In Jeremiah Chapter two the prophet Jeremiah outlined for us the 4 stages of national decline. Dr. Ravi Zechariahs an international Christian Apologist identified these 4 stages of national decline as Ancestral disappointment, Prophetic duplicity, National desertion and personal disavowal. To a varying degree we have seen all 4 stages of decline take place in our society.
For some reason the past generation have failed to not only preserve the heritage they received from their fathers, but they have also failed to pass it on to us their children. The church is no exception. Widespread duplicity characterized the church, with “men of God” living contrary to their commission and public profession. The very people whose responsibility it is to uphold the word of God for us all to see are now relegating the word of God to the background. As a result the nation has lost its soul. Departing from the path of righteousness and true godly values. Individuals are rejecting the very faith that laid the foundation our society. No wonder the moral and ethical fabric of our society is collapsing.
The situation we find ourselves, as a society would not have been so pathetic if the church of the living God was not involved. But unfortunately the salt and light of the world, the bride of Christ is neck deep in worldliness that there is no difference between the church and the world. As a result the positive influence that the church is supposed to have on the society is lost. The body of Christ looks so much like the world that it has relegated itself to the backbench. The church in our culture is thus irrelevant in the scheme of things. To demonstrate the church’s level of irrelevance, assume that you are watching a talk show where a lawyer, doctor, accountant, a college professor, a politician, a movie star and a preacher are asked to comment on an issue of national importance, whose opinion do you think is of least value to the panel, the talk show host and the general public? Whose? You guess it….
In 2 Cor. 6:17 the bible tells us wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. For some unknown reason the church has been deceived into believing that the only way to reach the world is to be like the world. Nothing can be far from the truth. All through the bible the common theme is that the people of God must be separate form the world. Our strength as God’s people lies in our unwillingness to be defiled by the corruptions that is in the world. John the Beloved wrote in 1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Which aspect of this passage is so difficult to understand?
It is time for the Church of the living God to get its acts together. It is time we begin to engage the culture we live in with the truth of the Gospel of our lord Jesus Christ by following the example of the prodigal son. The prodigal son woke up on day and come to his senses. The bible says he came to himself, he realized he has been living a lie, he realized he needed to get right with his father thus he instituted
1. A transition from selfishness to selflessness
2. A transition from ‘give me” to “make me”
3. A transition from claiming my rights to appreciating my privileges.
We need these transitions in the body of Christ, if we are ever going to reach the world for our savoir. We need this transitions of we are ever going to communicate the saving grace to the multitudes who have bought the lies of secular humanist. Most importantly we need this transition if we who profess to be Christians are going to deliver our soul from the judgment and destruction that is coming the children of disobedience. The prodigal son was able to make the transition because
1. He was convinced of the fathers love. God loves sinners
2. He was convinced of the father’s character. God hates sin.
3. He was convinced of the father’s response. God welcomes repentant sinners.
The church of God in our society will continue to be irrelevant until we as the people of God are ready to make the transition. The question is, are we willing to make the transition as individuals? Souls are dying; many are deceived daily in our society. The solution for our depraved culture is not economic, political or social reform. The solution is individual rebirth through the blood of Christ. A transition from worldly living to godly living. The question once again is, are we willing to make the transition needed to truly impact this generation for Christ?
