I often lament the lack of morality in the country, citing the Freedom from Religion group; the assault on Biblical standards of sex and marriage; the constant lies fed to us by the media and the Democratic Party who find political expediency more important than the truth; the attempt by the left to force Christians and Jews into behaviors that violate their beliefs; the push, even by some deluded Christians to “accept” everyone’s behavior by “not judging,” no matter how contrary those behaviors are to the teachings of Jesus. We are truly living in an apostate world, but alas, it is one partly of our own making.
When I was growing up, our schools still taught morality, right and wrong. It was still permissible to pray in schools, to have Bibles in school, to write essays in which you quoted scripture. I even gave a persuasive speech in college on Biblical proof that Jesus is the Son of God. I convinced most of the class that I was correct and the rest that I might be right, and got an A on the speech. I fear that anyone trying that today would be met with jeers and an F.
From the time I was small, I remember getting up on Sunday mornings to go to Sunday School and church, coming home for an afternoon of rest, and then it was back to church for the evening service. Wednesday night was always Bible Study, a more informal, in-depth look at a passage of scripture. Thursday night was choir practice, and summers were filled with Bible camp and Vacation Bible School for the kids.
But oh, how life has changed! Now parents spend their evenings and often their weekends, as well, chauffeuring their kids to soccer, cheerleading, basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, dance, gymnastics, band and drama practice. One of our sons, with an 8th grade girl and an 11th grade boy, spent their winter with four or five games to attend each week with barely a week’s break between sports seasons. They still manage to fit in church, but many of their contemporaries do not. After a week of running, the idea of sleeping in on Sunday morning becomes oh, so seductive! As for Sunday night services? Many churches, like our own, have had to abandon them and Wednesday night as well because people simply don’t attend. Attendance in many churches is way down and myriads of small churches have had to close their doors. Where our parents said: “Sunday night? Can’t come, we have church. Wednesday? Oh, no, that is Bible study! Thursday? Sorry, that’s choir practice.” Many Christians now say, “Sunday night church? Sorry, have to get ready for the week. Wednesday? Nope. Kids have soccer practice. Choir practice? Well, okay, if nothing else comes up.” We are no longer committed to God. We have become a nation of “Christians” who have no time for Christ!
In a recent blog about the Democratic Party which now leans ever more to the left, I quoted a passage from 2 Timothy 3. In verse 5 of that letter, Paul, talking about the perilous times of the last days, writes about those who will be around “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:” And he continues, “from such turn away.” Unfortunately, keeping away from such people might be difficult since his words here apply to many of us! How much time in our busy weeks do we allot to God?? Do we really believe that God answers prayers? If the Bible says that God created the world, do we really believe it? If the Bible says that practicing homosexuality is a sin, do we believe that as well, or do we ignore the issue rather than be labeled a homophobe by the ungodly? If one of the Ten Commandments says “Thou shalt not commit adultery” do we live by that rule, or do we, as many so-called experts argue, begin to “rethink adultery?” Do we make sure that we are in church on Sunday mornings? Or is church where we go when nothing else interferes? The Bible teaches strongly against pre-marital sex, but living with your boyfriend or girlfriend is widely accepted in society and even in Christian families as well. Many of us have lost our witness in the world.
My husband tells the story of a long time resident of a small town where he preached who had never darkened the door of the church. Suddenly, one Sunday morning he appeared. Russ was astonished to hear him explain that for many years he had watched his neighbor, Sunday after Sunday, pull out of his driveway and head off to church. Rain or snow, his neighbor went to church and his dedication to God impressed the man. He finally decided that if God could earn such faithfulness from his neighbor, perhaps he, too, should give God a chance. Unfortunately, the lack of constancy to God and the Church demonstrated by many “Christians” today has become so visible to the world that unbelievers no longer find anything compelling about Christianity. If we don’t find worshipping God important, why should they?
If we no longer follow the teachings of the Bible and the words of Jesus, how can we expect to find approval from God? The answer is, of course, that many of us view God as a sort of nebulous Being somewhere up in the sky who has no real bearing on our daily lives, and is, after all, a God of love, and therefore will be understanding and forgiving of all of our shortcomings. They do not believe any more in a God of judgment. Those Christians do not really believe that one day they will have to answer for their actions. They have no fear. They do not view God with the same awe with which they might view the President, the Queen of England, the Pope, or even a Hollywood star. Those “Christians” are in for a shock.
Jesus said to His followers, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). If Christians are no longer committed to God, to His teachings, and to the Church, who then shall be the moral guides of this country? Why then should we be shocked at the sin that swirls about us? We are to be those who stand against Satan and the evil that he spreads, but we can only do so if we ourselves are grounded in the Faith and courageously stand resolute again evil. And when we do not do that, we see wickedness spread, even as it is now spreading. We must once again become constant to the Church; refreshing our spirits weekly with the preached Word and the fellowship of other believers; believing what the Bible teaches, even if it is politically incorrect; taking an active role in our local churches; using every talent that God has endowed us with rather than burying them in the ground. Then and only then will we again be the salt of the earth. Let us take warning from Paul who said, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Let us renew our commitment to God and to the Church, lest we remain among those who have a “form of godliness” but deny “the power thereof!”