Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

The Benevolence of the Many

There are, by some counts, as many as 59 “one another’s” in the scripture.  I believe to get to that number some of them are repeated – but that probably just serves to remind of the importance of those particular ones.  The scriptures also teach us to practice hospitality.  In Romans 12:10 – 13, Paul gets to it right plainly - ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

This year we are encouraging all our church members to be “kindly affectionate to one another,” so they may distribute to the need of the saints, being given to hospitality.  I hear of many folks adopting needs and meeting them.  It is exciting when members of the ABC fellowship call you and inquire about needs they desire to meet.  They are indeed being given to the practice of hospitality.

Practicing hospitality is so much the example we have from Christ.  Though He did not possess much by the world’s standards, we know He shared whatever He had.  And He certainly gave and gave and gave of His time, His teaching, His love, His forgiveness, and His compassion.  He healed the sick, sometimes raised the dead, and cast out demons as acts of generous hospitality to those who were in need.  The lame walked and the blind received their sight.   These were no small miracles then and would be no small miracle of grace today. 

Christ’s ultimate act of hospitality was on the cross.  He simply gave everything He had to give on the cross.  Amazing!

In the holidays, we can never separate one from the other – Christmas has a bearing on Easter – Easter has a bearing on Christmas.  Yet both holidays are centered on Christ.  The hospitable Christ.

As we share and exchange gifts this Christmas, think of how powerful the church can be if every member, every individual, finds a way to give expression to hospitality in a personal way. No matter how great or how small, so much more can be done to lead people towards Christ if ALL the church practices personal hospitality.  And not just for Christmas.  The teaching of Romans 12 is intended to be our daily practice.  Let us be given to hospitality.

Give Shoes!

As I was pondering one of our church giving activities tomorrow, the giving of shoes for Shoes for Orphan Souls, I could not help but think of Katie Davis!  When I read her book, Kisses from Katie, I remember her sharing the poor foot conditions that exist among the children of Uganda where she lives and serves.  Some of her descriptions were quite vivid, even disgusting!   All for the lack of shoes.  

I really don't have as many shoes as I used to.  I decided to do an inventory - one pair of tennis shoes, two pair of sperrys,  one pair of nice casual shoes, one pair of lace up dress shoes, two pair of slip on dress shoes, one pair of work shoes, two pair of work boots, one pair of slip on beach shoes and one pair of bedroom shoes.  That is 12 pairs of shoes for me!  Actually, in doing the inventory, the pair of nice casual shoes were pushed back to the wall of the closet. They are nearly new and I had forgotten that I had them.   

So, I have 12 pair of shoes! I don't know how that compares to other folks.  I used to have lots of old tennis shoes - but have thrown most of those away.  I guess I could let myself feel guilty about it - but I don't.  But I do have fresh information and a fresh determination to consider that if I am going to have 12 pairs of shoes, I should make sure that I find a way to put shoes on the feet of those who have none. 

At our church tomorrow (July 7) we are going to give shoes through an organization called Shoes for Orphan Souls!  From everything that I can tell about it, it is a solid organization.  I am looking forward to this act of giving in and through our church.

But, it has left me thinking a bit more.  If we are not careful, we can institutionalize ALL our giving!  While it will meet needs, it still leaves us separated from the need. We are not personally seeing the dirty feet, the diseased feet, the hurting feet! We are giving and others do that hard part!

I am challenging myself to look around more this year for the truly hurting family - the family that does not how they will buy shoes - that need clothes - food - etc. - the family that I can see - talk to - and to whom I can demonstrate the love of Christ up close and personal.  

I'm not saying to abandon organizations like Shoes for Orphan Souls, just that we should also make sure we don't avoid all personal contact with those in need while using proxies to do it for us!

Difficult Days Demand.......................

WOW!  The events of the last few days continue to trouble and distress many Americans.  They distress most Christians.   And there are many things about which we should be concerned.  The economy and economic policies have everyone on edge.  The path of healthcare in the future is quite cloudy - some would even say "muddy!"  The political give and take being played out in the media is happening 24/7 and after a while becomes mind numbing.  Moralilty is more than "in decline!" Morality is in a death spiral in the nation!  Then we have the international events of the Middle East and the very real dangers that are involved and it is enough to give you a good case of discouragement. 

So, in these difficult days - for those of you who have a Christian /Biblical worldview, may I remind you of some things that these days demand.....of us?!?!

1. To Remember Our security is in God Almighty! Our security is not and has never been in government or political figures.  There are legitimate concerns about economic and international health, but ultimately we must rest our souls in the mighty right hand of God's rigtheousness.  God sets the rise and fall of nations for the accomplishment of His purposes.  Our future is secured by Him and in Him!

Remember the TRUTH - Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.  Psalm 20:7    AND

 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."  Zechariah 4:6

2. To Remember That We Have Hope in Jesus Christ!  These verses are a helpful reminder.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.    Romans 5:1-5

This hope is a hope we can proclaim to the hopeless.  Though circumstances may be bleak, Christ is unchanging in His power, His interest in us, His love for us, and His purpose and plan for the ages.  We can join Him in His work and rest in His plan!  His will and purposes will be done.  That is reason for hope! He is hope!

3. To Remember that Difficult Times are Fantastic Times to Share the Gospel!  Conversations are abounding regarding the future of the country, the insecurity people feel about their jobs, and the worries people feel about their ability to make it from week to week!   We serve a Saviour who has secured our futures, has provided for our greatest need, and has given us the victory over sin and death!  This is a time to share the Gospel with folks!  We can spend a lot of time giving everyone our political opinion, or sharing our best economic theories or our thoughts on international affairs.   OR, we can run straight for the cross of Christ - and proclaim Christ, crucified for our sins, buried in the tomb, and raised up again in victory over sin and death - all to the glory of the Father.   "Why waste a crisis?" may be a political question.  But we need to ask ourselves why we followers of Christ are wasting a time of upheaval on man-made answers instead of sharing Christ?  We have the answer - repent and believe!

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.    Acts 3:19-20  

If you are walking around totally bummed out over the circumstances that surround us, then to use a Biblical phrase, "BE OF GOOD CHEER!"   We have amazing opportunities to show the love, the power, the grace, and the glory of God to people whose lives are in such need of divine transformation.   May our speech and our actions demonstrate that we really believe what our Bibles teach. 

Self-Examination!

One of the important matters dealt with in the book of Galatians is the matter of a false gospel.  One can make a fairly good argument that the modern church is suffering much under the load of a false gospel - which has produced false disciples - which in turn produces frustration and weakness in the local congregation.  For a few posts, I will remind us of scriptural teaching on genuine salvation!

OBEDIENCE - The pattern of life for a true Christ follower is one of obedience.  Is this the pattern of my life?  Do I, as a regular course of behavior, argue with God about everything I sense He may be asking of me? What is the nature of my obedience to God - loving submission or begrudgingly doing His tasks?  Note this scripture in 1 John 2: 3- 6:

3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
NIV

Scripture is pretty clear on this matter of obedience! Obedience to God is not a "ho-hum" matter!  Think of the power of verse 3 - We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

That statement is not ambiguous! If we have any doubts - just continue - 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

So, how important do you think obedience is to God?  He doesn't mince words - I may proclaim every day that "I know Him!"  But if my actions are not those of an obedient Christ follower - then I am a liar - and truth is absent from me! 

Notice the blessing of obedience - 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.   We experience the full measure of God's love when we obey Him.  His love is made complete in an obedient disciple.  

Now one more thing - just to be clear - This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

What is the prayerless Christian? What is the Wordless Christian? What is the mean-spirited Christian? What is the hateful Christian? What is the loveless Christian? What is the decietful Christian?  What is the unfaithful Christian?  Well - speaking from these verses - they are not Christians. 

We like to muddy the waters - make everything ok for everybody - and hold everyone to the lowest standard we can think of.    Paul literally railed against the false gospel in Galatians.  He realized that adding anything to grace was heresy and deadly.   In our day, we are not adding to the Gospel - we are robbing from it. 

What we tend to see practiced in the modern church is a simple profession, followed by baptism, followed by nothing!  I am not trying to overstate it.  Southern Baptist Churches are almost all the same in our huge membership rosters with more than half TOTALLY missing!   That is a problem.

I happen to believe the problem is lostness! Remember - This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Does anyone do this perfectly?  NO - NO ONE DOES!  What we have done in our churches, though, is to make the standard of Christ-likeness and discipleship exist at the lowest of levels instead of the highest. 

God will judge for sure - not us - but beware of a false Gospel that says you can claim Christ as Savior and produce no meaningful fruit! 

The Most Ineffective Methods.......are........

There are many "experts" running around these days! I will say up front that some experts really are such!  Some have done careful research and made reasonable conclusions! Some have an agenda and use their expert status to play down methods / ideas not to their liking while extolling their own preferred methods and ideas.

So, I get interested when someone makes a pretty bold statement of fact regarding matters of the church!  Recently I was reminded of a "FACT" that has been widely touted as "FACT" in the Southern Baptist Convention.  This "FACT" is related to evangelism and evangelistic success!

The "FACT" was declared that "REVIVALS" are the most ineffective method of reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  Now, I am not a die-hard revival fan - the kind of person that believes we have done God an injustice if we miss having two revivals a year  - one in the spring and the other in the fall!  Revival meetings have fallen on hard times in the last 10 years in Southern Baptist life! Part of that is due to an almost total "non-spiritual" approach to them - just scheduling revival meetings to schedule them! 

Another part of the difficulty with revival meetings is the lack of creativity associated with them!  Conducting a revival can be done with targeted subject matter - with the involvement of the people in accomplishing a spiritual and material goal - with it lasting a day - a week - a month - depending on what is being attempted!  Just having a "revival meeting" with no creativity is fairly unsuccessful!

The "FACT" part is what gets me! Name the most effective method of reaching people!  Whatever it is - it will involve less than 5% of Southern Baptists - because the failure of evangelism among Southern Baptists is not our methods - but our people!  We do not share our faith - anytime - in any way!  When less than 5% of a people who like to brag that they are devoted to sharing the Gospel with the world actually do so - ever - there will be a demonstrated failure with any "method" you put out there!

The "FACT" is this - the most ineffective method or methods of evangelism are the ones never tried! One could at least argue the stretch that if meeting together for a revival is ineffective for reaching people - then so are Sunday worship services!  (and they largely are ineffective)   Call for a meeting of pastors to get together - pray - and hold one another accountable for sharing their faith!  The attendance will be LOW LOW LOW!  Call for a gathering of deacons to come together and pray - and hold one another accountable for sharing their faith - the meeting will not get off the ground!

Personal evangelism among Southern Baptists does not work! Relational evangelism does not work! Tracts do not work!  Revivals do not work!  None of them ever have!  What works is the Holy Spirit!  When we will TRUST and OBEY the Lord to be an active and vocal witness to His grace - when we will allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to people and places for sharing the Gospel - when we will let the Word of God speak through us - filled with the Holy Spirit - then GOD WORKS! 

No method of evangelism left untried ever produces!  Why have we seen such a decrease in the use of revival meetings for evangelism?  People are uninterested in spiritual things - our calendars are full - and perish the thought we might be challenged to share the Good News with someone or confess the sinfulness of our own hearts!  After all - there is too much on tv and too many great activities with which we can involve ourselves!

The next time you hear anyone say, "This method (revivals, visits, etc.) is no longer effective," ask them how they share their faith!  Specifically!  The answer will be revealing!

The Trajectories of Life!

Eveyone encounters different folks on different trajectories of life everyday!  I will venture to say that if you are a counselor, or a vocational minister you will be a bit more exposed to this in a more "up close and personal" manner! 

The last week has just been close to bewildering at all the varying trajectories of life I have encountered among the people I serve and meet!  Some of them are soaring trajectories - full of hope, vision, excitement, and enthusiasm.  Some of them are soaring downward - robbed, at least temporarily of joy, of hope, leading to discouragement, despair, and depression! 

My brain (really, my soul) has encountered one of those weeks where it needs a great refreshing from the Lord! Having done what I do for many years makes it easier to swing from one extreme of ministry to another without it being too difficult to do! But there are weeks where it piles up!  You walk from the funeral home into a wedding planning session!  There is a contrast! You go from the bedside in ICU where someone has just died - into a room with a newborn!  You go from someone who feels that all hope is gone to another person who is just hanging on your every word for hope!

As we all minister - clergy and laypeople - we get most depleted in "being all things to all people" that by the grace of God, we might win some! 

How do you recover? I used to think it was just getting out of the office and ministry needs for a day! And there is nothing wrong with that!  I have found, though, that what helps me most is telling someone, writing it down (like here), and then spending more time in the Word of God and prayer!

God can restore our spirits instantly! God can bless us physically - and usually does require our participation in rest!  We are always going to be encoutering people on various trajectories of life! The key is to stay focused on Christ so our personal trajectory is not overwhelmed by everyone else!

I'm Not Insane!

Really! I'm not insane! But I suppose a person who doesn't know me might think so! You see - I am trying to be more deliberate every day with what I call "conversational Christianity!"  Christ has redeemed us - and in doing so has imparted right into our very being the Spirit of God!  WOW!  That is a pretty good deal for us!!!!!

In light of MUCH scripture, we know that we are to follow Christ, to obey Christ, to listen to Christ through our daily communion with the Spirit of God!  This is not mystical, though the full mechanics of it are somewhat a mystery to us!  We are not perfect in our understanding of things, but the more we are in God's word, the more we are people of devoted prayer, the more conversational we will be with Christ! 

We sometimes make the mistake of putting all our "time with God" in a box for a certain time of day! Morning devotion 0r evening devotion times end up being the "God time" in our lives.  Hey, nothing wrong at all with having elongated times spent specifically studying the Word and praying!

But we live in a rough and tumble world! Though morning time spent with the Lord is wonderful, it alone is not sufficient out in the trenches of ministry!  So, the longer I live the more "conversational" I am trying to be with the Lord.  The Lord and I just talk about everything - all day long!  Like Paul, I have not arrived or attained perfection in this!  But I press on! 

Every day I have something of a broad outline of what I believe I have to accomplish!  But life happens during those times and I find the Lord conversing with me through the Spirit! If we will converse with God throughout the day, we will find MANY opportunities of ministry! We will find ourselves engaging with people we do not know! We will find ourselves seeing things we would never see!  But one has to be willing to have an ongoing conversation with God! One has to be willing to respond instantly to that conversation.

Some people get nervous when we declare "the Lord spoke to me!"  Well, to be clear, He often speaks to me through His Word!  That is often where our conversation begins!  Then the Spirit prompts my heart - turns my head, opens my eyes, helps me hear what is going on all around me!  I absolutely believe that the more closely I walk in the Word and prayer, the more my spirit will agree with His Spirit! And, to know His Spirit, we talk!  Some folks would say, "He claims to talk with God - He is insane!"  Well, I suppose it depends on what you say God told you to do!

God will never tell you to do something that contradicts His Word! God will never tell you to do something contrary to His character and nature!  That does not mean that God will not tell you to do things that people will not cause people to raise an eyebrow! 

Throughout your day today, as you go through it, try making a conscious effort to just be open to hearing from God!  Like this:  "Lord, I am about to be in this place of business - help me be alert to opportunities to serve You in this place!"    or - you are about to leave a location - an area - to go somewhere else - and you ask, "Lord, is there anything else I need to do while I am here?" 

You know - with us being the busy, busy people we are, we can easily go through all our daily travels and never even think of Jesus!  Now for the believer - that is insane!

Obedience vs. Sacrifice!

We know that obedience is better than sacrifice! Really! We do! God's Word says so in 1 Samuel 15:22!

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 

 A careful reading of the passage and context will reveal that Samuel is reminding King Saul that the Lord required him to be obedient.  Saul was attempting to do things, in his mind, for a good reason - but in doing so he was being disobedient to God.

How does this "obedience vs. sacrifice" apply in our day?  Well, we find it far easier to perform the trappings of our religious beliefs instead of obeying the Lord!  Really! We do!  It is far easier for us to talk about how we love God and people than to obey God's commands! It is easier for us to say we love God than to actually love a person who has made it hard for us to love them.  It is easier for us to say we rejoice in our forgiveness than to actually be forgiving towards someone who has wronged us! It is far easier for us to attend a worship service and sing songs of praise to God while ignoring the vast numbers of unchurched / unsaved people in our communities!  We have actually gotten pretty good at the "sacrifice" thing - the trappings, the rituals, the practices of religious expression while totally ignoring "obedience" to the living God!

But one then has to ask, "why?"  Why is it easier for us to make "sacrifice" rather than "obey!"

Has God failed in any way to demonstrate His ability to instruct us? Has He made any secret of His primary desires for us? Has He failed in any way to demonstrate His constant companionship? Has He failed in any way to demonstrate over and over through scripture and the testimonies of those who have obeyed Him that He is faithful to guide, to provide, to enable, to empower, and to equip us for all He asks us to do? 

Well, the obvious answer is "no!" He has not failed, short-changed, or lacked in any way in enabling us to be obedient.  We simply choose not to be obedient.   Mind-boggling isn't it?  Why? Again - why are we disobedient?   Sin is too simple of an answer! 

We may not obey because we are not His!  We may have never given our lives to Jesus! People who have given their lives to Jesus may certainly disobey Him - but not as a pattern of life! 

We may not obey Him because we allow fear of the unknown to overwhelm us! And He may certainly ask us to do things where we can't see all the provision - or the path through!  But He sees it all - He knows it all - He has all the provisions we need!

We may not obey Him because we don't want to lose control!  Yet, He has not lost control!

To obey is better than sacrifice! Really! It is!   And in obedience we see God's great blessings flow!

The Lord puts it this way: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments!"  John 14:15

 

Are We Really in a Crisis?

Last night I finished reading one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking books I have ever read - Kisses from Katie!  This book is such a good read because it is written by someone who is actively engaged in such a HUGE work for God!  

She writes powerfully, sharing incredible encounters with people in great need and encounters with a great God who provides. Katie shares some wonderful insights into the heart and mind of Christ, the kind of insight that is born on the battlefield of intense ministry!

 Her book reminded me of a some very important things!

First, I seldom allow myself to be put in a position where I must truly trust and depend on God!

Second, since I don't find myself in a position too often where I must depend on God, there has to be some disobedience in my life as to what He wants me to do!

Third, much of what we want to whine and moan about - and request prayer for - is trivial!  We tend to think we have a crisis if our vacation spot is not working out - or we aren't able to find tickets to some great event - or if we are delayed in traffic and it is making us late for things in our day! We wonder if God has forgotten us!!!!!!

 Try this on from Katie's book: (She was writing about a little boy named Michael who was in terrible physical condition)

    I wrapped him in a towel and, as my friend held him tightly, I began to cut away the dead skin that hung from his heels and the insides of his feet. Then I went to work extracting the jiggers and removing the egg sacs and the caked mud and rocks embedded in the holes the jiggers had eaten in his feet. My friend watched in horror and Michael didn’t say anything. He didn’t scream or cry; he simply sat there in what must have been excruciating pain as tears rolled down his beautiful, little, expressionless face. I, on the other hand, ran out of the room and threw up. I quickly returned to put clean clothes, a fresh pair of socks, and a new pair of shoes on Michael in preparation to take him back to his family.

Clark, Beth; Davis, Katie J. (2011-10-04). Kisses from Katie (p. 198). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

The above desription is all in a typical day for Katie! It has forced her to depend solely on God for everything!

I don't believe that we all have to serve in Uganda to depend on the Lord! But I do believe our affluence keeps us from God!  We need something done in our churches - we call together men and women who can get it done!  We need something done - we organize and plan and prepare and go do it!  But did we pray? Did we seek God? Are we attempting anything in our lives or our churches that we really can't do unless God shows up?

In ministry I hear a lot of the "crises" that people have!  In my life, I consider things to be a crisis at times!  But as I read and reflected on Katie's insights, I realized anew that my life is easy and comfortable! We are in a crisis - but it is a crisis of comfort and ease!

There are people who need reaching for Christ - but most of them are beyond our touch - they are dirty - maybe even openly sinful and rebellious - sometimes trapped by addictions and poor choices! We will not reach them from our pews or our comfortable homes! We will reach them when we walk among them, fully depending upon God for direction, strength, and provision!

I would encourage you to read this book, Kisses from Katie, and then praise God for our incredible wealth!

Why Doesn't Church Matter Anymore?

Well, I suppose it does matter a great deal to some!  However, one might need also to define church a bit!   The true church consists of the "called out ones!"  The church is comprised of truly born from above followers of Christ! And those followers are the church!

Then there is church "gathered!"  That is the "church" the majority of folks think about when they think of "the church!"   That church has an institutional organization component! Sometimes, that institutional part overwhelms the "living church of God" part! But, I like to think of it simply as "the church gathered" on Sundays and other appointed times - and scattered out in the world to be salt and light the remainder of the time! 

Back to the question - why doesn't church matter that much anymore?  To me, it is a foregone conclusion that the phrasing of the question is valid!  I just read an article by Jim Elliff with which I largely agree. YOU CAN READ IT HERE   I believe he is "dead on" in his assessment that in our Southern Baptist Churches, we have become a largely unregenerate people!  Just to be sure everyone knows what that means - it means we have a lot of unsaved people who are members of our churches!

I would encourage you to read his article (link above) and I will not rehash it all here! However, one of the many excellent points that he makes is that among the saved, loving the brothers and sisters in Christ is one of the marks of a child of God! 1 John makes this ABUNDANTLY plain!  Yet, among our churches, our people can hardly be bothered to attend a service of worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ! 

Our roll call of people at ABC is just like the vast majority of other churches - we have around 800 on our roster - but on any given Sunday, no more than half attend!  Of those that attend, many of them are "platooners," meaning that they are there on random Sundays - maybe once or twice a month!  And then if you start looking to see how many of the half are involved in any meaningful, measurable, or accountable way in the ministry of the Kingdom, the number drops below 20% of the half that attend - not 20% of the 800!

These numbers sicken me - as they do most pastors I know and a good number of the 20%!  They sicken me for several reasons!  First, instead of being convicted and demonstrating repentance among the membership of our churches, we have just accepted that this is how it is - and we have even trumpeted it as a growth method! That's right, we have at times pushed the concept of enrolling as many people as we can to get a higher attendance - knowing that we will still have half or less attend!  God does not accept it-  so neither should we! 

Second, I believe strongly that it means many people are lost who believe they are saved! It is a non-Biblical type of salvation - a "salvation" that is devoid of a life transformation - that allows the holder to continue to live a life that is largely like every person in society - unregenerate!  The shock of this reality will be seen too late by 99.9% of this group! 

Thirdly, I am sickened over our (my) lack of action related to this crisis!  The topic is surely not a popular one in our churches.  People get pretty worked up when you start talking about removing our non-attending roster to a prospect list to hear the Gospel! 

The unsaved population of our churches accounts for the lack of power in the church - the lack of new birth - many of the financial struggles - and most certainly the lack of holy living!  Instead of being a force of the Gospel in the world - we have simply adopted the world culture into our churches. 

I have great friends and leaders in the SBC whom I respect who still seem optimistic that churches can change and transition into spirit-filled churches of largely regenerate members!  I want to believe them!   Yet, I also have great friends who, having struggled against this mostly unyielding problem, scrapped it all and started over with a new church! Certainly those new churches have their own struggles - but they are started with high accountability and clear and careful membership requirements. The attempt is made to insure as much as possible that people make informed decisions for Jesus Christ and experience ongoing life transformation!   People simply are not allowed to be members if they are not involved in both church and personal ministry!

A frustrated pastor said on one occasion that a lot of ministerial burnout happens because ministers spend most of their time trying to get unsaved people to act like children of God!  I suppose that depending on the church and the people, that statement will be more or less true! I can certainly attest to the fact that dealing with this problem can make one cynical!  Yet, the problem is very real and very eternally deadly!

Elliff had some great suggestions regarding solutions for the existing church! One thing I would emphasize is that we must begin to pray for God to restore His church! We must all be revived in Spirit - and become unwilling to accept a cheap grace and easy believism as substitutes for true salvation that brings brothers and sisters together for the cause of knowing Christ and making Him known.