Truth At All Costs

Many people out there will always tell you what you want to hear. People that will never rain on your parade. People that will get you clapping. That will get you jumping. That will make you dizzy. That will present a Christian faith to you that will make your church look like a Six Flags over Jesus and that will keep you so entertained that you are never addressed with some very important issues. I could tell you a story that would make you laugh or a story about puppies and grandmas that would make you cry, but I love you guys too much for that. I want to share truth. And in most cases, truth is not meant to make you feel all happy happy joy joy. Actually, it's not meant to make you feel good one bit. I already know that I'm going to get some serious flack for this post. And I'm prepared for that. Nevertheless, it needs to be shared.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there are countless issues in Christianity today, presumably in the United States. I hate to sound as if I'm singling out the church in America, but it's where I live. And I have heard and seen enough of His church in other countries to know that not everyone lives like us. In fact, few do. For starters, we have become dangerously comfortable.
What I have seen in modern American churches today doesn't even come close to following what the first century church did. All across America, people go to some church building every Sunday to have their ears tickled and their backs scratched by some preacher. It doesn’t matter whether your church is traditional or contemporary. If you look around you when you enter the sanctuary, you’ll see stage lights, instruments, cushioned pews or chairs and clean windows. Church has become a social event. For a number of us, it’s a check mark on the calendar. We go to see and be seen. We listen to the sermon, sing a few songs, and leave. We decide to stop going to this church because we didn’t like the music, or we don’t go to that church because we don’t like the pastor. Many of us don’t apply what we learned to our lives (if we learned anything at all). It is undeniable that unbiblical ideas and practices have crept their way into the Church throughout history. But as I have said before, there is a huge gap between rebellion and standing up for what is true. Although I disagree with the institutional church, I'm at peace with it.
It also doesn't take a genius to know that American Christianity is different from Christianity in the rest of the world. Believers in China, the Middle East, and Africa are imprisoned, tortured, and/or killed for their faith. What would happen if America suddenly became a Communist nation, and you are told to deny Jesus Christ and become a Muslim, or be executed? Would you refuse or agree? Would you give up everything for Christ? Would you openly disobey the government and announce that you will never deny Jesus because he is your Lord and Savior? I think most people would say that they would deny Jesus, but on the inside say, ‘I will still recognize Jesus’ just because they don’t want to die. I know that I would rather be killed for my faith than deny Jesus.
A very dangerous, probably the most dangerous, phenomenon in American Christianity today is that if you pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart, He will definitely come in. Friends, you will not find that in any place in Scripture. And if you look back in history, you won't find that appearing until about 60 years ago. The Christian faith is not a once-and-for all flu shot. Many people are being led into a decision with very little knowledge of the Gospel. Trusting in a decision rather than looking onto Christ. Living in ungodliness and believing that they are saved because some religious authority told them that they were after they prayed a little prayer. We need to give people the full picture of the Gospel.
Let me say this. Your profession of faith is no proof that you’re born again because mostly everybody in this whole country professes faith in Jesus Christ. If I went out to knock on every door in my city, do you know what I would find out? That around 85% of people here believe themselves to be believers. With most of them probably not concerned about serving. Not giving a hoot about holiness. Not a worry about being separated from the world. And yet they claim to be Christian. What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance . . . a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire not be like the world, but to be like Christ.
The evidence––the way that you can have assurance that you are genuinely a born-again Christian––is that you do, as a style of life, the will of the Father. And no I'm not saying that works will save you. I'm talking about the evidence of faith. Works will be that evidence. After all, as James says, faith without works is dead.
We need to be radical. Radical Christians are not people who jump at concerts.You're not a radical Christian because you wear a Christian T-shirt or because you go to a Christian conference. Radical Christians are those who bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Simple as that.
While preachers are a dime a dozen nowadays, fervent men of God are an endangered species. What America needs is die-hard followers of God. Believers with guts and determination. Believers who are ticked off enough to make a difference. Believers who aren't afraid to rock the boat. Believers to whom truth and righteousness mean more than anything else. Believers with vision. Believers who aren't afraid to preach the truth, like it or lump it, take it or leave it.
So my friends, to conclude, all I have left to say here is two things: Pray for revival. We all know this country needs it. And don't just stop there. You know it's time to initiate revival when the Church has no interest to serve and no concern for those lost and when selfishness and pride and no fear of God is in our church buildings, homes, and culture.

And most importantly, if you haven't already, I urge you: Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.