WHY NO CHANGE?
A friend who is associated with a church group wrote:
"I’ve just been wondering why there isn’t evidence of new life in quite a few of those who have received salvation. I mean baptism signifies new life, a do-over if you will but I don’t see people chasing that. I see people merely popping out of the water and going back to business as usual. Notice that I am not saying I never see it, only that I notice for some nothing changes."
What a telling observation and profound question worthy of consideration for anyone who cares about the eternal destiny of both themselves and others.
Many of those who are caught up in the wonderful world of what all that calls itself Christianity share this dilemma. It is symptomatic of the majority of todays Christianity. When we were church goers and in leadership, we too looked out over congregations of folks we knew showed little evidence of real change in their lives. Others, who we knew once had a passionate walk with Jesus Christ had settled into a routine of church life and attendence much like the Laodecians Christ warned in Revelation 3:
14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
We confess this happened to us also. Our last two years in the IC were very painful, a slow death on the pew. "What is wrong with me" -we kept asking, and we prayed many times for God's help as we went along with our last program called G-12, and an "Encounter" weekend that I hoped would fix me. I really tried to conform to our church yet I still was missing something and could not put my finger on the solution.
"WHY no change?", why little evidence?, why do Christians look just like their counterparts in the world? What is the "gospel" presented by the average church?
The truth is the gospel of "accept Christ" and saying a little prayer with the preacher who pronounces you a new "Christian" has no Biblical model. The "Best Life Now" gospel gives the average church goer little reason for heart-rending repentance and to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling", as Paul wrote.
Why don't they change? Why should they when so many are given a false assurance by a false salvation that by-passes our cross? We must take up OUR cross in order to enter into the death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism is still a COMMAND of scripture that we are to enter into Christ's death "buried WITH Him in baptism...", and He still gives "the Holy Spirit to them that OBEY Him".
Baptism is more than a "do-over", it was meant to show death to self-life as we are buried with Him. And the resurrection power of the Holy Ghost still produces the same signs Jesus said would "follow them that believe" in Mark 16. If the gospel served at church does not result in the same signs it did in scripture, it is not a failure on the part of God. It is the failure of of serving a different gospel.
The following verses are in direct opposition to the easy-conversion gospel:
Mark 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Luke 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luke 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
As the church has become conformed to this world in lifestyle, pursuit of success, acceptance of pagan holidays, material gain, personal ambition, pursuit of entertainment, we have lost sight of repentance from dead works, holiness, and the fear of the Lord. The result is many folks can get a false sense of assurance by doing a church routine and being led by others without a life of prayer, study of scripture, real repentance, and holiness.
There are many of us outside the camp of the IC (institutional church) who have returned to the scripture and seeking the face of the Lord who now look at the train wreck called Christianity with genuine grief and heartache.
Don't kid yourself, do you think John the Baptist would be a welcome figure walking through the door of the average church? They would call him troublemaker, critic, lone-ranger, murmurer, and all the labels used to write off those who leave church membership behind.
Mat 3:7 .... he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: 9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Uhh, I don't think that message would be warmly received in the typical church and I doubt you will ever hear Joel Osteen say that to his church. Yet that kind of preaching is exactly what is needed right now.
The same can be said of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, and all of the OT prophets. Most of all, in the latter days we even find Jesus Himself saying "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
The average Christian is too busy, too comfortable, and too ignorant of their Bibles to know the difference. That is why there is no change.
John 15:8 -Jesus said "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall you be my disciples", and "and hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments (instructions).
Remember, the original gospel produced the original evidence and power in the disciples:
Acts 2: 38 Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.
40 And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation.
41 They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles` teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.
"As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
