Is this what Church is supposed to be?

On the news this week they had a poll that said 3.4% of Americans are LGBT. (And before some of you get all hot headed and red faced...this is not about people's lifestyle choices. Just keep reading to see my point). I was shocked at the number being so small because they have such a loud voice in American politics and policies.

3.4%

That is such a small number. So then I wanted to see what the percentage of Christians in America is.

78% (according to NPR).

LOL!!! Literally....that number made me laugh.

I am completely shocked and at the same time horrified. If that is a fact...which I assume it is, that 78% of people in America consider themselves Christian or mostly affiliated with Christian beliefs, WHAT IN THE WORLD is going on here in America?!!!!?

If only 3.4% of people are LGBT and they have such a loud voice in our culture and government, then why is a group that is 23x bigger have little to no say at all in this nation?

It's because that 78% of Americans who call themselves Christians don't have half the passion about their beliefs as that 3.4%.

That's what I believe it boils down to.

So where is this passion for the God that is believed in by 78% of Americans?

Why are we not shifting our own country with this passion, that when seen and heard is so contagious!?

There is a disconnect somewhere...Our country is about 236 years old this year...and yet the country has only drifted from our foundation of faith. If even half of 78% go to church (39%)...why are we not seeing generations rise up and stand up as what God has called us to be? L.R. Shelton says, "Seemingly everybody seems to be 'born again'; but where are the fruits of the new birth?...Where is the Christ-like life?...those whom the Lord Jesus Christ is precious and a living reality?"

I'm going to step into the line of fire and say the disconnect comes in the church.

Something is going wrong in the church. If we can call it that at anymore. Now, I know this may sound harsh, but just follow me here.

Firstly I do want to say that the Bride of Christ is to be loved. I seek everyday to love the church, the bride of Christ, with all of its imperfections because Jesus Christ loved the church first. There are many churches who are the true Bride of Christ, so please know that I am not speaking of every church in America.

But what many Americans have begun to call the church, is in fact no church at all. Paul Washer  said himself, "I believe alot of churches in America are not churches." The church is meant so serve as an ignition, a fan to the flame of fervor and passion for our Savior. But instead...millions leave church every Sunday feeling no different then when they entered.

"The majority of what calls itself Christianity today is a circus. You've got a bunch of people chasing health, wealth, prosperity; chasing a good time, chasing the social club, chasing where the action's happening, chasing the good music and the good times. But few people are out there chasing God, and truly going hard after Him, and truly making the sacrifices in their life and cleaning their hands in such a way and working to have a pure heart that they might actually ascend that hill of the Lord and they might actually commune with God in a way that few people do and few people know about." ~ Tim Conway

It breaks my heart, but it is what I have begun to see. Charles Spurgeon's prophecy has become largely true, "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats." - Spurgeon (TruthSource)

How did this happen? How did this happen when we were on watch? My heart literally aches to think that while I have been on watch, in the church, for 23 years, this has happened.

I feel like David when Goliath was running his mouth about the Living God. Davide stood in shock amongst the Israelites, saying, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:21). 

Who are these men and women coming amongst the Bride of Christ looking for fame, wealth, favor of men and ease of living? Who are they that they should dilute the Gospel of God and seek to simply entertain people? 

I do not go to church to sit in a comfortable chair, amongst pleasant well-dressed people, and get a good laugh. I go to church to be convicted and challenged in my faith, to experience the presence of God Almighty, and to feel refreshed and filled by the Word of God.

Can you only imagine the sorrow of our Savior to see what has become of many of his Bride's homes? May it not be so! May we not grieve or quench the Spirit of the Lord any longer!

But what has happened, how did this happen? 

We began to let our flesh speak over our spirit. We began to notice the nice huge churches, and all the fun things they brought into the temple. We liked convenience, and media, and tech savvy presentations. And before we knew it, we were overcome with a love for the culture in our very own church. We welcomed in the world's entertainment and pleasures, forgetting that the bride is only meant to be about Christ. 

"The early Church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity." ~ Leonard Ravenhill

My soul is devastated. We must deliver the bride from such an illness by standing up and saying church is about JESUS. I don't want to laugh at a good joke or story in church, I want to laugh with overflowing joy of the Lord. I don't want to socialize at church, unless it is with the Living God. I don't want to judge those around me at church, I want to search my own heart and repent for my own shortcomings and failures. I don't want to beg God for more, I want to thank him for his unending blessings he has already given me.

Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with jokes or stories at church, or socializing with fellow believers or asking God for things, but when it takes over the focus of Christ...then it has no place in the church.  

I want to see the Bride be the bride. Not some masked painted face joyfully loving people to hell by deception and distraction. It sounds so so harsh, but don't you see it, don't you see what is happening? We are trading the Treasure for counterfeit. 

People are believing they are truly saved, but "Most people today in our churches are lost, and they demonstrate that they are lost because their entire Christianity is nothing more than, 'They made a decision.'" ~ Paul Washer

This cannot remain so. The GOSPEL must be taught, shouted from the rooftops. People must know the TRUE Gospel, the Gospel that CHANGES people, that makes them look entirely different from the world around them. 

So what is to be done? How do we begin this shift? Pray. 

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." - James 5:16

The Lord longs infinitely more than we do to see his Bride restored. 

And love. Love the church, love them as Christ loved the prostitute who was about to be stoned, who instead was saved as Jesus said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).

Cast no judgement or hatred towards those who are wolves. But rather love them to Heaven. Speak truth, yet know that you will be opposed even by those in the church. Speak the truth, and SEEK THE LORD. 

"Watch that you do not lose your own spirituality while trying to make others spiritual. The great point is to live near to God." - Spurgeon

In the end, we are not here to save the lost, or rescue the dying. We are here to glorify our God, Jesus Christ. HE is the Great Rescuer. The Great Healer. When you draw near to him, and grow in your relationship with Him...THAT is when you will see the heavenly realm shift. He is once again RISING UP the ARMY of the LORD. And as you rise you SHINE. And that is the light that others notice. That is the light that sparks Life, and brings them to ask life of the Living God. 

My prayer is that from this blog post what you take away is an awareness and an awakened fervor for the Lord. I want to see God's children step out of the shadows of complacent sleep, and say "No more." To stand up and say, "I will no longer settle for counterfeit gospel. I want to know the TRUTH, the GOSPEL, JESUS CHRIST." To shout from the rooftops the goodness of our God, and be a voice in the wilderness shining forth God's holy passion for his people.

Let us pray for a revival of the Gospel, the True Gospel. People are hungry for the Real Jesus. May you be blessed in your journey to know God more and more everyday. He is faithful to redeem and restore, for he is Love.

(I welcome your thoughts or questions about this topic or on any other that presses on your heart.)