This nation isn’t in decline because people stopped going to church. People stopped going to church because we turned our culture into an anything goes, all about me, instant gratification society.
The churches began to adapt to this society and became weak and useless. Or they held to tradition and lost the younger generations. What does traditional Christianity offer to people who can’t wait until tomorrow, much less eternity?
I read the Barna survey results and notice that they love to tell us what we do wrong, but are not very useful at telling what to do to fix it. This is because no one knows. Or is willing to say it.
The truth is that this society has left God in a closet, or propped Him up on a shelf. They take Him down and dust Him off when they want Him, but them put Him back when they are done.
So, He has turned his back on us. We deserve it, just as Israel did more than once in the Old Testament. We will suffer and people will rediscover God. If they return to Him, then He will return to us.
Or, He will let the church be reduced to the truly faithful and then He will judge humanity.
Either way, we are not going to save society by revitalizing the church. Society will revitalize the church when it is ready to return to God. The challenge is for the faithful to stay faithful as this period of tribulation gets worse and to keep the doors open so that the people will know which God to return to when they are done being stiffnecked.
Inviting God back to our nation begins with repentance. We still believe that He owes us something just because we have a church on every street corner.
Church shouldn’t be a rock concert.
I’m old school, though.
You should come to Church in an attitude and dress of humility and decency.
Not everything ‘goes.’ God Is. Your saying something against Him doesn’t let you off easy and never has.
Church shouldn’t be all warm and fuzzy, either. Life isn’t.
Christ is coming back for a spotless bride. That's the church, and the church is Holy Spirit indwelling, transforming, and perfecting every believer.
Believers don't have much time to get it right.