The Shrinking Church

The changing landscape of Christianity in America is creating some alarming statistical anomalies. For example, the numbers of those who would classify themselves as a part of the Christian “religion” continue to grow in America. Many identify as Christians simply due to the fact that they were born and grew up in what has been called a “Christian” nation. But this anomaly is one that simply isn’t true.

Here are some interesting statistics. Nearly nine in ten Americans (88%) actually own a copy of the Scriptures. 80% of people surveyed identify the Bible as sacred literature. However, we continue to see the morality of our culture in rapid decline. Why is this? I believe that it is because while many own a copy of the Scriptures and believe it to be sacred, very few actually read it and even fewer actually follow it.

Here’s the point. Our churches are in decline…there’s no way around that. Oh, your attendance may be up, you may have lots of programs and people are wlaking through your doors day in and day out, but what is the real impact of what you are doing? Are you touching people where they live? Are we really ministering to people where their needs are, or only where we believe them to be?

I want to challenge you today, believer, to pray and ask God these questions: “Lord, how can I make my faith active in my community? How can touch the lives of those around me so that they would be drawn to You? And how can most effectively stand for truth in the midst of a culture bent on crowding You out?”

When we honestly and faithfully answer these questions, we will see that God’s desire for us is more than just calling ourselves “Christian.” He wants to actually be like Christ. No more role-playing, but actual living, breathing, authentic Christianity. And I promise you, that when these things become the common way of thinking within the church, we are going to see God move in mighty ways to bring the lost back to Himself.

I hope you take the time to pray those questions today, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Rescue Work

I want to take some of your time as you read this blog post, to expand on an idea that I had mentioned in my sermon yesterday. This idea can be summed up by this question: “For all we as the Church in America call for the end of abortion, what can we practically do that will honestly and compassionately minister to mothers, their unborn babies, and the fathers that are sometimes forgotten?”

This question is a hard one for us to answer, but let me give you a few things to think about as we consider this. First, couldn’t we, as local churches, partner with local crisis pregnancy centers to minister to women who are considering abortion, or who find themselves in an unwanted pregnancy? What if God were to raise up families who said, “We will take the pregnant mom into our home, care for her, feed her, make sure she gets her prenatal care, mentor, coach and encourage her as she goes through this time in her life.”? Do you think that if we, as a church, were known for this that more people would come to us to find answers?

Another idea is that the church be a place where we champion those who are willing to adopt children of unwanted pregnancies. If we were to have homes that were willing and able to not only support and nurture the baby after birth, but also to help support and nurture the moms who carry these children before and after birth.

What would these things look like? To be honest, I have no idea, but I feel strongly that the church should be leading this charge. We need to be proactive and not reactive as we have been.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to send me an email with your comments to jim.augustine1970@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 5

Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

Then they also will answer, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?”

Then he will answer them, saying, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

And these will go away into eternal punishment, bu the righteous into eternal life.

Jesus and the Least

In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the end of the age and the final judgment of the world. In this, His final “parable,” He speaks of the Son of Man (Jesus’ favorite name for Himself) separating the nations before Him as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

One of the most interesting things that Jesus says to these people is that their outcome (whether or not they get to enter into heaven) is based solely on what they did or did not do to the “least of these.” He is telling these people whatever you did or didn’t do to the most vulnerable and weakest among you, you did (or didn’t do) to me. Jesus is saying here that He is the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

Now just as a point of clarification, I do not believe that Jesus is teaching here that the acts done in the body in any way determine our worth to enter into heaven. I can see how at first blush this might be saying that to some. But one of the things that we need to take into consideration when studying the Bible is what the whole of Scripture teaches. The whole of Scripture teaches us that we gain entrance into heaven based solely on what Jesus has already done on the cross and in rising from the dead…not one what we do. So this cannot be what Jesus is telling us.

Instead, I strongly and most definitely believe that Jesus is teaching us that the way we treat the “least” is a direct reflection on our love for Him. And our love for Him grows out of our faith. You see, we are not saved by what we do, but it is the evidence that our faith is alive and active…thus making us fit for heaven.

So here’s the question we need to ask ourselves today: “What am I doing to help the least? What I am doing to save those who are weak and vulnerable among me? What I am doing to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to welcome the stranger, to visit the sick, to go to those in prison, to rescue the orphan and widow, to be the kind of person that God has called me to be?”

It’s a hard question to answer, and I don’t think that God is calling us to be all of these things all of the time. But I do think that we miss His call sometimes because in our fast-paced society, we are just too busy to help. Perhaps it is time for us to just slow down, take a deep breath, and look for the open doors around us.

Think about it, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

The Vox Project

What do you think would happen if the church finally stood up to her calling and, instead of looking down our noses at those who are suffering from a bad choice, decided to help those people through that choice and help them find peace and find wholeness and find God?

This is the question behind The Vox Project, a ministry whose stated purpose is to “[break] the silence for the silenced, and [speak] up for the weakest and most vulnerable among us.” Their aim is to “be a catalyst, spreading awareness and propelling the people of God to action through creative and innovative means.”

This group is seeking to not necessarily end abortion, but to help the church become more compassionate to those who find themselves trapped in a tough situation. It is seeking to help the church rescue not only the unborn, but the mothers considering this decision in their lives.

Here’s a video about the movement…

As Sanctity of Human Life Month comes to a close, let us seek ways in which we might be a voice (Vox is Latin for “voice”) for the unborn, for the mother trapped in a bad situation, and for those who find themselves discarded and unwanted.

Pray about it today…and we’ll see you on Sunday! 

Another Quick Note

Okay, everyone. I'm feeling better and plan to blog like a madman today. I should be back up and running starting tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Pastor Jim

A Quick Note

Due to a sickness, I am unable to post this week. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope to have posts resume by Monday, January 23rd. Thanks.

Pastor Jim