The Church in the “West” appears to have lost its way. Around the middle of the 20th Century the method used to “do church” in the United States changed. Prior to this, most churches held two “services” each Sunday. One would be primarily devoted to evangelism while the other would be used to exhort and encourage the body. Along with the evangelical service there would a associated prayer meetings. The “message” preached during this service would start with God and end with God. Those in attendance would hear about God’s Holiness, Righteousness, Justice and Wrath against all sin. They would hear about God’s requirements for eternal life. Only after these realities were on the table would the good news be preached.
In our day and time, this whole process has been turned inside out. Now people hear nothing of God’s true nature. Instead, they hear that God loves everyone too much to send them to hell. They are told that God loves everyone the same and has made the path to heaven easy. They are given the benefits of salvation first with no mention of a need to repent of sins. Sin is hardly mentioned at all. This is tragic and I fear is producing a crop of false professions that is beyond our comprehension in size. <Continue reading post>