A milquetoast Christianity has infected our churches and our faith. We have been lulled to sleep by decades of compromise. What passes for Christianity today seems normal to us and no cause for alarm. Brothers and sisters, the house is on fire and everyone is sleeping through it. We do the things the world does, talk the way the world talks, and pursue the same things those without Christ pursue.
We are called to live differently from those around us, to be a sacred priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). It is obvious we are not fulfilling our call. We have surrendered the fight in favor of obtaining the things of this world and the lusts of our flesh. The worst part is, most of us are so numb we don’t even know it. The battle is lost and we are oblivious to the tragedy.
If you ever wondered what the value of reading the Old Testament is, one of its greatest gifts is to show us what happens when God’s people do not love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. For hundreds of years, the Lord sent prophets to warn the Israelites to repent and obey God. They instructed them in the way they should live and demanded the people destroy all their idols. But the kings and people of Israel refused to listen. Eventually, the Lord had enough, and He withdrew His protection and provision from the people. What a terrible day that must have been.
Fast-forward a couple of thousand years and a bit, and we find ourselves in the same boat as the people of Israel. We are not passionate about Christ and practice a milquetoast Christianity. Our churches give lip service (if any service at all) to the deep things of God and are content to cater to the felt needs of the crowd. Whatever makes people feel better about themselves saturates the sermons of the modern preacher.
We don’t hate sin; we celebrate it. If every person who professed to follow Jesus would repent, stand up against the powers of this world, and proclaim the truth of God’s Word, the evils of this generation would fall away. Instead of standing against immorality, we accommodate it and compromise for the sake of getting along. There is no urgency for salvation, no fear of judgment. We cherish our idols and easy living more than we love our Creator and Lord.
It’s time to wake up. Preachers must once again decry sin from our pulpits. Every single person who calls Jesus Lord must put away their fascination with the things of this world, for we know if anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15). This generation needs bold men and women who will stand fast and passionately proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need pastors who will call sin evil, and followers of Jesus who refuse to submit to the culture and loudly proclaim the holiness of God.
What we need most are warriors who will do the hard work of studying God’s Word and sharing it with everyone they meet. What we don’t need is any more milquetoast Christianity. The world is dying, and the battle is raging. Wake up and fight the good fight. If we repent, perhaps God will relent.