Christians used to be a valuable part of the social fabric in each and every community in our nation. In 1960, the leaders in the church had to approve and sign off on the content of movies. Can you imagine that today? As recently as just 20 years ago, there was certain speech that was simply not tolerated due to the salt and the light the church was in our society. Profanity, pornography, and all other behaviors were not considered an “alternative”, but a depraved and aberrant lifestyle. In a few short years, we moved from aberrant or deviant being a negative to just another alternate option. In 1970, the United States abandoned the gold standard that backed our currency, the dollar. Before that, there was a certain amount of Gold in the Federal reserve banks that backed up EVERY dollar circulating in America and the world. When the US abandoned the gold standard, the value of the dollar continued to devalue more and more. As more money is printed and circulated to cover the increase in population, the value of the dollar continues to drop. According to the US inflation calculator, something worth $20 in 1970 was worth $120 in 2013. That is 500% inflation or ⅙ the value it had in 1970.
Today, in the same style as the US dollar, the moral impact of Christians in our culture has been so devalued it is almost insignificant. In an attempt to be relevant to the culture, the church has become the culture. Matthew 5:13-16 says salt that doesn’t do it’s job is worthless and if our light is hidden it is of no value. As a leader I have have come to the horrifying conclusion that history will show that it was the introduction of “seeker sensitive” churches that brought about this devaluation of Christians and the church! In a desire to reach the lost, evangelistic leaders threw out the “baby with the bathwater.” They rejected a holy standard of values in a desire to be relevant and ended up making the church irrelevant to our culture. Our culture today is devaluing life through unfettered abortion, the institution of marriage through the removal of the nuclear family, and the importance of doing business honestly through crooked business. The church has failed to stand out and up for the truth. The church should hold up the truth as the foundation for our society. Now the church is wavering on standing up for the truth of God’s Word in the support of the institution of marriage and the rejection of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle. If this is not done, this society as we know it will soon collapse. This is not a prophecy, but true of every society before us that tolerated perversion and licentiousness: they all came to an abrupt end. …if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 15:3 If the church won’t stand up for the truth, who will? The church has to be salt and light to this world. By saying and doing nothing, we are not light and instead we participate in keeping the status quo of darkness and ignorance. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, so we are to reflect His light in us in every place we go. Our ministry must be taken out of the church box and brought out into the open in the marketplace. We must call out truth by being light! To re-establish our value, the church must visibly demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven by confronting darkness with the light of the gospel. Social work like feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, and helping the needy is essential, but there is a much greater need right now for the church to reveal God’s glory through miraculous demonstrations of His power. Signs and wonders, miracles, and demonstrations of God’s power are desperately needed to defeat the onslaught of darkness and depravity that our culture is accepting and endorsing. |
AuthorPastor Marc Lawson Archives
July 2018
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AboutThere are 168 hours in every week. The 166 Factor is the answer to the question: "Who are you the OTHER 166 hours a week when you are NOT in church?" Join the community here as we will be discussing this and other topics related to Reformation in the Church, The End of Church (As We Know It) & The 166 Lifestyle.
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