And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Christianity hails from a strong and proud heritage. Early Christians faced danger on many different fronts. They faced danger from angry Jews who wanted to stone them for blasphemy. They faced dangers from highwaymen and robbers. Being eaten alive was a very real possibility if they encountered a lion or tiger. And they faced persecution or death from the Romans, includign being thrown to wild beasts for the entertainment of the Roman masses. Emperor Nero was fond of dipping Christians in pitch and impaling them on poles to use as torches for his evening parties.
We come from a hearty stock. We have the same message to teach others about Christ, that Jesus gave the Apostles nearly 2000 years ago. It has not been changed. It has not been amended. We are failing to follow our own Biblical mission statement. Political correctness has weakened our message. We have placed the wishes of men over the commandments of a Holy, Righteous God. And, look quickly, the cows have come home.
Christianity is failing for a number of reasons. The first can be seen when you, Christian, stand in front of a mirror. I see the same reasons when I look into a mirror. It is our utter hypocrisy. Every time we do something that violates God's Law, we weaken the Gospel. We become hypocrites. And there is no better way to drive someone from Christianity than hypocrisy.
We weaken the Gospel when we fail to remember the poor. Jesus did not tell us to be misers with the riches he blesses us with. Instead, we are told that you cannot out-give God, and to stor our treasures in Heaven, where thieves can't break in, and rust and moth can't destroy.
Christians are doing a lot of good in a lot of places. Many brave men and women risk their lives for the Gospel every day. They do this in some of the most dangerous places in the world. Along with witnessing, they teach farming, hygiene, and water purification. But here at home, Christianity is failing. When we are disobediend to God, we lose our moral authority to lecture others. When we give in to ur base instincts, we are fitting right into Hollywood's tired caricature of Christians. We need to fit into God's idea of a Christian is.
We are failing not because we are not doing some good, but because we have the potential to do so much more. We are failing when we don't take back our full faith from the political correctness crowd. We are failing when we disobey God and become hypocrites. For hypocrisy simply gives an excuse to those who never intended to follow Jesus in the first place. We need personal revivals that start in our hearts and souls, and quickly move into churches. We need a revival of the Holy Spirit that filled those first believers. We need all this, because Christianity in Americ a is failing.
Copyright 2007 Timothy E. Davis