If you’re receiving this devotional, you’re likely part of the Christian subculture, as I am.
We go to good churches. We hear biblical messages. Most of our friends are Christians, and we are largely insulated from how the culture all around us is changing.
As we see the world changing rapidly, we find it difficult to relate to it. The reason I believe it is difficult to relate is because change is occurring at such great speed now that technology has information available anytime and anywhere—continually accelerating the rate of change.
Something that used to take years now only takes months to turn upside down, and the things that used to take months can change in just days or even minutes now.
Because we can’t relate to the culture, we retreat—leaving the evangelical community smaller than ever before. Several recent surveys reveal that the size of the Christian evangelical church in America is around 21 to 22 million—which is 7-8% of the total population—not the 60 million to 70 million of past reports.
John Dickerson points out in his book that it would be about the size of the New York state. That means if we put all the evangelical Christians in America in the state of New York, there might not be another evangelical Christian in America. There might be others who believe in God or who would go to mainline denominational churches, but not churches where the Bible has preeminence over all cultural issues of debate.
But in the future, the evangelical church could shrink even further as the evangelical population begins to age. That means that as this generation—my generation—starts to join our Father in Heaven, the 7-8% will become even smaller.
There is no doubt that America is moving rapidly into a post-Christian agenda in the same way Europe did 25-50 years ago. And we are moving at a greater speed of change than Europe did.
This stage of change is on our watch. It leads me to ask these questions to my own heart: Why is the church retreating? What needs to be changed?
It may be too late, but you and I are still responsible to ask the right questions and let the Chief Shepherd give us some answers from His point of view. Scripture is clear that judgment begins with believers.
"For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" -1 Peter 4:17
As we look at some of the issues, let’s remember that 120 men and women gathered 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem and turned the Roman Empire upside down in a worse culture than any of us have ever experienced.
Knowing that God did it once with ordinary people like us—and the same Jesus is in us that they had—it seems that we can cry out, “Oh Lord, do it again. Oh Lord, use me.”
"If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." -1 Peter 4:14
Let us pray for God to show us how He will change the world like He did before, and then pray, “Lord, do it again.”
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