From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins — 5 — The challenges of today's church are many and it is difficult to
define which are the most ominous. But from my years of working with the church, I would
say that its greatest malady usually boils down to two chronic impediments, with which
pastors and church leaders continually strive to overcome. (1) Compromise with the standards of the world. Unfortunately, the
modern American church seems to have been more influenced by society, rather than society
being affected by the church. Recent Gallup polls show a majority of Americans profess to
be Christians, but the general spiritual condition of our nation has never been worse. The
fact is, although many churches have concentrated on techniques of getting people in the
doors, they have not always been as successful in improving their spiritual condition. The
Apostle Paul said, "...beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). There is a widespread deficiency in the basic elements of Christian
character, ethics and morality. In contrast to past generations, recent counseling
statistics show that the ratio of moral dysfunctions among professing Christians closely
parallel that of secular society. Domestic violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual
immorality and promiscuity are commonly found within the churchgoing populace. In the
1980's, the Christian divorce rate reached the same deplorable level as that of secular
marriages — today more than 50% of all marriages, including those of professing
Christians, result in dissolution. Today's pulpits are virtually silent on the issue of
"sin." The church has become more and more like the world. It has sought to be
popular and acceptable to society, and in doing so, it has compromised its standards of
morality and holiness. The scripture warns, "Do not love the world or the things in
the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John
2:15). (2) Apathy toward its mission in the world. By and large, the modern
church world has become mostly occupied with what God can do for them, rather than
remembering their mission to reach the lost for Christ. We live in a very self-centered
society, and rarely do we see churches and believers laying aside their selfish interests
to serve the Lord's interests. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times
will come: For men will be lovers of themselves... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God" (2 Tim. 3:1,4). The scriptures make it very clear that it is the duty of every
Christian to take on the task of helping to bring people to the saving message of Christ
(2 Cor. 5:17-18). But unfortunately, the statistics show that only a tiny percentage of
Christians ever attempt to share their faith with others. This apathy is inexcusable and
has contributed to the woes of our society, which can only be remedied by the new birth of
Christ in the hearts of sinful men and women. "...if our gospel is veiled, it is
veiled to those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 4:3). This article is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.You may download for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain published quantities of this title, email us. |
 |
|
If you liked this article, you’ll really love the whole book! |