CHURCH IN US...Christians No Different From The World

GOOD DAY TO YOU AND THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG...CAME ACROSS THIS ARTICLE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN US... A FRIGHTENING PICTURE INDEED ! REMINDS ME OF THE PARABLE THAT JESUS TOLD ABOUT THE FARMER SOWING SEEDS IN A FIELD...JESUS WANTED US TO TAKE CARE HOW WE LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD...HOW OFTEN BECAUSE WE DON'T TAKE CARE TO LISTEN CAREFULLY, NO SOONER WAS THE WORD SOWN IN THE FIELD OF OUR HEART, WE ALLOW THE EVIL ONE TO COME AND TAKE IT AWAY..THIS IS THE SEED THAT FELL ON HARD GROUND, ON THE PATH...IS YOUR HEART LIKE THAT EVERY WEEK AS YOU LISTEN TO THE WORD IN CHURCH??...NOTHING REALLY GETS LONG ENOUGH INTO OUR HEARTS AND STAY THERE FOR IT TO IMPACT ANY CHANGE TO OUR LIFE...OR MAY BE YOU DO LET THE SEED OF GOD'S WORD ENTER YOUR HEART AND IT GREW FOR A WHILE...JESUS WARNED ABOUT THE SEED THAT FEEL ON ROCKY GROUND...NO DEEP ROOTS, SO IT DOES NOT LAST...NO REAL CHANGE CAN TAKE PLACE...WHEN THE HEAT IS ON, WHEN WE ENCOUNTER SOME TROUBLES, SOME DIFFICULTIES, SOME PAIN, WE WITHER AND FALL AWAY...WHILE OUR BODIES MAY STILL BE FOUND IN CHURCH, OUR SPIRITS HAVE LONG GONE BACK TO THE WORLD...LIKE WHAT THIS BARNA SURVEY SHOW OF THE CHURCH IN US...FOR SURE, WE HAVE MANY IN OUR CHURCHES THAT ARE VERY MUCH LIKE WHAT JESUS SAID HAPPENED TO THE SEED THAT FELL ON THE THIRD KIND OF GROUND...THE KIND THAT HAVE WEEDS THAT CHOKED...LET'S EXAMINE OUR LIVES...ARE THEY NOT FULL OF THE ANXIETIES OF THIS WORLD AND THE PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE??...HOW OFTEN WE ALLOW THESE WORLDINESS TO COME ALONGSIDE OUR INTAKE OF THE WORD THAT THE WORD HAVE RESTRICTED SPACE TO GROW AND BECOME FRUITFUL...MAY WE GET RID OF THESE WEEDS AND LET THE WORD OF GOD GROW STRONG IN US...PRODUCING MUCH FRUIT...TO THE GLORY OF GOD...SHOULD A SURVEY LIKE WHAT BARNA DID FOR THE CHURCH IN US BE DONE FOR YOUR CHURCH, WHAT WOULD BE THE FINDINGS? WHERE WOULD YOU STAND? MAY GOD BLESS YOU TODAY TO BE WHAT JESUS SAID OF HIS CHOSEN ONES IN JOHN 15:16 ... "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you." BE EDIFY.

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Christians No Different From The World=By Chuck Baldwin

Recently, pollster George Barna released his research regarding the
beliefs and conduct of today's Christians. The results are shocking!
According to Barna, only 9% of America's born again Christians have a
Biblical worldview. Only 9%!

To determine a Biblical worldview, Barna used the following 8 point
criteria:

Believing that absolute moral truths exist.
Such truths are defined by the Bible.
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.
God is all-knowing, all-powerful Creator and still rules today.
Salvation is a gift of God and cannot be earned.
Christians have a responsibility to share their faith in Christ.
Satan is real.
The Bible is accurate in all its teachings.
As any real Christian can see, these 8 points comprise basic Biblical
truth. To think that more than 90% of born again Christians would deny
any one of these fundamental truths suggests that the vast majority of
professing Christians today have no clue as to what being a Christian
really means.

As a result, the obvious question that must be asked is, "What in the
world are our pastors and church leaders teaching their congregations?"
It would appear that whatever they are teaching, it isn't the Bible!

Barna's research gets even more disturbing. His survey reveals that
only 3% of Christian parents include the salvation of their children in
the list of critical parental emphasis. What?? Does this mean that 97%
of America's Christian parents really don't think it "critical" that
their own children go to heaven?

At the same time, 39% of America's Christian parents believe it is
"critical" that their children get a good education. Compare these
sentiments with those of President Theodore Roosevelt who said, "A
thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college
education."

Barna's research also revealed that only 36% of America's Christian
parents monitor or regulate the time and quality of T.V., music, and
other media that their children were allowed to access. In addition,
45% of America's Christian parents teach their children that there are
NO moral absolutes. 43% teach their children that there are SOME moral
absolutes.

George Barna summarized his findings by saying, "Faith makes very
little difference in their [Christians] lives : believers do not train
their children to think or act differently [from the world]. It's no
wonder that they [Christian children] grow up to be just as involved in
gambling, excessive drinking, and any other unbiblical behavior as
everyone else."

The problem with America's Christianity today is that, for the most
part, it doesn't exist! What passes for Christianity is instead an
anemic, spineless, diluted substitute without convictions or principle.

No wonder so many unbelievers see nothing in the church that would draw
them to a life-transforming faith in Christ. No wonder so many
political leaders ignore the church. No wonder that despite some
300,000 evangelical churches, scores and hundreds of television and
radio ministries, and millions of professing Christians, our nation is
still on a collision course with calamity!

What America needs is real Christianity! The kind of Christianity that
changed the course of his tory. The kind of Christianity that changed
the face of Europe. The kind of Christianity that propelled the
Pilgrims, Puritans, and Patriots to shake off the bands of tyranny and
establish this great country called America.

Christianity of old quenched the flames of oppression, lit the fires of
freedom, and led two continents out of the darkness of paganism.
Today's Christianity is known for bingo games, softball leagues, and
milquetoast preachers. Christianity of old toppled the Roman Empire.
Today's Christianity cannot even rid the nation of legal abortion.

George Barna's research suggests that the real mission field may not be
in heathen lands across the seas but in America's churches right here
at home!

© Chuck Baldwin