Expose society to reality of God
Iknow the Antelope Valley Press is not a religious publication, but I feel compelled to express my displeasure with the church.
Our society is crumbling right before our eyes, and all people want to talk about is politics, as if our problems can be solved politically. If our society had never been exposed to the reality of the living God, then yes, the political realm would be a viable option.
The Christian church has evolved into a bunch of buildings that open their doors wide on Sunday mornings, welcoming people to come in. At first glance that’s not wrong, but God never intended the church to be isolated from the world, inside four sturdy impregnable walls. God instructed believers, His church, to go into the world shining as light and living as salt, offering life to whoever receive the message of life in Christ.
Our government has systematically and purposefully removed the church from public life. “Go ahead and worship God, but do it in your homes or in a church building, not in public.” They complied, and came up with a plan. “We will got people to come to our buildings by offering them things that appeal to them.”
God’s plan was for the church to go out into the world. Man’s adjusted plan became, “world come to us.” “Hey, we are on YouTube.”
We are now reaping the results of our misguided venture. The church no longer influences the world, but the world dictates to the church how they are to live. The people of the church have now been trained by the world not to offend people outside the church. “Accept their choices, of divorce, abortion, sexual choices.” The list is almost endless. “We live in a free country. How dare you tell me how to live. Christians are so full of hate.”
Jesus offended many by what he said and did, and so did his followers. They turned their world upside-down, but it cost them their lives. Jesus told his church that if they follow him, they too will be persecuted. Maybe hiding in a church building isn’t a bad idea after all.
James Chandler Lancaster