Failing Christ
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18,19.
Many modern businesses have what they call mission statements. If Jesus ever had such a mission statement. The above quote would be it.
In today’s 24/7 society people are looking for precisely what Jesus is offering, something beyond the materialism and secularism western society offers. They may not know what it is but they know it is there somewhere.
I firmly believe that what they are looking for is the freedom Christ has to offer. They however through no fault of their own are missing that opportunity.
Sometime ago I came across a book entitled "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, although it could have been written yesterday. It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution.
Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all...
For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."
If Paul Gallico is right and I believe he is, mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than he was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with brimstone.
When I speak I can only truthfully speak of what I see first hand about Christians and the North American society in which I live.
The way I see it the Christian church has slowly let secularism politics and other things of the world into its doors.
So much so in many cases Christians have for lack of a better term “become religious”. They are known for what they are against and not for what they are for.
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4
All of these things the apostle Paul mentions have quietly slipped into the church today and church leaders are failing to correct the wrongs being done in the name of Jesus, in the name of God. Thus the church is failing in it’s mandate.
The church often talks of the need for revival and if ever there was a time for revival it is now. Revival however come with a price. It comes from within. Starting by going back to the basics. Going to God in prayer and asking Him to show where things have gone astray. At the same time there is a need to go back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to study the scriptures and put them into practice.
All of the great reformers of the church have done this. In doing so they caused great debate and conflict within the church. It at times has even resulted in the deaths of many servants of God. The result however was a return to the true teaching of the scriptures.
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18,19.
This is the mission statement of Jesus. This should be the mission statement of the church today in the twenty-first century. A statement we must take to heart. For if we do not we are failing Christ.
Please think about it.
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18,19.
Many modern businesses have what they call mission statements. If Jesus ever had such a mission statement. The above quote would be it.
In today’s 24/7 society people are looking for precisely what Jesus is offering, something beyond the materialism and secularism western society offers. They may not know what it is but they know it is there somewhere.
I firmly believe that what they are looking for is the freedom Christ has to offer. They however through no fault of their own are missing that opportunity.
Sometime ago I came across a book entitled "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, although it could have been written yesterday. It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution.
Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all...
For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."
If Paul Gallico is right and I believe he is, mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than he was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with brimstone.
When I speak I can only truthfully speak of what I see first hand about Christians and the North American society in which I live.
The way I see it the Christian church has slowly let secularism politics and other things of the world into its doors.
So much so in many cases Christians have for lack of a better term “become religious”. They are known for what they are against and not for what they are for.
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4
All of these things the apostle Paul mentions have quietly slipped into the church today and church leaders are failing to correct the wrongs being done in the name of Jesus, in the name of God. Thus the church is failing in it’s mandate.
The church often talks of the need for revival and if ever there was a time for revival it is now. Revival however come with a price. It comes from within. Starting by going back to the basics. Going to God in prayer and asking Him to show where things have gone astray. At the same time there is a need to go back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to study the scriptures and put them into practice.
All of the great reformers of the church have done this. In doing so they caused great debate and conflict within the church. It at times has even resulted in the deaths of many servants of God. The result however was a return to the true teaching of the scriptures.
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18,19.
This is the mission statement of Jesus. This should be the mission statement of the church today in the twenty-first century. A statement we must take to heart. For if we do not we are failing Christ.
Please think about it.
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