Thursday, October 24, 2013

Why People Are Leaving The Church?

      In this article I would like to briefly discuss the cause of why people are leaving the Church.  I center this problem on two causes.  There may be many causes to the reason but As a Pastor and Minister I have been able by my experience narrowed it down to TWO reasons.

The Reason people are leaving the Church is - Church Theology.

     People are no longer dumb.  In our modern age we are in a Multi-Media and Multi Information Age.  In this age we can get any information we want whenever we want it.  Thanks to Google and other search engines our networking is unlimited.  Our Universities and our Children are graduating much more smarter than they were 10 years ago.    The problem is while the world is getting smarter and more technical we are not.  We are not feeding our children strong biblical truths anymore.  We are stuck on Adam and Eve eating an Apple.  A talking snake.  Noah's Ark and Such.  Even though there is some great studies and teachers, the churches have decided to take the dumb side of things.  We no longer can explain, Why bad things happen to good people?  Why is there evil in the world? and other things that people need real answers to.  Our answers are very fairytaleish  and our explanations are no longer based on common sense but solely on Faith.  While there is nothing wrong with Faith, it is important that we as a Church are able to put substance to what we are saying rather than just saying:  JUST BELIEVE.  Schools are presenting evidence and scientific proof to what they are saying, no matter how questionable such evidence is, they still are.  While Church Pastors and Teachers are not taking the time to refute evolution and other things that contradict the Bible.  We are not giving the people of God the ammunition they need to be able to believe what they believe.  We are avoiding confrontation and being judgmental.  While the world has no problem confronting faith and putting our people in the corner, we are cowards and refusing to tell our people that evolution is a lie from Hell.  We are refusing to fight for what we believe.  We are refusing to go face to face and teach our people how to go face to face against such heresies and falsehoods and call them what they are, WRONG.  Instead in love we tolerate and some cases accept their lies.
     We need to change.  We need to teach our people that it is not wrong to stand your ground.  To fight for what you believe it.  That it is not wrong to say THEY ARE WRONG.  That it is O.k. to believe in what you believe in, even if it makes you sound arrogant, hard headed or close minded.

THE SECOND reason people are leaving the Church is- WE have Created a God that We CAN NOT even Follow.

     Churches are teaching that God is absolute love.  That love is about God and that church and Christians are full of love and that a true Christian has love.  The problem is there is so much love in the air that those who go to church and are hearing all this preaching are wondering "WHERE IS THIS LOVE?"  While in Church many are practicing such a doctrine, at home they are not.  The God that is being preached is a fairy tale.  Christians are growing up looking at what we have created and are wondering where is this One we believe in.  Someone once said, that the greatest cause of atheism is Christians professing what they believe but not living it.  This is what they find unbelievable.  The God that is created is not the God of the Bible.  It is not a God who turned tables, rebuked the Pharisee and Sadducee or even the God who is in the Book of Revelation.  The God we have created is impossible to follow and impossible to be like.  Who can be like Him unless you are a monk?
     We need to teach that God is in control of all things.  That the Gospel is about saving us from the judgment of sin and damnation.  That God is love but not all love is God.  That anger without sin and righteous indignation is proper, allowed and in some cases obligated.  That God is real and not a 60's Hippie running around placing daisies in guns.  That the greatest enemy to God is Man and the only reason God has not eliminated man is because of His mercy and patience but one day He will.  We need to teach people a God that we can follow and a God that is real.  

In conclusion,

Folks we serve a real God.  We need to be real.  We need to teach a real doctrine centered around real truth.  We need to teach our people to live Holy and to separate from this world while living in the world. Even if the World treats us like outcasts.  We need to learn to Love good and HATE evil.  That it is O.K. to go against the grain and to be passionate for what you believe in.  It is O.K. to ask tough questions and to teach tough things.  When we ground the people of God in the truth there is no lie, falsehood or worldly philosophy that will ever take them away.  We serve an awesome God. When we teach the truth there is no persecution, trial or tribulation that will ever shake us. Thank you Jesus.

BONUS:

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  (32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

    Notice what it means to be set FREE.  One must BELIEVE IN HIM, CONTINUE IN HIS WORD AND BE HIS DISCIPLE.  Once we begin here, we will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH WILL MAKE us FREE.   Once a person has tasted Freedom they will never want to be entangled again.  
        

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