Where Are We Headed, part 1

Where Are We Headed, part 1

 Every generation of Christians must face its own unique set of challenges.  Some generations may do better at keeping the commandments of God than others.  But there will always been challenges and opposition to our faith and way of life.  II Timothy 3:12 says that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  Every generation will have pressure from the world to conform to the world.  The next verse says that “evil men, imposters, and deceivers will grow worse and worse.”  But our goal as Christians is to remain steadfast in the faith despite what the world is doing around us.

Sadly, more and more churches are going along with the ways of the world.  More and more of God’s people are giving in to the pressure of the world to conform, and many Christians and churches live IN and OF this world.  Are we going to allow ourselves to get swept along with the ways and attitudes of the world, or are we going to stand firm on the word of God, and remain “the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15)? 

Consider some of the following changes that are taking places in churches in the world today, as we ask ourselves as a local congregation of God’s people, “where are we headed?” 

1) Ignorance of Scripture.  One reason many churches are going astray today is simply due to a lack of biblical knowledge.  Many people in the world want to do good works and serve God, but in their zeal, they fail to consult the word of God for direction.  As a result, there are MANY kinds of churches in the world, with doctrines, leadership, and practices that are not found anywhere in scripture.  Sermons across the land have been reduced to inspirational talks, sprinkled (maybe) with a scripture or two, instead of careful examinations and presentations of God’s’ word.  People lack even basic understanding of the history of God’s people, the meaning of a covenant, and the gravity of sin. 

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”  Each and every one of us must be dedicated students of God’s word, and everything we do and say must begin and end with “what is written.” (Colossians 3:16,17)

2) Less time spent in worship and fellowship.  There was a time when Sunday services would last over 5 hours.  It was practically all that people had planned on the first day of the week, recognizing that it is “the Lord’s day.”  Then, the single service was broken up into two services, morning and evening.  Gradually, both of those services got shorter and shorter.  Many churches are now doing away with the second service because they are so poorly attended.  Sermons used to go on for 2 or more hours.  Gospel meetings used to last 2 or more weeks.  Now, it is unusual for Gospel meetings to last more than 3 days.  If the preacher goes on for over 25 minutes, people often start looking at their watches and sighing with impatience.  If the service itself lasts for over 45 minutes, many people leave before service is over. 

The word of God doesn’t prescribe a set length of time that we are supposed to remain assembled.  But, where is this trend headed?  Will the single Sunday service be reduced to 30 minutes, 15 minutes?  How much time will future generations spend in worship, if they assemble at all?  How is it that Christians have gone from planning nothing but serving the Lord on Sunday, to having many other activities that church service often gets in the way of?  Yes, the trend is that the assemblies of the saints are getting in the way of our worldly activities, and the answer to this problem for many churches, is to change the assembly times and lengths to accommodate worldly activities.  But, in principle, shouldn’t it be the other way around (Matthew 6:33)?

In the next article, we will look at some other ways in which we must avoid getting swept along with the ways of the world…

Jeremy Koontz