We have been discussing the Second Key of Discipleship which is Authority in God's Word. This is a continuation from the last post so make sure you read part 1 before going on.
The 1980’s to the Present (Baby Busters & Mosaics). When the King is in question, people lose the fear of God. Church became nothing more than a religious activity on Sunday. God was a good idea with no substance. It was O.K. if someone believed in God, but few knew if God really existed because society had ceased to live by faith. We had become self-sufficient, or so we thought.
Revelation 3:17, “Because you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy, and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,” This generation views many of the people in church as hypocrites, or fake, because most would pledge allegiance to Jesus on Sunday and live for the Devil the rest of the week.
Today’s generation is the “show me” generation. Preaching a good message is no longer sufficient. There must be feet to the message. There are tons of preachers standing in pulpits all across America commanding people to win the lost through personal evangelism when they do nothing to evangelize their world. It is this shallow Christianity from the so-called men of God that causes the current generation to question the motives of the church. Where is the reality? Where are the people that are actually doing the things that we preach? Where are the Spirit-filled believers that are living with the almighty God that we preach? These are the questions of this generation.
Today’s generation will not receive a message of authority and loyalty to a person or a cause just because someone preaches it. They demand the proof of it. They have been lied to for too long. “Because I said so” doesn’t cut it anymore! “Because the Bible says so” doesn’t cut it anymore!
The proof is based solely in the reality of the day to day actions of the believers. How scary is that, when we look at the state of the believers in our churches today.
A proper balance must be drawn for God to be seen in this generation. We must remember the lessons of our fathers. Proverbs 22:28, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” The fear of God must be restored. The fear of God produces respect toward God and his body, the church. When respect is restored obedience and service naturally follow. We must learn the balance of love and respect. Love is not in competition with respect. True love naturally produces respect. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” True love is caring about others more than you care about yourself. Therefore, true love produces the reality of caring more for others than one’s self, and respect follows naturally. Demanding respect without love leads to rebellion because it is oppressive to the soul.
To Be Continued in Part 3
The 1980’s to the Present (Baby Busters & Mosaics). When the King is in question, people lose the fear of God. Church became nothing more than a religious activity on Sunday. God was a good idea with no substance. It was O.K. if someone believed in God, but few knew if God really existed because society had ceased to live by faith. We had become self-sufficient, or so we thought.Revelation 3:17, “Because you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy, and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,” This generation views many of the people in church as hypocrites, or fake, because most would pledge allegiance to Jesus on Sunday and live for the Devil the rest of the week.
Today’s generation is the “show me” generation. Preaching a good message is no longer sufficient. There must be feet to the message. There are tons of preachers standing in pulpits all across America commanding people to win the lost through personal evangelism when they do nothing to evangelize their world. It is this shallow Christianity from the so-called men of God that causes the current generation to question the motives of the church. Where is the reality? Where are the people that are actually doing the things that we preach? Where are the Spirit-filled believers that are living with the almighty God that we preach? These are the questions of this generation.
Today’s generation will not receive a message of authority and loyalty to a person or a cause just because someone preaches it. They demand the proof of it. They have been lied to for too long. “Because I said so” doesn’t cut it anymore! “Because the Bible says so” doesn’t cut it anymore!
The proof is based solely in the reality of the day to day actions of the believers. How scary is that, when we look at the state of the believers in our churches today.
A proper balance must be drawn for God to be seen in this generation. We must remember the lessons of our fathers. Proverbs 22:28, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” The fear of God must be restored. The fear of God produces respect toward God and his body, the church. When respect is restored obedience and service naturally follow. We must learn the balance of love and respect. Love is not in competition with respect. True love naturally produces respect. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” True love is caring about others more than you care about yourself. Therefore, true love produces the reality of caring more for others than one’s self, and respect follows naturally. Demanding respect without love leads to rebellion because it is oppressive to the soul.
To Be Continued in Part 3
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