Has Your Chewing Gum Lost Its Flavor?

As I was reading the article in this issue from George Barna, there were several things that he said that rang an immediate bell of agreement with me. While they are hard to be said, they are things that MUST be said...for if they are not, then I fear that the Body of Christ, HIS Church, in this country is in imminent danger of being treated like He warned the Laodiceans that He would do.

First, Barna said "Christianity is not having anywhere near the impact in our society that it could if those who are its adherents were to practice the fundamental principles of the faith on a 24-7 basis."

We certainly don't need to look far, or even deeply, to see the absolute truth of those words. On even the most basic levels of our society, we can see the degradation and elimination of essential aspects of our humanity. No one's word means anything anymore. Where once upon a time, contracts and deals were made with a shake of the hand, and the honor of the individuals making the deals was paramount, it is no longer unusual to see people saying anything to anyone for no purpose other than to make a buck, or gain an advantage. And the words are said with no intention of holding up their end of the bargain. Our society has essentially become a society of liars.

In business, it has become "de rigeur" to see how well the books can be cooked, or how much wool can be pulled over the investors/stockholders eyes, and "warranties" or guarantees have become useless pieces of paper with no value. It does no good whatsoever to say to yourself, "well, that's the other guy...they can't be Christian". Look again...the people who are doing this are not just the CEO's of Enron, they are the owners of your corner businesses, your neighbors, your fellow pew sitters. You know them. And, truth be said, if you look carefully in the mirror... The Barna research continues with "Specifically, Barna indicated that both churches and the Christian faith are perceived to have little influence in America because there is limited evidence that people's lives are any different as a result of their faith."

Read that again. "...there is LIMITED EVIDENCE that people's lives are any different as a result of their faith." Didn't the Apostle Paul write about Christians being "new", that "the old has passed away"? What does that say about the Church? It says that those who CLAIM to belong to Christ DO NOT live the life that He has told us to live. Jesus said "let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay", or put another way....tell the truth, and honor what you say you will do.

Christians are supposed to be people of faith. Didn¹t God say "without faith, it is impossible to please Him?" Didn't He also say that we "live by faith, and not by sight?" Then where is that expression of faith? Faith is not something that is just spoken, or said, and then forgotten. It is something that is lived, it is something that is done...it is LIFE itself! In Hebrews 11 we read the words "Now, faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things unseen". The Christian has faith that they are saved, and hope they will go to heaven. But do we give that faith, that hope, SUBSTANCE in our daily lives? Do we live as if we really did hope? And do we stand ready to "give account of the hope that lies within us?" Christians have a mental image of heaven, even though we can¹t see it. Do we present EVIDENCE in the way we live that we truly are not citizens of this earth, but of a HEAVENLY REALM? Is the evidence of our daily lives what it is supposed to be to make that evidence real and tangible in the life of someone else who has no hope?

Indeed, the Church in America today is exactly like the Church of Laodicea....fat, self-satisfied, replete and glutted with self-serving interests, unthankful to the Lord God who has provided them with so much, unthankful to each other, and interested in nothing more than having a good social, an outstanding meal, and a tear-jerking, knee-slapping singing. Oh...and don't forget the value of the buildings and grounds, the number of "ministries" that we offer, and the "solidity" of our bank accounts. We must be good stewards!

Barna says the path back to righteousness is not easy - "it takes a serious commitment of time and mental energy".

Well....duh! Being a Christian DOES take a serious commitment....one in the heart, one of truth, one of love and gratitude, and a DETERMINATION to be what Jesus commanded us to be...the salt and light of the earth.

It's time to wake up, Church. Before it's too late.

"If the salt has lost it's savor, what is it good for?"