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The Neo-Christian church seems to be a place where Believers gather to shop for blessings. If we can’t find something that will push our happiness button, we will try another “spiritual store” where we can purchase, by way of our financial giving, the secret to materialistic satisfaction. For some reason, the Christian has become a consumer. The dollar sign has become the evidence of God’s love for the searching masses.
What I have seen in my generation is the grand reopening of churches that stress receiving instead of giving. It has become what I can get from God, instead of what I can give to Him. It is more a question of being served, than serving. The Church is being pictured as a resort, fully furnished with entertainment and positive messages. People are invited to check their sins at the welcoming center, for it has no place in the feel good atmosphere of communal worship. As they enter the “sanctuary” with their religious shopping list, they can hardly wait for the ‘blue light” specials that are offered for those willing to sow monetarily. Many of the messages are sugar coated with worldly relevance, instead of Godly reverence. Leaving their “holy site,” they make their way to their cars with smiles on their faces, for once again, their failures and sins have not been addressed.
Many years ago, a man by the name of Karl Menninger wrote a book entitled, Whatever Became of Sin? Little did he realize he was writing prophetically. Today, it would take a spiritual Geiger counter to find the word SIN in the vocabulary of the Christian. When it comes to the subject of sin, so much of Christianity seems to follow the pattern of “out of sight, out of mind.” When sin is not addressed from the pulpit, sin will address the people. Many Pastors are afraid to preach about sin for fear that it will drive people from the church. That theory is flawed; for when sin is exposed, it will draw people to the church, not away from it.
The Apostle Paul was so concerned about sin that he urged those in ministerial positions to take actions against those who were living a sinful life. Again and again, Paul urges those in leadership to reprove and rebuke those who were involved in habitual sin. (Ephesians 5:11; II Timothy 4:2; Titus 2:15) He even urged them to publicly rebuke those that were missing the mark (sin.) (I Timothy 5:20) What has happened to sin? Why has it disappeared from the pastor’s vocabulary? Has the word SIN lost its significance and implication? Today, man is being taught that he is not responsible for the missteps in his life. His behavior is determined by his environment and heredity. I see the promoting of a response that I call the “Eve Syndrome.” It is basically when people blame everyone but themselves for their mistakes. When are we going to “own up” and realize that no one caused us to sin, we simply chose to do so! Many people are praying for a revival. They call for a rejuvenating of emotions that will bring them out of their lukewarmness. What I would like to see is a reviving of the word SIN. The cause of lukewarmness is simply sin. Until we take that word seriously, it will continue to keep us from the life which God has called us to experience.
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