I heard the other day on TV, Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort said that according to statistics 62% of Americans profess to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.
In another study, 91% of Americans admit to lying on a regular basis. What is wrong with this picture?
A Barna Research Group revealed from a study that born again Christians are more likely to go through a marital split than non Christians.
We have probably all heard people say, when being testified to, that there is no reason to get saved; the people in Churches are just like the people outside the Church.
Dr. D. James Kennedy said:
“The vast majority of people who are members of Churches in America today are not Christians. I say that without the slightest fear of contradiction. I base it on empirical evidence of twenty-four years of examining thousands of people.”
Is this stuff true? I think it likely is.
Why?
Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort continued to go on explaining that they believe people are experiencing false conversions! In other words these people were not really sorry for their sins and had not really sought God with a penitent heart, feeling genuinely sorry for their sins.
There no doubt is some truth to this, but I believe there is something else which was not mentioned on the show which is also a serious problem.
Many Christians are allowing their faith to slide over into other things, other than Christ. It’s not in any wise intentional; they are not deliberately trying to have faith in other things. In fact if you were to ask them, most people would deny whole heartedly that they are having faith in something other than Christ.
However; even though these Christians are in no way intending to move their faith over to something else, this is still what is happening, in many cases.
Actually most Christians are intending to serve the Lord as best they can (at least I would like to think they are). The problem is: As they try to serve the Lord, the Devil will tell them first that they are not good enough to perform what ever type of service they have been led into. Then, if that doesn’t work (and many times it will not because the Christian will be very sincere and wants to serve God as best he can, because he desires to show his love for God. So the Christian will continue doing what he believes God wants him to do), next the Devil will pat him on the back and say, “Ya, you are good at this, keep it up. Everyone will soon know just how good of a Christian you really are when they see how well you are performing this ministry which the Lord has given you.”
The more the Christian does, the more the Devil tells him how great he is.
After a while the Christian starts, “Believing his own press” so to speak. And soon after that the Christian begins to get a sense of his self accomplishment and feels like he now obviously has an even BETTER STANDING with the Lord (we cannot produce a better standing with God. The only standing we have with God is through what Christ accomplished on the Cross. There is no better standing produced by whatever work we may do for the Lord).
At that very moment this Christian has put faith in something other than Christ. And this faith in the wrong thing will abrogate the Grace of God.
These Christians are not trying to do wrong. They are trying to serve the Lord.
The problem is, we cannot serve the Lord as he wishes and trust in ANYTHING which is not Jesus Christ. That trust, in the wrong thing will allow the Devil to lead a Christian down the primrose path, with them thinking everything is fine. The Devil will tell them it is fine, but it is not.
They will soon find themselves wondering why they have not noticed the moving of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They will begin to think, “I’m doing a work for God; so why do I not feel close to God.”
As time goes by they will see themselves drifting inexplicably, farther and farther from the Lord.
Some of these Christians will continue trying as best they can to serve the Lord, with the belief that they are not really intended to walk in close communion with God (many believe that feeling close to the Lord or a move of the Holy Spirit, only happens on rare occasions).
Others will, because of their lack of communion with the Lord, eventually drift away from even a pretence of living for God.
God help us!!
All of us need to trust in the Blood of Christ every day. This is not a one time down the isle of a Church to get saved and then never think about what Christ has done for us ever after. Not even only on Sundays. This life with Christ takes place seven days a week, and every hour we live.
I know this is an unpopular message to preach and teach to our congregations. The prevalent thought seems to be, “But we need to have these Christians in our congregations working in the Church. There are numerous things which simply must be done in the day to day operation of a Church.
This is true. And the work that needs to be done, should be done, and will be done, even without the Christian being sidetracked; IF THAT CHRISTIAN WILL THANK THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR HIS SALVATION, EVERYDAY. Then he will still want to serve the Lord but his Faith will become more centered on Christ each and every day.
The thing to remember I believe is that these Christians in the Church who are “sorta hangen in there,” doing what they think the Lord wants them to; even though they are not living a Victorious life, “REALLY DO WANT TO SERVE THE LORD”.
So when it is explained to them how they may be missing it, most of them will jump at the chance to get on the path which the Holy Spirit is providing for them, as soon as possible.
After all without a complete and singular trust in Christ for Redemption, Righteousness, and Sanctification, the Holy Spirit will not do much in a persons life.
However, when the Christian realizes what has been going on and starts putting his Faith exclusively in Christ, he will discover the Holy Spirit working on a continual basis throughout his life.
I am always remembering, that even after we are saved, WE NEED THE SAVIOR EVERYDAY; even for the rest of our lives.
May the Merciful Lord of all Blessings, Bless you always.
Dennis
www.geocities.com/itsallinchrist
