Something to think about
As Christians renounce their faith
“A
farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some
fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the
plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,w
sixty or thirty times what was sown.”x [1]
I am not all surprised to see some prominent people on
social media claiming now that they are losing their faith. Nothing really
surprises me on social media anymore. I wonder why that is? Anyways, I theorize
that it comes down to the charismatic, Pentecostal nature of the modern church.
Everyone in attendance at a ‘modern’ church today is looking for an experience,
with multimedia displays, concert like worship, and flashy emotional pastors, it
really is not a mystery.
I’m sure a few people out there believe like I do, that in
the attempt to make church relevant to the modern person with the loud music,
flashy design, social media outreach, that the meaning of church has been lost.
The proof is in the headlines as pastors, writers, composers and a few others
have been very vocal on their losing their faith.
Well, I’m here to point out the obvious; they didn’t have
faith to begin with. At least they didn’t have a well-grounded faith that would
stand the test of time and infliction.
There is a reason I started with Matthew 13:3, the parable of the sower.
In that parable the sower is casting out seed, we see some hits the hard path,
and is devoured by birds. Some is cast in shallow, rocky soil, sprouts fast but
the sun burns it away. While other seed is cast in thorns and eventually chocked
out. Only the seed cast on good soil takes root and flourishes. Many in the
modern church fall into the second and third category.
Attendees in the modern church walk into a compelling and
easy environment full of fun branding, coffee shops, and swag merchandise. They
sit in comfortable seats, listening to loud catchy rock like music that repeat easy
to learn phrases in snappy tunes. The pastors then come out and give feel good
messages about what ones life can look like while attending church. Not very
often are the hard issues dealt with; and when they are they are based on faith
and promises of an easier life later on.
Today’s churches are based on worship. It’s the main focus,
with some churches dedicating almost half their time with it.
Now, I’m not arguing against worship time. It can reach
people on an emotional level, and be very beneficial to the growth of a church.
It’s a fact of life that a church is either growing or dying. I’ve attended a
few churches that were obviously dying. They were going through the services,
with all the above elements, with a dozen or less attendees. Not really saying
anything, but begging for members to bringing new people in. I’ve also been in
churches that had all the elements, with every seat filled, that still didn’t
get the reason for church.
“All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.e 19 Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations,f baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,g 20 and
teachingh
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with youi
always, to the very end of the age.”j [2]
Why Church?
Jesus gave the commission of the church later in Matthew
28:18-20 to go out and make disciples, baptize them in the trinity, and teach
them to obey everything he had commanded. Later on the church took on the roll
of community center, taking care of those in a community that could not help
themselves, and holding it’s members accountable. While what the church turned
into was a good idea, it eventually strayed away from its original commission.
In fact the church in many cases became a corporation. An entity that was more
concerned with membership, bottom lines, and branding; than the finding of
disciples, baptisms, and teaching.
Can the church still be relevant in our lives? Simply, yes.
The church is still very important, while the corporate side of large church
buildings is doing what it must to survive, the heart and soul of church is in
homes, small groups, and peer to peer instruction. God is still relevant; his
commission still stands “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age.”
What now?
How do we hold the leaders of our churches accountable? We
need to simply talk with them, remind them what the purpose of the church is,
volunteer, hold small groups, and just live lives that display the core beliefs
of Christ’s commission. A person should never have to tell anyone they are a
Christian, it should be obvious! Faith is never lost if it falls on good soil,
is tended too, and cultivated properly. We can all rest on that truth.
I’m sure in the years to come, we will see a lot more people
make public statements that they lost their faith, left the church, and turned
to alternative concepts, those are people who simply were not serious about
their ideas, they followed feelings, were blinded by cool swag, trendy songs,
and fresh aesthetics. Church is much simpler, but a lot more profound than
anything a modern worship church can offer. At least that’s my thought.
e Da 7:13, 14; Lk 10:22; Jn 3:35; See 13:13; 17:2; 1 Co
15:27; Eph 1:20–22; Php 2:9, 10
f Isa 49:6; Mk 16:15, 16; Lk 24:47; Ac 1:8; 14:21
g Ac 1:8; 2:38; 8:16; Ro 6:3, 4; Gal 3:27; Col 2:12
i Dt 31:6; 1 Ki 8:57; Hag 1:13; Mt 18:20; Ac 18:10
