Where Has the Church Fallen Short?

A strong church is the only way to counteract the spiritual AIDS which threatens the very survival of our culture. But where did we miss the boat? Is there not enough money? Are there not enough programs? Are there not enough buildings? Are there not enough leaders?

2 Chronicles 15:3,5-6 contains the answer:

And for many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law... And in those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. And nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

Pay attention to the cause-and-effect parallel drawn in this passage. The lack of a true God, a teaching priest and law resulted in agitation, conflict, and distress. Let's take this passage apart and examine the agenda it lays out for the modern church.

Step number one: we must rediscover the true God. If we knew the true God, we would not be so willing to turn over territory to the enemy. We've handed our cities to the pimps and pushers. We've handed the reigns of leadership to corrupt politicians and bungling bureaucrats.

We claim to believe that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, but we cave in like cowards when the wind of public opinion blows in our face.

On the other hand, it is a dangerous thing to underestimate our enemy: "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

It is extremely unwise to take a lion for granted. Sure, he may look calm, peaceful... perhaps even soft and furry. But take my advice: don't stick your hand into his cage. It might not come back.

I recently discovered a fascinating bit of trivia about lions that sheds some light on our passage. A stalking lion is cunningly silent. They only roar after they have conquered their prey. Why? They're afraid of jackals -- scavenging beasts who travel in packs of ten or more. In the process of stealing the lion's prey, they can gang up on him and turn the king of the jungle into so many pounds of ground meat. The roar is meant to impress the jackals and cover up the fact that the lion is extremely vulnerable.

Satan's roar has frightened off too many Christians who have failed to realize that the devil is no match for believers who travel in packs.

It's time we set aside our fear in favor of faith. It's time the church stopped looking at the lion and realized that, with the power of Christ, we can reclaim the territory we've surrendered.

Second, the church needs a "teaching priest." Let's face it -- we're dealing with a generation of ignorant Christians. If the sheep are ignorant, there's likely to be an inept shepherd in the mix somewhere.

We must nurture a new generation of pulpiteers who believe that God has spoken and He has not stuttered. They must stand so firmly on the word of God that when they find themselves standing alone, their feet remain solidly planted in Scripture.

Too many of today's churches have traded exposition for political impact. Their list of social agenda items is admirable, but they have missed the point. God does not ride on the backs of donkeys or elephants. There is no political party that fully endorses God's agenda, though each claims to embrace parts of it. God works through His people when they commit themselves to His Word and His program.

Finally, the church must look to the revelation of God. Without some absolute standard of right and wrong, ethics and morality become matters of expediency. Rules become nothing more than opinions and can change to fit your mood.

What kind of football game would we have if players ignored the sidelines and the referee's whistle and started running through the stands to avoid being tackled? Baseball wouldn't be the same if hitters could run the bases in any order they preferred -- or skip them altogether if they chose.

In the same way, you can't rebuild communities without standards. Without a moral frame of reference, cultural crisis erupts. Like it did in decades gone by, the church needs to set the spiritual tone for the community it serves. We must demonstrate with our lifestyles and relationships that God's guidelines are both relevant and effective.

What God is looking for is a group of Christians who will not succumb to the thought patterns of this world but who will serve notice on this society: We have not come to give advice. We have come to take over.

We must train parents to pass their biblical values to their children and prepare them to resist the pressures of their peers. We must become politically, socially, and economically involved in the issues facing the broader society so that we can use our votes, influence and resources to move the culture and community to a more biblically-based posture.

Pastor John