Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Church is Failing


  I recently watched a video of Os Guinness, in which he talked about the pursuit of meaning in one's life, where to find that meaning and the consequent truths that are discovered. According to Mr. Guinness, one main reason why so many people end up searching for meaning in their lives is because they have lost meaning in their faith, and have drifted away from God.

"The Christian Church in the west is at one of its lowest points since just before the 16th century Reformation." - Os Guinness

As a Believer, does that concern you? Does it alarm you? Does it worry you? Well, it should! Christianity is quickly being extinguished around the world, and America is a prime example. Yes, there are still around 300,000 "Christian" churches throughout the United States, but the Gospel is being continually watered down, until it becomes virtually pointless. According to Os Guinness, "Much of the Western Church is shallow, crass, vulgar, distorted and worldly."
 
Though many people are still attending church, the teaching that the majority of them are receiving is either riddled with lies, or told in a way that conceals the real truth of the Gospel. Satan is at work in these churches.

These deceiving churches are, ever increasingly, discouraging the process of thought, especially that concerning faith. As a result, people are developing questions that cannot be answered by the faith they were brought up in, and they are falling away from God.

This tugs at my heart strings. Countless souls have been lost or torn away from God’s grace, because we, as Believers, have allowed God’s message of love and forgiveness to be disfigured and destroyed. All Believers have the responsibility to speak out against such deception and spread the real truth of the Word of God:

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galations 6:9

 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.” – 1 Corinthians 11:1-2

“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” – Jude 1:4

If there is any possibility of saving those souls that are slowly being lost to the Devil and his lies, the world is in need of a Revival. Those of us who are true Believers in the grace, love, and sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ, what are we doing to spread these truths to others? Will we continue to sit idly back and allow our nation, and our world, to sink even more into this bottomless pit of deception and despair? What will you do?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16





1 comment:

  1. Amanda,

    I really enjoyed reading this post! I, too, think that it is sad that the Church is failing to encourage deep thought. I loved the different verses you added to this post, especially Matthew 5:14-15. I believe that as Christians, we should be striving to be His light in this world.

    Love this post, Amanda! :)

    Audra

    ReplyDelete