Well, as we set upon the end of one year and the beginning of another, I cannot help but look back and reflect on this last year. I think we can safely say that we have seen definitive evidence of the decline of the church’s influence in the American culture. With the re-election of a president that is one of the most pro-abortion, anti-life records in political history, a president who has openly promoted the profanation of marriage by endorsing homosexual unions, it has become clear that our country has embraced a non-Christian ideology. This is not major news, many Christians have been sounding the alarm for years, but it has gone unheeded. But now as we face a new year before us, my question for the church in America is “What is it going to take?”
Consider this, we have seen the growth of megachurches and seeker friendly country clubs for years now. Every week, hundreds, even thousands of people walk the aisles, prayer “the prayer,” sign a card and are proclaimed “Christians” in their congregations. Those people are never taught about sin, righteousness, judgment, condemnation, the wrath of God, repentance or the sacrifice of Christ. Instead, they are given gospel-light messages that consist of Christ loving them so much that He’d rather die than live without them. They are told that God only has their best life in mind and all they have to do is follow a ten step program to get a better job, better marriage, or better kids. There is no call to holiness, no attempt to cause the people to question their worldly mindsets, no testing to see if they are actually in the faith. What is left are a room full of goats who have been mesmerized into believing they are in fact sheep.
In these same churches, the sheep that do exist are either marginalized or simply shoved out the door to make way for the vision of the “goat-herder in chief.” This has allowed the growth of these country clubs masquerading as churches to go virtually unchecked. With little to no opposition inside the churches, they grow like a virus in a compromised immune system, with almost the same deadly effect. The more churches that adopt worldly advertisement growth techniques, the less the true Word of God is preached. The less it is preached, the worse the compromise within the body and the more sin is tolerated. The end results are people who claim to be Christian, or even “spiritual,” but who have no personal sense of the wickedness of their sin. Thus they allow and even promote blatantly sinful behavior. Can the re-election of a man who is anti-christian, anti-life and pro-homosexuality be a surprise then?
That is not to say that there are no real Christians in America. They are still many sound biblical churches faithfully preaching the Word of God. But I fear that even truly born again Christians have become more affected by worldly philosophy than they realize. Go into most churches today and ask Christians what is more loving, to confront sin and unrighteousness boldly, pointing people to the need of Christ’s propitiatory death on the cross, or to win friends through kind works, easing them into the gospel. Inevitably, many will choose the latter. Most Christians today have succumbed to the world’s belief that it is simply unkind to point out sin and to warn of the judgment to come. They believe the message is “too harsh” and will drive people away. The result is that a small percentage of truly born again Christians are going out of their way to share the gospel with the lost in our country. And an equally small number are trying to call out the churches who aren’t even on the biblical program.
So how did this year end with the country embracing a false Christian president who embraces universalism, denounces true Christianity, promotes murder of the unborn and homosexuality? Simply because the church has allowed our influence to wane. We have allowed the propagation of false churches by not calling out with a unified voice against them. We have not resoundingly called them false teachers and have been willing to work in conjunction with them as “co-belligerents.” As they grew, we simply let them go on unchecked. Additionally, we have not combated the false gospel of “Jesus loves you just the way you are,” with the bold proclamation that all mankind is deserving of the wrath of God and the only escape is Jesus Christ.
The American culture has watched a watered down version of the gospel propagate throughout the country and sees it for the phony message that it is. They have no desire to be a part of it and walk further and further away from it. Yet, the true gospel has not been preached with boldness and regularity. The true church has involved itself in any number of other activities – politics, protests, Tea Parties, etc. – yet does not offer the true message of salvation to a world immersing itself in sin. The country sees the true church as harsh and judgmental for it does not call to the world in compassion to the Savior.
So today, on December 31, 2012, I ask you as a member of the true church of Jesus Christ, “What will it take?” Will you, in this next year, be willing to step up to the plate? Will you stand against the false gospel of the country club churches? Will you call them out for the false teachers they are? Will you work to make sure your church steers away from such nonsense? Will you get you and your congregation worked up to preach the true gospel to a lost and dying people? If not, what will it take?
Christ Alone Wyoming 
What will it take for someone to remove me from these posts! I have asked again and again and if I do not have proof that I am removed I will be forced to report this the the correct government agency!
Now please!
Kevin Payne
Sent from my iPhone
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Kevin – I explained before, if you check your emails you receive when you are sent new posts, there should be a link to “Manage Subscriptions” at the bottom. I cannot remove anyone who has subscribed themselves. You must do that yourself.
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Chris, excellent post. Maybe you are describing Kevin’s church…
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@ Kevin Pained… There probably is an agency under the current administration that you could report this to. After all they believe gun control will stop people from being shot, and he should know best coming from Chicago where they have perhaps the strictest laws in the land regarding banning gun ownership…and 500 murders this year alone!
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Do I detect just a hint of sarcasm there Mickey Merrie?
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Perhaps the true church should also repent from the guile of its sarcasm too.
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Hahaha…Ya, I guess so, Chris. But facts are facts. In China they have very few guns in the hands of their people, yet their murder by gun rate is higher then in America where we have 88 guns for every 100 people. By the way, they should ban cars in Chicago as death by motor vehicles is around 950 this year, twice the rate of gun deaths.
Did anyone see the attack on school children in China the same day as the Connecticut shooting? Probably not but just as many kids were victims there….Ban the Ginsu’s!!!
@Alan, I repent of my satire being a part of the true church…Thanks for noticing!
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Very true. Thanks for the input, and I agree with what you have said. But I would like us to get the comments back on the focus of the article. Thanks much.
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What will it take.???.
IF my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
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“The true church has involved itself in any number of other activities – politics, protests, Tea Parties, etc. – yet does not offer the true message of salvation to a world immersing itself in sin. The country sees the true church as harsh and judgmental for it does not call to the world in compassion to the Savior.”
Not only harsh and judgmental – but hypocritical and murderous too…
Lost woman walking into an abortion clinic:
Leave me alone already
Evangelical protesteing outside the clinic:
But your baby has a right to live
Lost woman:
It’s ok I was impregnated by an arabic muslim, just pretend that my womb is a village in iraq and the abortion doctor is an evangelical soldier dropping a bomb on it. Pretend their is an enemy insurgent hiding in their and my fetus is the collateral damage… that way we you and I can both go home later feeling that this was a necessary evil.
…
What’s the difference between an unsaved woman who wants to protect her at ease life by killing her baby and a professing believer who joins the army to go bomb a village in order to protect the american dream? The first difference is that the soldier will receive an appreciation day at his conservative church to honor him. Maybe abortion appreciation days are coming soon to the liberal churches?
We also have the “I voted for Romney to support biblical marriage” hypocrisy. Even the world can see that voting for someone who’s doctrine supports polygamy while claiming to be “upholding biblical marriage” is hypocrisy. They also see the same statistics where 70% of the people in the professing church view pornography and divorce and remarry while claiming to speak for “Biblical marriage”. If the churches want to legislate biblical marriage why don’t they support legislation to stop unlawful remarriage… because that’s one of THEIR sins of course.
Here is what I think it will take:
For true brethren who have much light already to see that many so-called conservative bible believing churches are for the most part just as satanic as the average mega church. The harlot church has a conservative branch too, not just liberal mega churches. When I left the protestant evangelical church I had to repent of my support of the iraq war and idolatrous devotion to all things gop/christan right. I knew the truth about true and false conversion, was street preaching, etc but yet in my head I held onto a theology that said it was noble for a christian to volunteer to kill king caesars perceived enemies where as my king Jesus told me to lay my life down for my enemies. Praying for true saints to be freed from all things “christian right” and roman catholic traditions in the new year.
In Christ -Jim
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Well put Chris. Sadly, too many today who call themselves Christians regard articles like this as too inflamatory, too harsh, too critical and too negative. All in the name of tolerance and “can’t we all just get along?” We need look no further than the Word to find the ‘Way’ to stand. Christ gave us clear instructions as to what He expected of us… “Go, make, teach”. No where did He teach us to soften the truth or sugar coat it and make it attractive in order to attract people. In fact, if we really followed His technique, we’d very likely be persecuted and killed as He and His Apostles were.
Fortunately, His Church will prevail. History had shown that the true Church prospers when persecuted.
~ktf~
John
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…And that is the point. The Ekklesia that Jesus is building as the Corner Stone, founded upon the foundation of the Apostles, and built with living stones, never has, isn’t now, nor ever will see the gates of hell prevail against.
The Babylonian pyramid system of religion isn’t broken, it is anothers system. Particularly since we can see that the prince of this world has such an influence in them.
It’s not a virus it’s a cancer.
The whole world is under the sway of the prince of this world/the evil one.
The Ekklesia the gates of hell will never prevail against.
Modern churchianity is being heavily prevailed against. To the point that those sheep who continue to sit in it and not come out of her, would be deceived if it weren’t for God shortening the time. The virgins, both wise and foolish are ASLEEP! Hello?
The oil is the Holy Spirit, which the wise have, and the foolish go buy from the (snake) oil salesmen!
The broad road to destruction runs down the center isle and up across the pulpits of churchianity.
I challenge every last one of you who sits in pews each week to find the oldest dearest saint in your congregation, or who used to go but can’t now due to health and ask them. How the “church” you attend has changed since they first believed.
Next, go in to children’s church and see what gospel is being preached there. Finally, go in to the youth group and see just exactly what they are being discipled with.
Finally count how many times in each service at your church over the next year you hear the word Repent being used. Then compare your observations with the Word of God, that you should easily be able to go through in one year without some through the bible in a year crutch.
In the next month or so, you will be able to go here and buy the bible on CD from someone who names the name of our Lord as they sell their Christmas gift to raise money for some flesh desire. In the past year I have bought several copies for pennies on the retail dollar, and some from preachers! Redeeming the time indeed!
Hahaha 320 there now! You can get the New Testament for under $20 delivered to your door and the whole bible for around $50 deliverd. Now, how much time do you spend in your car during the year? These CD’s play in our home pretty much daily. No tv in our living space. Plus we have it on in the car where we keep a copy. We give the rest away to people we run in to for their edification.
(The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out our growth and make us unfruitful. Get rid of your religious receipes and return to your first Love!)
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=word+of+promise&_sacat=0&_from=R40
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Classic example: Item condition:Used“box is a tad worn but never listened to…other than the beginning of disc one…”
Time left:2d 09h (Jan 03, 2013 18:27:58 PST)
0 Bids.
Now, if you don’t buy it I will. It will be given to someone who the Lord leads to us.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Word-of-Promise-New-Testament-Jim-Caviesel-as-Jesus-20-discs-Never-used-/121044166313?pt=US_Audiobooks&hash=item1c2ecb66a9
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MP3 version delivered for under 15 bucks, and there are 7. I don’t do MP3
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Word-of-Promise-New-Testament-MP3-Audio-Bible-/230878388098?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item35c16c9f82
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Thanks for sharing this Mickey. I will be checking these out as well. In fact, just placed a bid on one of them – the discs.
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Excellent challenge, Chris. In a morally declining society, a holy church will either stop the decline or suffer persecution — it won’t just drift along peaceably.
II Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
You might not be calling us to a positive impact on society, but rather to greater persecution by an even more corrupt and hardened society.
I personally think that, amidst all the dross of the modern church, there is also a lot of gold that will only be refined by fire, and that God is more concerned with purifying His church than with reforming society, so I expect the fire to come, unless the Lord returns first. I’m no prophet, but I expect persecution to increase, and perhaps become severe even in my own lifetime, likely in the lifetime of my kids.
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There is little doubt in my mind that persecution is coming Jon. Biblically speaking, the greatest growth of the true church always follows persecution. I am just trying to get Christians to be busy about the Father’s work now, because it is my belief if one will not do it now in relative freedom, what makes anyone think they would do it under fear of imprisonment…or even death.
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Indeed, Chris. Many people won’t read even half of their Bible this year. In a few years, they may have to rely on what of the Bible they can remember from memory, when everything has been taken away from them. Oh, that we would read it and memorise it now, while we can.
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Amen sir.
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You will appreciate them JM and use them in ministry I’m sure. Don’t look at the stars who’s voices are used, as that isn’t helpful at all, and I don’t know most of them anty ways. LOL
This is a direct reading of the NKJ bible with backround noises and each bible person having their own voice. It seems to hit a different part of the brain, plus you can get through entire books, and in fact several NT books in one sitting. When I travel across several states to see clients, I prefer to drive as I can put hours in the car and that means hours in the word as well. The mind stays active and tends not to wander as much as when reading a book. Also, you will find yourself backing it up and repeating passages as new things jump out at you.
We often find our son coming in from playing with friends outside to get a drink or use the lavitory, and see him sit down and listen, while his friends continue playing.
JM, if you will email me with your address, I will get a copy off ebay and gift it to you, as I am watching 2 right now. It will be our gift to you serving on the mission field! Just let me know which one you bid on so I can relieve you of the cost should you win!
Mickey Merrie
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