Proverbs 11:30-31 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. 31 If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
If I were to say that the Christian Church of whatever denomination is on the brink of collapse, would my words be viewed as a warning or a sidenote on page twelve of a village newspaper? I had to wonder at the refrigerated reception of such a pronouncement, since even here at my ministry's office, there are people who don't see the crumbling of large sections of what used to be a vibrant Body! We've seen entire national groups, throughout the western hemisphere, decide to change hundreds of years of Biblical teaching to include gays as part of the pastoral staff, while splinter politics consume dozens of others.
As I note through my reading of the news on dozens of internet outlets, that hundreds of thousands of Christians have been martyred throughout the mideast, the Church is getting stronger, not here in the US, but in China where brutal repression has been coming down hard on congregations and pastors, while the church there grows by explosive force! The Church in Iran is now more than 25 million strong! The regime is unable to stamp it out, though they imprison leaders regularly!
The church here where large swaths of the US can still publicly speak is dying of complacency. Again, the statistic of the number of churches closing in this country was in the thousands during one of our broadcasts. That rate has been consistent now for the last decade! There is great alarm among leaders that pastors are resigning at the rate of more than a thousand a month! The persecution reported by them is more than they can bear! The difference between the apostles of the first century Church and the average Christian of the 21st Century may be the lack of two things...personal daily prayer and study of God's Word. Is the Body in our nation, Church-lite?
Rod Dreher spoke to a packed house at the National Press Club after publishing his latest analysis of Christianity, the Benedict Option, a pamphlet of rules written by Pope Benedict. “It’s not the world, but a world that is coming to an end,” Pope Benedict XVI’s statement that we are living through a period of disruption comparable to (or “the greatest spiritual crisis since”) the fall of the Roman Empire.
I faced this myself in our little family, when we discussed getting a replacement for our old Suburban, which has served us well as a carrier of luggage, people, and construction parts when we repair our home. It's odometer reads more than 190 thousand miles and I'd considered updating the vehicle, which would require us taking on a large loan payment. My kids said, "Dad, we really don't need a newer car. It's dry inside, it runs well, and our mechanic keeps it in good condition!"
Living with contentment is part of the Christian life, and though the car isnn't new, it takes care of our family's needs quite well! And Alistair Begg frequently reminds us without knowing Benedict's writing, that the contents of that pamphlet are on target, and Christians better seek their knees while there is time!
Lord, may the eyes which read this little devotional respond with the heart strings of desire for God!
