Walk Wisely Towards the Lost

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)

Like much of Biblical text, these verses are interpreted in different ways.  This is evidenced by reading the many versions of the Bible.  These two versions follow one another somewhat on this verse.

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside”.  Who is outside?  Those outside are those that are not a part of the church – non-believers.  This is a reference to the lost.  All people who do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God who was sent here to walk with man, live with man, then die for man and was resurrected into life and sits with God the Father today are “outside”.  Those who are His are being told to be wise in how you walk with them and how you act with them.  We are to be wise in how we interact with lost people.

“toward”.  I believe it is very important to not miss this word in this text.  We are to be wise in the way we act toward non-believers.  God’s people are to deliberately interact with non-believers!  This is intentional effort.  Christians should not lament their difficulties with working with the lost, but seek the opportunities, while they exist, to interact with the lost so they can be a witness to the one living Savior.

“Redeeming the time”.  Every moment with a lost person is important!  Why is it important?  Here is where I disagree with the main intent of the interpretation of The Message Bible which says “the goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation”.  This is not how I interpret the main intent of these verses.  The reason we must be wise in our time spent with a lost person is because every opportunity must be seized if it can be to bring the witness of the knowledge and reality of Jesus to them.  We must be wise in how we make the most of our opportunities.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  Because we must make the most of our opportunities, it is most important that our speech is gracious and not full of venom as the world’s.  Our conversation must be a witness to grace and it must be sprinkled with worthy of tasting.  It should have the flavor of the gospel within it.  Our conversation should apply to everyone that we are able to have contact with.

Difficult People

²⁷ But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. – Luke 6:27-31

Everyone at some time or another has had to work with or be around a difficult person.  By difficult, I’m referring to a very selfish person who is argumentative, belligerent, flippant, or just rude.  I’m actually not referring to the teenagers in a home, although this fits many times.  For reasons unknown, except that they do not have the Spirit of the one true living God inside of them (or they aren’t listening to Him at the time), these people are difficult to be around and work beside.  The longer you are around them the more taxing it is on all your emotions and your patience gets shorter and shorter.  Eventually, if you aren’t constantly working to walk close to God you will become a person that is rude and build a solid emotional wall towards that person that no longer cares what happens to them but actually wants something to happen so that you will not have to be near them. 

This is not the lesson Jesus taught His disciples.  He did not teach us to not care about others.  He did not teach us to hope something happens to them for our benefit.  He did not teach us to be rude to others.  He did not teach us to build an emotional wall that isolates that person from our being.  If the Spirit of God is within us and we build a wall that shields others from us, how will they see Jesus?

I will concede that there are some relationships that a Christian should opt out of.  If being near someone constantly erodes your ability to maintain a close walk with God, then steps should be taken to limit the interactions with that person or people.  Only a foolish person would consider that a human relationship that might cost you a closer walk with God would be more important than that relationship with God.  There is no comparison between anything in this physical world and the value of our bonds to the heavenly world.

Personally, I am currently working with someone who does not listen to complete instruction because they believe that their way is best.  He has good ideas, but rather than take time to explain them and have the conversation, he just does what he thinks he should.  He works at a meticulously slow pace.  When he completes a task, it is a very good work, but he spends too much time pilfering around looking at his phone and taking smoke breaks.  He is less than honest on the amount of time doing the task seemingly in a way that takes advantage for him and his pay.  If others point out missing or needed supplies, he quickly blames others for any error.  Worst of all, when everyone jumps in to help and work long hours to do so, he is not overcome with gratitude, but often leaving during those late hours for personal hobbies.

I want what is best for this person.  I see potential in what he could do if he would apply his best to his time and to those around him.  However, I am not responsible for what he does and for what he refuses to learn.  I am not responsible for his attitude.  I AM responsible for mine.  I am to do good to those “who spitefully use you”. 

“Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7

My job now is to confront this person with their actions: dishonesty, not generous, selfish, not working diligently as unto the Lord, concern for others.  Everywhere there is accountability in life.  I do not like being the guy who calls others into it.  My experience is they always react negatively and do not fall into repentance as God calls us to do.  But to do less is to not love him at all.

Jesus showed His love for us through sacrifice first and then in accountable confrontations intended to draw us closer to Him.  We must learn to do the same with those we are in contact with, so that we might lead them closer to God, even if they reject us at that time.  

Pray, dear Christian, that you will have patience and most of all love for those who are difficult to bear.  Endeavor to walk close with God during those times and let Him lead you as you must be alongside such people.

Death and Heavenly Realms

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be raised to life as He was. – Romans 6:4-5

We, that is, believing Christians, were buried as Christ was.  Who we are as a human, borne with a sinful nature, have died to being ruled by those sins.  Just as Christ died and rose again, we also can live a new life as a person no longer ruled by our sinful nature.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Too often I see Christians who are in a terrible battle of trust.  They don’t know if they can trust the new nature completely.  The old nature is pulling so hard and it is at least comfortable, even if it caused so much pain.  Everyone I know has some aspect of this battle within them.  They are struggling with some small or large area of their active or thought life.  Can they submit all to God and trust Him completely?  Will he take those things they love away?  So much risk is assumed.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus – Ephesians 2:6

But what a reward!  Christ willingly takes our sin, the weight of all we’ve done wrong upon Himself.  And still we have doubts!  And, He raises us up with Christ to be with Him in the heavenly realms.  We are never left to ourselves.  He takes us with Him to be with Him.  He comes to us, cleans us up, then takes our hand to be with us.  There is no risk.  He can be trusted with all that we are and we can confidently know that there is nothing we value that is of any importance by comparison to this heavenly reward of companionship with our Messiah, our Savior. 

Allow yourself to mentally go through your Baptism again today.  Die to your sins by giving them willfully to Jesus.  He has already died and rose again to defeat the purpose of sin.  Rise with Him to His heavenly places by letting His Spirit dominate your heart today.

The Love of Open Rebuke

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

-          Proverbs 27:5-6

These two verses are directly opposed to our culture today.  Our society will quickly tell you that if you oppose somone’s lifestyle or actions you don’t love them.  In fact, all a person has to say is they are doing what makes them happy in life.  Our current society has placed such a high value on that goal of life that all moral and responsible actions are immediately moved as completely unimportant relative to a person doing what makes them happy.

These verses tell us that an open confrontation, a rebuke of your actions, is better than someone who loves you but does nothing.  In fact, the verse describes such a love as hidden, unseen.  If someone loves you but never does a single thing towards you from that love, does that love have any value?  Doesn’t it actually oppose the character of love to do nothing for someone you love?  This verse says that the one who openly rebukes your behavior and actions is the one who is loving you and this is better love.

The next verse then discusses the wounds received from such an open confrontation or rebuke.  Undoubtedly, if a friend confronts your behavior or action you will be emotionally wounded.  The Word of God tells us here that such a wound from a friend (who loves you as discussed in the verse preceding) can be trusted.  Your friend’s accountability might have hurt your feelings, it might have seemed to be against you, but you can trust it because it comes from your friend who is not hiding their love for you.  Further, an enemy would not only not confront you, but would send you “kiss” after “kiss” to tell you how good you are (and how bad your friend is) in your sinful actions.

Ephesians 4:15 tells us Christians to “speak truth in love.”  This does not mean that we love others with compliments in their sin.  We do not take a sympathetic view of their sin.  We should not be fearful of offending; I can tell you from experience it is a rare human being that isn’t offended when confronted about an action they are taking that they want to do that they’ve reasoned as being good for them, even if the Word of God specifically says the opposite.  We ask if they believe in Jesus and want to follow Him.  If yes, then we point out what the Word of God says and try to compel them to repent, turn away, in the direction or actions they are taking and start steps towards that Word.  Ultimately, their argument is with God, not you.

It is imperative that Christians love one another in this way.  There must be accountability again in the Christian family, community, and church.  Otherwise, we do not love each other, and the world will not know we are of disciples of Jesus.

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. – John 13:35

The Falling Away

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first – 2 Thessalonians 2:3

The “Day” described here is the day that Jesus returns.  This section of this chapter in 2 Thessalonians is described in many Bibles as “The Great Apostasy”.  The translated term “falling away” comes from the Greek word apostasia which can be translated from apo, meaning to depart from, and stasis, meaning the stand or state of.  One can translate then that the falling away is a departing from the stand of faith or the stand of the Word of God.  One can also translate that the falling away is a departing from the state of something, such as the state of being of God.  This would be a departing from the state of being created by God. 

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – 2 Timothy 3:1-4

To fall away from being a creation of God means that everything about you as you were born is in question.  Your gender: males will depart from their stasis or state of manhood, women will depart from their stasis or state of womanhood, fathers from their state of fatherhood , mothers from their state of motherhood, and humans from the state of humanity (life has less value).

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world – Philippians 2:14-15

That age will see a departure from the Word of God.  This means those who know Jesus must hold onto His Word with much more conviction, certainty, and steadfastness.  The effort will have to be intentional and it won’t be convenient. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. – Ephesians 6:13

Today, let us be careful not to be falling away.  Let us be watchful for our stand on the Word of God and for our knowledge of being precious created sons and daughters of the Most High God.  Created in His image according to His good will and for His good purpose.

A Stacked Court

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. – Romans 8:31b-34

Imagine you are in a courtroom and there is a judge, an accuser, and your defense attorney.  Your fate rest in the hands of how well your defense attorney represents you and then the judge’s ruling.  Here in America, I have seen many times that the quality of that defense attorney means a lot regarding your probability of getting a fair judgment.

Now, imagine that the judge and your defense attorney … is the same person.  The accuser makes his claims against you, but your defense attorney is the judge!  What do you think your chances are of getting a fair judgment?  Very good I would say!  This is a stacked court in your favor.  In fact, I would say the case is closed and there is no argument.  There is no trial.  It was over before it began.

This last scenario is what Paul is describing.  Who can be against us?  Who can bring a charge against us?  God has justified us, so who can condemn us?  Our judge is our defense attorney.  There is no trial and no accusations, no condemnation.  The guilt is over; the judgment is gone.  It is forever settled!

Christian, have you sincerely repented of your sins today?  If not, would you drop your pride over some item that you believe God should allow you to do in your life and turn back to His Word? 

Dear Christian, are you carrying a heavy load of guilt today?  Perhaps you’ve repented, but you just can’t overcome the stain on your conscious.  Will you drop that load and step into your freedom from condemnation offered by your Judge and Defense Attorney, Jesus our Savior?

Of all peoples, Christians should be the most joyous and peaceful, resting well upon their knowledge of the truth, that their God neither holds their sins against them or is willing that they should perish in bondage.  Your sins are forgiven.  Through Jesus your charges are dropped.  You are free.

The Declining Church - More Why

In a conversation with a small group on this subject a few more observations were made about possible factors that relate to the declining church.

1.  No Time for False Advertising

In one conversation I was reading regarding why more millennials don’t come to church, one millennial writer said, “Having been advertised to our whole lives, we millennials have highly sensitive BS meters.”  I think this extends beyond millennials to everyone under 50, maybe 55.  Everyone who has been a part of the media revolution has been advertised their whole life.  I remember a story by my American History teacher in high school (I graduated in 1987).  He said on a trip with a group of students they got stuck in an airport.  While they endured the long wait and boredom, since it was before smart phones, they started to sing songs together.  But the only songs everyone in the group knew as a group were commercial jingles. 

Everyone has been advertised to so relentlessly that they are looking quickly to see what it is that you want from them.  This means a church better be what they advertise.  Don’t advertise you are open to everyone if it is obvious to a guest that everyone is not welcome.  Don’t advertise you believe and follow the Word of God if you only follow the parts you like.  If someone who has been advertised to takes the time to come to church and sees something false, you can be sure they are not just put off, they are insulted at the waste of their time.  Their inclination is to immediately leave and most definitely to stop listening.

The old adage, “People don’t care about what you know until they know that you care” rings more true today than ever.  It is personal touches of caring that exhibits the hand of God from the church.  It is personal testimonies and witnesses of God’s touch in our lives that must be shared.  If the church wants people to believe its message, it needs to be believable.

2.  No Power in the Church

The church is intended to be God's Body on the earth, the Body of Christ. This means one intention of the church is to do the will of God as His physical hands and feet.  To say that the church is merely a meeting of like-minded saved people isn’t really enough.   The church should be more than this.  We were made with the view of having dominion over God’s enemy, so the church needs to be the ones who carry out God’s authority on the earth.  This means that they need to be subject to His authority in every way.  

For the Church to be built up, the members of the church need to come under His authority as the head to be in His kingdom.  So, if you have Christians in the church who refuse to be under God’s authority and are their own head, then Christ will probably struggle or simply refuse to build that church.  Ephesians 4:15-16 says ”We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.” (MSG).

If the world doesn't see the power of God in the lives of those who profess to be Christian where is the attraction and what is the point?  Why join a church or follow a church that demands time when those people are almost exactly like you now?

In Acts chapter 5, the apostles are jailed for preaching and healing.  An angel sets them free and instructs them to go and preach again, even though the high priest has told them not to.  When they find them not in the jail and in the temple preaching they bring them to their courts accusing them of breaking their orders.  Peter replies, "We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross. God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."  Then a wise teacher named Gamaliel spoke.

"Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Today, too many churches are doing their own purpose and their activities from their own origin and they are failing.  The church needs to learn again how to listen for God's direction, then to unapologetically, with no fear of persecution or what is proper in society, and with a complete belief in the Message of God, do what He purposes for them to do in His power.

AS

Be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. – Ephesians 5:1-2

As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16

How is it that God has instructed us, those who proclaim in faith to be Christian, to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy? I find it most confusing to imagine that the God who knows my innermost thoughts, feelings, and my own sinful actions would consider making such a request. Certainly He, above all others, knows that this instruction is impossible. I know the evil man that I am, and so does God.

In Ephesians, God is instructing us to be imitators of Him, to walk as He walked when He walked here on the earth in physical form. I understand, at least partially, what is meant when He says to imitate Him because how to do this is described in the verses before and after these. But is God really asking me to walk as He walked and do what He did? While I might want to try, I am more willing to just give up and start believing in something realistic.

Then in 1 Peter God is instructing us to be holy as He is holy even unto this day. Really? God wants me to be completely set apart from this world and all that is in it and be completely Godly. Yeah, okay God. You know what? Good luck with that. I’m going to move on and just try to enjoy the days I have left rather than pursue an obvious impossible request and just end up being a pious unrealistic person just like the Pharisees were.

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. – Matthew 19:26

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 says “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness”. There in this verse is the “how” of living the as. “The Lord make you … abound in love” ….[why?] … “so that He may establish your heart blameless in holiness.” The Lord enables us, through Christ, to love correctly and in the practice of that perfect love that is only available through Jesus, we can be holy.

In other words, we can be holy because He is holy who lives in us and then, through us. He lives into our actions, so we can walk as He walked and imitate Himself. Even more, one day we will give up these physical bodies and living on this planet and we will live in our spiritual selves and be where He is.

God doesn’t always name us for as we are now, but for as we will be. When the angel Gabriel called upon Gideon as a brave leader of an army, he was certainly not one … yet. Gabriel called him one because that is who he would become for God and the nation of Israel.

Perhaps, like me, you know all the things you aren’t as you compare yourself in your walk with how Jesus walked. And you know all the ways you aren’t holy as you compare yourself to His holiness. Yet, God called us to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy. You aren’t an impossible person that can’t be healed. God would not instruct us to do something or be a part of something that couldn’t be done. He instructed us to do so as a Father wants the best for his beloved children and He sees you for what you will become. He is what is best for us; He living in us draws us closer to Him; and He walking as He walked and being holy as He is holy is the only way the impossible can become possible.

My Beloved is Mine

My Beloved is mine and I am His.

                – Song of Solomon 2:16

One of essences of true love is to know that the one you love is yours.  This tears down doubts; it tears down fears; it tears down worry.  There is emotional security in knowing that the one you love is truly and always yours.

We fail too often to realize that the God we are to love is ours.  That Jesus who lived, died on a cross, and is resurrected is ours.  Because He is ours, we are His.  The more I realize that He lived and died for me, and the more you realize that He lived and died for you, the more we will become His. 

I wonder today if we are capable of accepting the idea that He is ours.  We are so conditioned to understand that God is so vast, so enormous, so powerful that we are barely worth noticing by comparison.  Yet, if we were the only sinning human on the planet, He would have lived, died, and resurrected just for us.  He is ours if we will accept Him.  He is yours; He is mine; and He is always there.  He will never leave us; He will never fail us; and He is always for us.  Nothing can remove you from the One who loves you forever.  My God is always mine and I am always His.

When we are able to open our heart and accept this, following Him is not work or impossible.  Serving someone that you love with all your heart is never a chore.  When we love ourselves more than the one we are serving, it is a chore and that work will create strife and bitterness.  But when we serve someone we love with all our heart, it is a joy and we even try to think of what else we can do to love them more fully!

Do you doubt God today?  Does doing “the right thing” according to His Word hurt you today?  Find His love and know that He is yours so that you can become His.  Let that love tear away your doubts and make serving Him and those He loves a joy in your life. 

Does the person you love today know that you are theirs?  Open your heart and let them know that they have all of it.  Let that tear down any doubts and fears between you.  In so doing they will become yours.

I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.

 – Song of Solomon 6:3

Global Summary of Religion Populations

Here's a good global summary of religion populations by the Pew Research Center in 2015.  One item left out is the growth of the Christian church in China.  It has grown by 67 million in the last 50 years.  It is estimated it grows at over one million each year.

Here is the LINK to the article copied below.

Christians remain world’s largest religious group, but they are declining in Europe

BY CONRAD HACKETT AND DAVID MCCLENDON

Christians remained the largest religious group in the world in 2015, making up nearly a third (31%) of Earth’s 7.3 billion people, according to a new Pew Research Center demographic analysis. But the report also shows that the number of Christians in what many consider the religion’s heartland, the continent of Europe, is in decline.

Christians had the most births and deaths of any religious group in recent years, according to our demographic models. Between 2010 and 2015, an estimated 223 million babies were born to Christian mothers and roughly 107 million Christians died – a natural increase of 116 million. 

But among Christians in Europe the reverse is true: Deaths outnumbered births by nearly 6 million during this brief period. In Germany alone, there were an estimated 1.4 million more Christian deaths than births from 2010 to 2015. This natural decrease in Europe’s aging Christian population was unique compared with Christians in other parts of the world and other religious groups. In fact, Muslims and the unaffiliated in Europe both experienced natural increases in their populations, with our new report estimating that there were over 2 million and 1 million more births than deaths, respectively, between 2010 and 2015.

Globally, Muslims make up the second largest religious group, with 1.8 billion people, or 24% of the world’s population, followed by religious “nones” (16%), Hindus (15%) and Buddhists (7%). Adherents of folk religions, Jews and members of other religions make up smaller shares of the world’s people.

Muslims experienced the greatest natural increase among all religious groups, including Christians. Births to Muslims between 2010 and 2015 outnumbered deaths by 152 million (213 million births vs. 61 million deaths). Globally, all major groups had more births than deaths.

Not all babies will remain in the religion of their mother, of course. In some countries, including the United States, it is fairly common for adults to leave their childhood religion and switch to another faith (or no faith). Globally, however, the effect of religious switching is overshadowed by the impact of differences in fertility and mortality.

Indeed, fertility differences between religious













groups are one of the key factors behind current population trends and will be important for future growth. Globally, Muslims have the highest fertility rate of any religious group – an average of 2.9 children per woman, well above replacement level (2.1), the minimum typically needed to maintain a stable population. This fertility advantage is one reason why Muslims are expected to catch up with Christians in absolute number and as a share of the global population in the coming decades. Christians have the second highest fertility rate, at 2.6 children per woman. Hindu and Jewish fertility (2.3 each) are both just below the global average of 2.4 children per woman. All other major religious groups have fertility levels too low to sustain their populations.

Age differences are also important for future growth. Some religious groups’ adherents are predominantly young, with their prime childbearing years still ahead of them, while members of other groups are older and largely past their childbearing years. Muslims have the youngest median age (24) of all religious groups, which is also expected to contribute to their rapid growth. Hindus (27) are also younger than the median age of the world’s overall population (30), while the median age of Christians (30) matches the global median. All the other groups are older than the global median, which is part of the reason they are expected to fall behind the pace of global population growth.

The Declining Church – Why?

It’s hard to look at the statistics and put together some documentation about the declining church attendance by population even while the population is growing and not ask, why?  Why is it happening?  What are the factors in society that have changed that have created this declining church culture?

Usually when I ask others this question, lots of things jump out to people, but mostly those things are pertinent to their individual church and not to the universal church as a whole.  However, one answer is consistent among everyone that I ask – tolerance.  In my informal surveys of people living in Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and even Washington state, each person says the tolerance of the church regarding sin is repulsive.  And because of that even they, sometimes lifelong church attendees, find themselves not desiring to go to church. 

The current societal church that includes people who purposely and boldly live in sin clearly defined by the Bible in leadership positions instead of holding them accountable for that sin and working with them to live outside of the sin is revolting to every Christian I talked with.  Currently in the Methodist church, there is a real war inside the church over homosexual persons being leaders in the church.  My estimation is that this will result in a split and there will be a separate sect of Methodists that support it and those that oppose it.  Yet that isn’t the only sin.  Others are drugs, sex, and money.  As I sit here, I can call by name former pastors who have abused children sexually, one who murdered a young woman he got pregnant while married, and one who embezzled funds.  Not church members, pastors.

I have to consider that just typing that last paragraph and thinking about it makes church unappealing to me.  If it is unappealing to me, how much more unappealing is it to someone who has never been.  Within that discussion is nothing that would attract someone to Jesus or show why He is the answer to their life.

The abounding error of the modern church is straying from the written Word of God and allowing what people want to accept as good into the church out of a fear that people will leave the church if they don’t.  By doing this the church makes people god and that makes the church irrelevant.  The only relevancy the church has is the Lordship of their Savior, Jesus.  Any time He is demoted, the church becomes irrelevant.  When the church is irrelevant, people stop attending. 

Compounding this problem in today’s churches is the inability of the church to teach and practice accountability.  The New Testament is clear in teaching how the church is to hold one another accountable for their actions, yet this is simply not practiced in today’s church.  Today’s churches teach abounding love, which is truth, but fail to teach that accountability is one of the greatest acts of love because in its essence it strives to keep someone walking in the Spirit and with the Christ. 

Another variable to consider is that the typical worshiper attends less frequently.  While the church may have a consistent number attending, the people that are there each Sunday are different week-to-week. For example, a church may regularly have 300 attendees each Sunday.  Out of that 300, 80 might only attend at least two Sundays a month.  This means that 25% of the attendees on any given Sunday are completely different from Sunday to Sunday.  This also means that there are 160 who come two Sundays a month since the attendance average is constant.  This number of “swing” attendees is growing in churches. 

Some other key aspects of society that might be affecting church decline include: 

1. Americans are doing more things alone, and less with family and friends.  
2. Smart Phones.  
3. The message from society is contrary and condemning.

Americans no longer feel the need to be a part of community organizations.  Memberships in the Jaycees, Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions and similar clubs have all been falling steadily in every community for 30 years.  The passing of the baton of community service within in these organizations to the next generation has failed.  This is partial evidence that Americans do more alone.  In his book, “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,” Robert Putnam indicates that 43% of Americans have fewer family dinners in 2000 than they did in 1975 and 35% fewer people had friends who would drop in to see them in their home.

Finding the reasons for why people are spending more time alone should be a research study unto itself, but it certainly must be considered as it relates to the mindset of the current generation and their tendency not be a part of an organization like a church body.  The church would be foolish not to see the trend and discover new ways to inject the message of Jesus into the lives of the new generation and the benefits of a church congregation. 

A definite influence into the doing more alone aspect of society are today’s smart phones.  Most young people (age 30 or less) are addicted to their smart phone and fell “naked” without it nearby.  Surveys indicate that that this group is okay being alone as long as they have their phone, but do not like being alone without it.  This means that a significant portion of their security and well-being is the presence of their smart phone.  As astounding and emotionally unhealthy as this is, it can’t be ignored as not existing by the church and the church should learn to focus its message to meet this need. 

Another fact that the church needs to accept is this new generator gathers almost all their information about the world, living, entertainment, and communications through their smart phone.  The church, if it wants to be relevant, must find a way to get into that device that every person, and especially every attendee, carries with them.

Unfortunately, the message of today’s society is becoming clear in its targeting of Christians and the Christian message.  And its being done in a multitude of news outlets, opinion articles, and entertainment every day.  This constant barrage against Christianity is an attack against the church and this is what the new generation learns since all their information comes through the smart phone.  The church must accept that American is now against the church, not for it.  The absence of this acceptance has been detrimental and has put the church on its heels.

Most assuredly, there are other reasons that contribute to the decline of the church.  The reality is, the church must re-grasp its primary purpose to declare the message of Jesus to the world and disciple those who follow Christ.  And it must stand on God’s written Word, no matter what society says.  Otherwise it will die as irrelevant and America will be lost, then forgotten.

The Declining Church

In a recent Newsletter from Jim and Susie Horne who have been missionaries to Kenya for over 40 years, Jim indicates that 91% of the churches in the U.S. are in decline.  91%.  I’m not aware of where he got his research, but that is a scary high number.  While I don’t want to believe it, I must admit to myself that I see it every Sunday.  So, what is really happening? 

A little research indicates that this is well documented.  Not necessarily the 91% number, but plenty of high numbers in that area.  The most consistent number is that 80% of churches are in decline.  I also noticed that it is important to look carefully at the question asked in the surveys.  If the question was “Do you attend church frequently or regularly?” The result is a much higher number in church attendance than if you asked, “Do you attend church at least two times a month?”  The first question in one survey resulted with an answer of 45%.  When asked the second question, that number dropped to 22%.  These were asked in a, get this, 1992 survey that included Orthodox, Evangelical, and Protestant denominations.  1992!  In 1992 only 22% of Americans attended church at least twice a week.

Since that time there is a well-documented trend that regular church attendance is falling.  According to the 2015 Pew Research survey, only 14.7% of people in the U.S. consider themselves to be a Protestant (Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, etc.).  This isn’t church attendance, but those who will identify with being a Protestant.  In 2007, that number was 18.1%.  Not only are few people attending church, but fewer are identifying with a church denomination.  This is happening while the population grows.  The same Pew Research study indicates there are five million fewer mainline Protestant adults in 2015 than in 2007.  This happened while the population grew by 24 million.  This seems to me to be completely counter intuitive.  One would reason that the church would maintain a plateau or growth, even if only slightly, with the population growth.  But this clearly isn’t the case.  One article indicated that the U.S. now ranks third, behind China and India, in the number of people who are not professing Christians.  I personally find that hard to believe after visiting Russia and I had a difficult time finding the source of that statement, but with only 15% population that will identify with a church it isn’t hard to imagine.

There is an exception to this trend.  Churches averaging 1,000 or more in worship have consistently grown since the 1980s, even to this present day.  That category is the only tier consistently not in decline.  No one seems to really knows why.  One thought is that we live in a consumer culture, so there is naturally a church consumer culture.  And people believe they’re upgrading to first class when they go to a larger church as there are nicer facilities and the best services in music and preaching. 

Back to our attendance topic, we have to consider that Europe had 8% who indicated that they regularly attend a church back in 2002.  Today, Europe surveys indicates that only 4% (some articles state 2%!) regularly attend a church.  America is following that pattern with zeal.

Thom Schultz is CEO of Group Publishing and director of the film “When God Left the Building” which is a documentary about the overall decline of congregations in America.  As they followed the decline of churches, they summarized that the declines came as a result of a variety of factors including: internal strife, a loss of mission, and other “really petty stuff”.  “They really just lost their love, their first love of why they were a church in the first place.”

Another odd statistic that might relate to that last statement is the decline in established churches.  Every church 40 to 190 years old declined in attendance.  Every single one.  The only churches showing increases were built in the 1970s or later.

The current estimate is that by the year 2050, 10% or less of Americans will attend church.  This is a very small segment of society.