“WE
ARE TOO COMFORTABLE
And
others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a
better resurrection. (Hebrews 11:35)
Is the
fact that millions of Americans refuse to attend our church services only
another symptom of original sin and love of moral darkness?
No, I
believe that explanation is too “pat” to be wholly true.
Churches
cannot deny they are too comfortable, too rich, too contented! We hold the
faith of our fathers, but it does not hold us. God is trying to interest us in
a glorious tomorrow and we are settling for an inglorious today. God has set
eternity in our hearts and we have chosen time instead. We are bogged down in
local interests and have lost sight of eternal purposes.
It was
the knowledge that they were part of God’s eternal plan that imparted
unquenchable enthusiasm to the early Christians. They burned with holy zeal for
Christ, and felt they were part of an army which the Lord was leading to
ultimate conquest over all the powers of darkness!
A
LOWER LEVEL
O
God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy
wondrous works. (Psalm71:17)
There
are leaders and there are churches within the Christianity of our day who will
surely answer for their failure to apply the disciplines of the New Testament
to the present generation of young people.
Much
of Christianity today does not hold to the necessity for disciplines in the
Christian life. If we have any of God’s concerns in our hearts, we must grieve
over the lack of spirituality in the lives of great segments of professing
Christian young people.
It is
not my calling to assess blame. It is part of my Christian calling to proclaim
the fact that no one, young or old, has the right to come to Jesus Christ and
stake out their own conditions and terms.
Segments
of Christianity have made every possible concession in efforts to win young
people to Christ; but instead of converting them to Christ they have converted
“Christianity” to them. Too often they have come down to the modern
level—playing, teasing, coaxing and entertaining. In essence, they have been
saying to them, “We will do everything as you want it,” instead of giving them
Christ’s insistent word, “Take up your cross!”
THE
WORLD IS SCARED
Look
up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28)
A
fear-stricken church cannot help a scared world; and it needs to be said that
surely a fear-ridden Christian has never examined his or her defense!
No one
can blame humans for being afraid. Beyond the continuing times of crisis and
terror and violence, God has also warned that the world is in a baptism of
fire, sooner or later. God has declared this by the voice of all of the holy
prophets since time began—there is no escaping it!
Bible-reading
Christians should be the last persons on earth to give way to hysteria. We have
been given a prophetic preview of all those things that are to come to pass
upon the earth. Can anything take us unaware?
We who
are in God’s secret place of safety must begin to talk and act like it! We,
above all who dwell on the earth, should be calm, hopeful, buoyant and
cheerful. We will never convince the scared world that there is peace and
assurance at the Cross if we continue to exhibit the same fears as those who
make no profession of Christianity!”
-From Renewed
Day by Day; Volume 2, by A. W. Tozer American Pastor and Author 1897-1963
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