacations that make one feel good about their service and give them a sense of having carried out the purpose of the church. If you will not give the Gospel of Jesus Christ to your neighbor what make you think you are justified by giving to foreign missions or taking a mission trip? The message of Salvation begins at home, then my neighbor, then the uttermost parts of the world.
The Church has lost its faith. Men are saved by faith, but not just any faith—saving faith. The absence of faith means spiritual death. Just because we say we have faith does not ensure spiritual life, there are many kinds of faith. The faith that will ensure a spiritual life is a saving faith. This is a faith that brings about a religious reformation, a change in the actions and life of the recipient.
The Church has in times past been the means by which societies has been preserved, today we must admit that the majority of the Church is in a weakened and ineffective condition. What makes this sad is that there are many churchmen who have compromised with sin and brought disgrace to the cause of Christ. This week, a pastor of a large evangelical church in Indiana was dismissed after have an “affair” with a sixteen year old girl in his congregation—he is 54 years old. The church seemed to think that because it was not “illegal” in the State of Indiana, and no civil laws had been broken that it was not as serious as those outside the church were making it to be. This is a sad commentary on the spiritual condition of the American church. This church should have the same reaction to this sin as they do towards the homosexuals. Sin is sin and they should treat both the same. However, this is not how the Church works today. It is time to speak out against evil no matter where it is found.
In the controversy and political division that erupted this week over “chicken”, which became a rallying point for many who are “fed” up with the direction evil leaders are pushing this country. (The political leaders should not have under estimated the power of Christian outrage.) This however, is not saving faith but it is a move in the right direction. For too long the present unsatisfactory religious situation in America can be attributed to those who have encumbered the ideal of faith with material prosperity and health have given rise to an utterly futile conflict between religion and Salvation. In this conflict religion has been the victor with Salvation being a concept that is outdated to the modern church member.
Christianity as a religion is damaged goods. The damage has come from those who have corrupted the message of salvation with political and material interest. There are those who use Christianity as a political tool to gain power—they are not to be trusted. These wolves have sold their faith and would collaborate with the devil himself if they could get away with it. I do believe as Christians we must be active against evil in every aspect of life, church, government, education and our homes but not at the cost of our salvation by supporting evil dressed as truth and righteousness. We cannot water down our belief system to the point we are no longer effective. As Christians we cannot continue to compromise with evil. The attitude that we must support the best of two evils is still supporting evil. It is time the Church acted upon the principles of justice and mercy, truth and righteousness and permit God to take control of the situation. We have made a mess of trying to do things our way and the result is we have lost our “saltiness”.
What do we do when even the “salt” has lost its savor? We cannot substitute religious faith for saving faith. The consequence of this substitution will be borne by the whole nation. When the Church begin to lose hold on its foundational teachings and begin to vacillate on its moral principles we fell apart. We are no longer salt and light to an evil world. Our candle has been hidden and the world is going dark.
The American Church needs to open her eyes to the problems within the Church and correct them before we try to change the political direction of this country. I fear that we have too many “Christians” who have been admitted into membership within the Church who are unworthy of membership. They have not “paid their dues” they are the profiteers of the benefits gained by the members who fought the battles and established the teachings and mission of the local church. These unworthy members have no mission to fulfill—they want only the benefits. They jump from one church to another, they are not dedicated to the mission of the church nor are they loyal to the cause—they are religious profiteers.
It should be noted that these religious profiteers are more likely than not the ones who will attack the foundational principles of the church. There was a time when religious teaching and saving faith were once accepted by church members. It was a force in their lives; they accepted the absolute authority of the doctrines of faith as the foundation of their spiritual life. Today, that same authority is challenged and subjected to endless interpretations and opinions which have led to complete anarchy within the Church. The American Church has put herself in a position to become a worthless religion.
Yet there is still hope. The solidarity of the Christian faith is an important factor in withstanding the storms of evil intent. The lack of “saving faith” which results in true repentance and a new direction in life has been obvious to everyone who has not been blinded to the message of Salvation. When Christians are once again in harmony with the message of Gospel of Jesus Christ we will see the power of the Church unfold and evil will be put on the run. The political issues of the day will fade away as men and women find the life change power of faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ.
We must first start at home and purge the local church of “the sin that so easily besets us” and once again become the place where trouble souls find satisfaction and peace.
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