State of most churches

This article is from Today Christian

Warning: This Article May Offend Many Christians

I’m not referring to all churches collectively in this article, but to the large majority who have drifted away from God. The present condition of the church leaves one to wonder if the lack of the fear of the Lord is contributing to her spiritually dead condition.

With rapid fire changes within a culture saturated by political correctness and relativism, we are inclined to ask if there is any hope for America. If we continue down this slippery slope, there is little hope. Apart from a national spiritual awakening, it will be difficult to turn the Titanic around—the vessel has been struck; what’s inside is spilling out. But if God brings revival … if we once again set our hearts and minds on Him … there is tremendous hope. Revival means to awaken, restore, renew or repair. In churches across America, crowd appeal and pleasing the masses tends to be the goal rather than calling out destructive lifestyles, which can result in revival and renewal.

​ A deathlike, deep slumber, has overtaken the church: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1). The beacon of light has faded, the salt has lost its savor, and the message of the cross has been edited out of most sermons. We have lost our fervor for the truth. Have we considered that we may have offended God? Consider the following: 

1. The media is influencing the church.

The politically correct police are on high alert. You can mention God as long as you don’t mention His absolute truth. You can mention Jesus as long as He was just a good teacher. And you can embrace religion as long as it’s all-inclusive. Pastors are required to be politically correct rather than biblically correct to be accepted. The trend in churches is to be welcoming, but primarily affirming. Sermons are designed to tickle the ear but not convict the heart. God, help us.

Additionally, many Christians enjoy programs about the occult, vampires, witches, zombies, illicit sex and other perversions of the truth. A Christian should not be entertained by darkness. If we are, our heart needs spiritual resuscitation. “If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).

Many go to church sporadically, but would rather see a​ movie​. They are disengaged and bored during worship. Their social media posts resemble Hollywood not the work of the Spirit. They choose friends who compliment their worldly lifestyle, rather than friends who challenge them to live for God. They look forward to consuming alcohol, and avoid prayer and Bible study. Their movie and video choices look no different than what the culture promotes. The things of the world are exciting and the things of God are dull. Their conversations at work include every topic except God, and at home, their words are shallow and lifeless. Their waking thoughts are either focused on wealth, pleasure or entertainment. They are dead, or dying spiritually, ​and they don’t even know it. They have religion but​ not a genuine relationship. ​

2. The church cannot be political​ unless it’s “politically correct”:​ 

In 2013, ​Pastor Louie Giglio was dismissed from the President’s inauguration for his views on homosexuality, and replaced with a pastor who supports the gay and lesbian agenda. Ironically, he prayed blessings upon our nation. I was reminded of God’s words to Jeremiah, “I have not sent these pastors but they ran. I have not spoken to them but they spoke. But had they truly stood in My counsel, they would have turned the people from their evil ways” (paraphrase of Jer. 23:21). “We need more prophets in our pulpits and less puppets” (Leonard Ravenhill).

Two things need to occur in order for severe persecution to take place: 1) the absence of legislation allowing free speech about God, and 2) the absence of God-fearing leaders who will uphold God’s standard. As both of these fade rapidly from the scene, the church has been lulled to sleep while the enemy creeps in and plants tares among the wheat.

3. The military is being manipulated by atheist groups demanding that God be removed.

Christians are cowering behind the door of political correctness and allowing God-hating groups to determine the course of our military strength. Granted, our trust is in God and in His sovereign control, but woe be to any military organization who seeks to remove Him from their arsenal. He is not a thought, a concept, or an idea … He is the Maker of Heaven and Earth: “Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are but men” (Ps. 9:20).

4. The educational system continues to remove God.

Darwin is praised and curriculum that removes God is applauded. Don’t get me wrong, I thank God for good public school teachers … we need more, and the new academic standards may have some good points, but there is also a trend to teach that even if a student answers incorrectly, he may be right if he can adequately explain why he answered wrong. Relativism continues to challenge truth, but to its own destruction. Any time we value human reasoning and intellect over God’s Word and absolute truth, we face the consequences of our foolishness.

I make no apologies for the controversial content of this article. When we fail to confront, we confirm. When we fail to confront destructive ideas and philosophies, we are, in essence, confirming them. To state the obvious, we become part of the problem … we cannot change what we will not confront.

A large majority of the churches in America have been desensitized one generation at a time, one court decision at a time, one compromise at a time, and we are drowning in a cesspool of relativism. “The wicked freely parade and prance about while evil is praised throughout the land” (Ps. 12:8). God is our only hope. “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Ps. 85:6).

Stunted growth or dead plant

Stunted Growth or Dead Plant????

You may ask what are you talking  about?  Well this question came up as Pastor Matt and I meet on Tuesday mornings,we are going thru the book of James. James 1 :22 speaks of being doers of the Word and not hearers only. 

(James 1:22 ESV)

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

 So what does that  verse mean it continues verse 23,24 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

(James 1:23,24 ESV)

In verse 23-24 I would call this person a Sunday Christian(Stunted growth /Dead plant)

So what am I talking about ? When we go to church ,do you go cause its what you do and you just sip in the word but don't grow much (stunted growth)or do you go and wonder what the score is in the game that your missing and your recorder isn't working (A dead plant) or are you soaking up the Word like a sponge, growing towards maturity in Christ. These are tough questions to as your self,they may be convicting and no one likes being told your priority's are wrong.

Lets take a look at some scripture and what is say's about taking action or prove yourself.

James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (NASB)

Prove yourselves doers of the word : wow how many can prove they are doers ,this verse is saying show me the evidence . Would you be convicted in court if it was against the law to be a doer.Here are some other verses that speak of taking action.

 (Luke 6:46-48 ESV)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 

Taking action being a doer and not just a hearer builds a solid foundation for your life.

(Matthew 7:24 ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Matthew and Luke parallel each other.The point is being a doer of the Word you will grow into maturity and be solid . You will be less likely to fall apart during a crisis. I'm about to say something and some will take it wrong. By being a doer of the Word does the Holy Spirit's presence in you strengthen in you life ? Here is what I mean. By being doers of the Word ,putting into practice the Word our Christian life grows ,it becomes solid ,and mature. In this maturity we relinquish more and more control of our live to the Holy Spirit. (The flip side is saying look what I've done and in that case there is no maturity) so therefore by relinquishing control over to the Holy Spirit then doesn't he get stronger in us The Holy Spirit is our guide.,

(Acts 13:4 ESV)
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

It is not new Testament Teaching , being doers and not just hearers.

(Ezra 7:10 ESV)
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Ezra studied ,taught and lived. What is a doer? someone who study's the Word ,lives the Word ,a doer is one who's actions prove's themselves to be in the Word.

Whats meant by delude themselves?

The Greek word is :paralogizomai its a verb

means :to reckon wrong, miscount ,to cheat by false reckoning ,to deceive by false reasoning ,and to deceive, delude, circumvent.

That last one circumvent,is that what happens when we are not doers or as the verse says do we delude the scriptures as to water them down. By doing so do you have stunted growth or are you a dead plant.

Milk sippers

(1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV)

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

There are some in the body of Christ that after years of Christendom are still drinking milk they are still infants . WHY? is it because we are too busy in this world ,not enough time in the day for God, these folks have stunted growth just enough to possibly keep them out of the fire of Hell. They are still living for themselves and not for the one who sacrificed it all for you and me.

(Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV) About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Dull in hearing or Sluggish, negligent, is this a person that is stunted growth or a dead plant . ? I think this is a dead plant , they haven't gotten past the milk they can't defend the faith ,they can't understand deep study of Gods Word for they haven't gotten past the fire insurance ( if there is such a thing) (Romans 10:9 ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(Romans 10:13 ESV)For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” There is fire insurance. Yeah!!!! Although this is true we still have to keep it all in context .Be doers, study scripture ,teach scripture ,proclaim scripture,defend scripture.

(Ezra 7:10 ESV)

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Ezra had it right study ,do,teach.
Ok so I used Ezra twice ,still make's the point.

By not being doers you don't grow nor do you mature in your Christian life. Is there other reasons to be a doer? how about we are in the likeness of GOD ,CHRIST, the HOLY SPIRIT dwells in us.

(1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)
As you come to him, a living stone ( JESUS)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is a living stone and we are like the living stone.

(Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 
There are several other verses that show how close our likeness is to Christ, God. By not being doers of the Word we are doing a discredit to Gods ,Christ likeness.

By not being doers is our faith dead? (James 2:14 ESV) What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

I know some will say "work isn't part of salvation ,salvation is a free gift" and they would be right it is a free gift  "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."(Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

.Once you have received your fire insurance ,then there is a job to be done and by doing that job you are doing works. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
Yes grace or salvation is free ,yet there are things for us to DO, by doing these things God has already prepared for us to do then we will become doers of the Word and will grow into maturity . By not doing the works then our growth will either be stunted  our as James puts it we will have an dead faith.

To try and bring this to a conclusion ,as Christian we are being created into the likeness of God ,we are living stones as Christ is the living stone, We should be (as the NASB put's it) prove ourselves doers of the Word or maybe it could be stated this way , participants of the Word doing as we are instructed  to study , dwell , live and share the Word .to be effective Christian we have to upgrade our fire policy to be more than fire insurance .I think if we are to continue to sip the milk of the Word and not get into the meat of the Word  we will have stunted growth and eventually starve and become a dead plant..If I may use a term from J Vernon Magee "take heart my beloved" ( bet you couldn't read that without hearing his voice) God wants us to succeed in our Christian walk. We have the book in front of us ,We have the resources.  Pick it up use it doe it .
God Bless