There’s something very wrong with Christianity today. There are too many saying they believe in Jesus but living their lives as if He doesn’t exist. There are many others who at least put on a show to make it look like they love Jesus, only to revert to their true selves when no one else is watching. Our churches are filled with people proclaiming the name of Jesus every Sunday morning, but once they leave they do everything they can to hide their so-called faith. The result of this is a world that is increasingly violent and hostile. Until true believers in Jesus, people like you and me, begin to live out our calling and the mission of Christ, our world will continue to spiral downward. And we will be accountable.
Keith Green used to say that, “This generation of believers is responsible for this generation of souls.” How are we doing with that charge? If you aren’t sure what the answer is, just look around you. We are surrounded by hate, decadence, and an all out assault on all that is good, moral, and decent. People don’t believe in God. They scoff at the name of Jesus. They believe life is best when they are left to their own devices. Selfishness reigns supreme. This is the age of “it’s all about me.” Still, we gather each week, sing our songs, drink our juice, and assume everything will be okay.
The Western church is asleep at the wheel. We’ve long since drifted off the road and it is only a short matter of time before we crash and burn in a spectacular display of failure. We’re dead, with hardened hearts and unconcerned attitudes. How else do you explain the state in which we find ourselves? We have celebrity preachers and arena sized auditoriums, but we lack compassion for the outcast and zeal for those dying without Christ. The “Christian industry” is a well-oiled, highly-lucrative machine. It is everything that Jesus never intended.
If we don’t wake up, we will miss our opportunity to be the generation that took a stand and decided that building the Kingdom of God is the only purpose for living. Make no mistake, God’s Kingdom will be built; His will ultimately will be done. But if we refuse to be His hands and feet, what will He say to us when we come face to face with Him? Will He welcome us with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21)? Or will He instead sorrowfully declare, “Depart from Me, for I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23)?
I stand as guilty as the next person, but that is no excuse for inaction. Recognizing our failures does not exempt us from changing our behaviors. We can stay asleep at the wheel and dead to all that is going on around us. Or we can wake up with a renewed commitment and vigor and live the rest of our days fully alive in the love, strength, and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. The stakes could not be higher; the mission is at hand. We must choose to wither or thrive. Let us be awake and alive.