Last week I spent some time out of town with my family. I always enjoy a few days away from my routine and all the reminders at the house of everything that needs to be done. Being away helps me clear my head and think. It is easy to find myself focusing on the wrong things. As we walk through our lives we are constantly being told what to believe, what we should be listening to, what we should be watching, what we should be wearing, and what we should be doing. With all the input, it is sometimes difficult to focus on what is important. We want to fit in. We don’t want to be that weird kid that is different from everyone else, right?
A casual observation of our American culture today compared to 20 years ago would suggest that our world is moving away from Christ and our nation is moving away from being the Godly nation we once thought we were. Things that were not acceptable when I was younger are now not only acceptable but celebrated. Even in our churches, lifestyles that were unspeakable are tolerated and accepted. I have heard this referred to as “these dark times.” Here is a quote from a book I was reading recently.
In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct “interpretations” of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.
There is today no lack of Bible teachers to set forth correctly the principles of the doctrines of Christ, but too many of these seem satisfied to teach the fundamentals of the faith year after year. It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table.
There are today many millions of people who hold “right opinions,” probably more than ever before in the history of the Church. Yet I wonder if there was ever a time when true spiritual worship was at a lower ebb. The art of worship has been lost entirely, and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the “program.” This word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type of public service which now passes for worship among us.
A recent poll of teens age 13-17 by the Barna group in October of 2022 gave some indication of how well these “programs” are doing. 34% of teens believe that the Christian Bible teaches about living wisely in today’s society. 36% of teens believe that the Bible teaches about understanding my purpose in life. 61% of Christian teens believe the Bible is inspired by God and 48% of Christian teens believe the Bible is relevant.
Those statistics speak volumes for how effective the church has been at reaching our kids. When less than half the teens who proclaim to be Christian believe the Bible is relevant, it may be time to rethink our methods. But here is my question for today. Is this a new problem or have we just gotten better at collecting statistics? Is this a new problem, or have we just become more focused on the problem than the solution?
Perhaps there are more people struggling with their faith today because we focus more on how bad things have gotten instead of how good God is. I do believe that the spiritual climate of America has gotten worse. I don’t know if it is because the hearts of people have changed or if they just feel more free to express how they have always felt. When the unacceptable becomes acceptable, it is evidence for the statistics above that the Bible is becoming a less valued resource among Christians.
By the way, this is not a new problem. The book I quoted from earlier is “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer, written in 1948.
The solution is not new, either. The solution is to not be concerned about what the world wants. Our churches have become so focused on getting people to Sunday morning services we have failed to provide much real teaching and go “beyond the fundamentals of the faith.” After all, if we teach anything hard it might be construed as offensive and those guests may not return. I have not researched this, but my guess is over 70% of the average American church budget is dedicated to a few hours a week of ministry on Sunday mornings. I have asked a few church leaders about this and the consensus is that 70% is a pretty low guess.
The problem is not new. It goes far beyond the current challenges in the American churches. It goes far beyond 1948. The problem goes all the way back to the Old Testament. We want to do things our way instead of listening to God. God’s way sometimes doesn’t make as much sense as doing things the way I think they should be done. That old book and those old teachings cannot possibly be relevant in today’s world and I know a better way. There is only one real solution to the problem. The solution is to focus on what we all need, and that is the truth of the Gospel of Christ. The teaching in the one book that brings life. John 10:10, Jesus says “I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly.”
It is easy to become focused on the wrong thing. It is easy to become focused on what we want rather than what we have. People spend their whole lives “in pursuit of happiness”, in search of something more. It is easy to become focused on having all the right things and knowing all the right people and we forget that there is only one thing we need to “have life and have it abundantly”, and that is Jesus.
The cross of Christ, the sacrifice given for all, is real. It is not new. It is not the latest program or gimmick to bring people to church. It is not some newfound teaching. It is the original solution. It is the only solution to everything you are dealing with today. The pursuit of God is the only solution to your pursuit of happiness.
