What if the souls of man could talk?
When we look at our society it is obvious that there is great pain, fear and
confusion. Do you hear the lost and hurting screaming out you name?
Researchers find that nearly 70
percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half
receive at least two prescriptions. Twenty percent of U.S. patients were also
found to be on five or more prescription medications. 1 in 10 Americans are
currently using anti-depressants. Antidepressants are most common among Millennials
. This is the demographic which is least likely to attend church.
Who Are Millennials
·
80 million young adults born between 1984 - 2001
approximately 30% of US population.
·
By 2014, 36% of the U.S. workforce will be
comprised of millennials.
·
By 2020, 46% of all U.S. workers will be
millennials.
According to Current research by
Tom Rainer, When asked to describe themselves, two-thirds used the term
Christian. Interestingly, nearly three in tenpicked either atheism,
agnosticism, or no preference. In other words, they have moved completely away
from certain belief in God.
When asked if they were “born-again
Christians”, using a precise definition provided by the interviewers, only 20
percent affirmed this definition of belief and experience. And when presented
with seven statements about orthodox Christian belief, the researchers found
that only 6 percent of Millennials could affirm them and thus could be properly
defined as Evangelical. 6 percent of one of the most influential generations in
our society could be defined as genuine Christians.
How did this happen? It has been a gradual
progression throughout the generations. It started with the extreme religious
views of my grandparent’s generation which led to burnout in my parents’
generation aided by the hippy era, followed by a total abandonment of Christian
values of my generation.
You hear of such stories all the time. Grandparents
grieve over their kids not “going to Church” whose grandkids have no real interest
in church life. How many stories have you heard of an old-fashioned fiery
preacher whose kids saw so much hypocrisy that they just gave up on the church
scene except for special occasions and raised their kids to be “free thinker”?
This is truly sad! What is worse is
that while an entire generation has been cast by the wayside the church for the
most part has watched. The majority of Church goers are those born from 1922-1960.
Almost every is a church filled with those under 50. Even then it is controlled
by those over 50. The Baby Boomer Generation and the Mature Generation make up the vast majority of churches. Services
and outreaches are very much dependent upon their styles and methods. And we
ask why there are not more “young people”
in church. Nearly 60percent of
these generations are religious and attend church weekly. Many required their children to attend services and carryout
strict observance to religious standards, boycotted any kind of rock music, and
stood against all things modern.
My parents’ generation burnt out by
the extreme views of their parents, products of the hippy era, and began to
leave the church. Watergate, the advent of MTV, single-parent homes, and
latchkey experiences played influential roles in their development. They were
the first generation to embrace the
personal computer and the Internet. They
welcome diversity, are motivated by money, believe in balance in their lives,
are self-reliant, and value free time and having fun. I’ve heard many Gen X’s,
(parents between 30-50) talk of how they have decided to give their kids
everything they never had. They are more likely to skip church for work,
vacation, or extra downtime.
If we are honest, most churches,
especial those in rural areas are targeting the same groups as we have for 100
years. We have all but ignored the cries of those in need. And while the church
has not changed its approach or adjusted its hearing to the cries of the lost we
have lost touch with over 50% of our nation’s population. Wake up church we are
losing ground. Let’s not let our own traditions strangle the future of our
children and our children’s children. It’s easy for the church to become deaf
to the cries of those in pain in our society. To turn a blind eye to their
suffering, and an cold shoulder to their problems.
There
is a work for each one of us to do and we must do it. As we finish up our study of the Book of Acts
we will look at The Apostle Paul and how he responded to the Macedonian Call to
serve and share the love of God. We will see that from that moment he was busy
about the gospel. Despite facing fierce opposition, tempting distractions, and opportunity
to abandon the mission, he did whatever was necessary to share the message of
Christ. In the end though he lost his life at the hands of a ruthless emperor he
was victorious in Christ! Are we willing
to do the same?
I assure you that there will be struggles, there will be
opposition, there will be times when we feel as if we have run aground and our
hopes are ship wrecked. But if we stay the course to then end neither height,
depth, powers or rulers can stand between us and the message of the hope of
Jesus Christ. The Enemy will come with great distractions, of idolatry,
religiosity, fear, threats and discouragement. But If we continue in what we
have been called to do we will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary!
So church h lift up your face get
your focus back on where it ought to be and that is on sharing the gospel We
are to be a light. We must reach out to the hurting, train new leaders and give
up some of our former things in order to reach an unreached people group among
us.
Are you willing to do whatever it
takes to reach the lost? No matter the cost? No matter how it goes against your
style, tradition or even comfort zone? Jesus did not come to save those who are
well but those who are dying? Are you with me? Will you be willing to do
whatever it takes? No matter the cost? Because what we are doing is not working.
Are we willing to deny ourselves and follow Christ? Because our families, our
children, grandchildren depend upon how we respond to this challenge.
The future of this church depends
on how well you remember this warning. The future of this town depends on how will
you carry out this message. The future of this great nation hinges upon the
faithfulness of God’s people to humble ourselves and seek his face, are
willingness to repent of our sinfulness and seek His face.
I say again , ARE YOU WITH ME?
