Statistics to pray over!!!!

    OK I am sitting here tonight, and just random thoughts shooting through my mind and every one of them comes back to the question, what is the state of the "church" in America today. I know this topic is one that many people find very touchy, and some people will tell you that there is nothing wrong with the "church" today, but I have to disagree with with that statement. And I'll also tell you that what got me to thinking about this was an article I read today online. Now normally I don't follow the tabloid style rants on say AOL, or CNN, or FOX, but for some reason I just had to click on the story I saw. The headline was in the Entertainment section of WRAL.COM today and it read "Kim Kardashian files for divorce after 10 weeks". Now, I have to tell you, I do not follow that crowd, but I do remember from watching TV, the news and flipping through my cable channels a few months ago, that this was supposed to be a lavish, high dollar wedding that only the wealthy of the wealthiest would  attend. It was supposed to be as big as the Royal wedding was. Heck it was even filmed from what I read for some reality show about this family. So I clicked on it and within the first two paragraphs, I had to stop reading because something said within those two paragraphs made me realize how much trouble that America is in, but even more so , how much trouble the "Church" is in. Kim Kardashian, this reality TV star, step daughter to Bruce Jenner, an American Olympic Champion in the Decathlon in 1976, stated that " I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out like planned." ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I have never heard marriage referred to with such a "oh well who cares, just throw it away" attitude. What flippancy. What Gaul. What a statement on society today.But it shouldn't have surprised me, because the problem here is not one little spoiled rich celebrity and her attitude. The problem is how we as a "church", we as a body of believers have sat back and allowed these type of actions to become common place. Not only in our nation, but in our churches as well.
       In Jeremiah 3:19-21 we see the words that God has given Jeremiah to speak to Israel.God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah says " How gladly would I treat you like sons, and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of ANY Nation. I thought you would call me Father, and not turn away from following me. But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me  oh house of Israel, declares the Lord." I would like to take that scripture and just change it a little bit to read (and God is still talking ) "How Gladly DID I treat you like my Children . I gave you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance that ANY NATION HAS EVER BEEN GIVEN FROM ME. But like a child with no discipline, like a man with no respect for others, filled with selfishness, you have walked away from from me and my gift oh AMERICA, Declares the Lord!!!"  I believe this is EXACTLY what the Lord is saying to America today, but more so, I believe he is speaking to the Church. For you see our lack of witnessing, our lack oz zeal, our lack of God in our lives and our neighbors lives is what has gotten America to this stage in my opinion. We have sat back and let the enemy come in step by step. We have let preachers take the gospel out of the pulpit, because they did not want to offend someone, for fear that they might stop tithing and giving and we can't have that now can we. I mean after all , that's how we pay their salary. We didn't want to offend anyone or risk getting involved, so instead of asking Mary Jane where she got those bruises, we just shut the curtain and turned up our TVs when the shouting started next door. When we saw the boy down the street coming out of an alley smelling like a distillery, we just hushed rather than letting mom and dad know something was wrong. When Betty Lou came home pregnant we rushed her to the abortion clinic rather than have every one stare at us at church on Sunday when she started to show. When we saw Tom coming out of the local motel with the bleach blond gal in the mini skirt, we took a right turn and went an extra block or two rather than turning left and risk being seen, so we wouldn't have to tell his wife. When the preacher asked on Sunday morning who would like to come forward for prayer for any problem they might be facing, or to rededicate their lives to the Lord, we sat in our pew because we didn't want people to judge us. When we figured out that Tom or Mary or whatever the spouses name is, was having that affair, we didn't turn to our neighbors for prayer, we turned to the bottle, or the pills, or the local honky tonk for comfort. Instead of Hitting our knees is the face of trouble and persecution, we hit the streets and said, I CAN HANDLE THIS. Well guess what brothers and sisters, we couldn't handle it and look where we are today. I want to give you some statistics that  I pray they shock you, as they did me.
       Did you realize that in today's Evangelical traditional churches :
A)  57% of those "Members" of the church believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. That's right 57% of self proclaimed "CHRISTIANS" in today's church believe that Jesus is not the only way to eternal life.
B) 53% believe there is more than one way to interpret the teachings of their religion. 53% believe that what the Pastor preaches on Sunday can be interpreted many different ways for many different meanings
C) 29% believe it is the word of God, but not the absolute TRUE word of God. While 7% of those sitting in the pews believe it is a book written by men, and NOT, that's right , NOT the word of God.
D) 26% of them believe that Homosexuality should be ACCEPTED by society.
  The above stats came from a US Religious Landscape Survey done by  a group called the Pew Forum on Religion and public life. But the US Census Bureau, in association with the Frances A. Schaeffer Institute, has some interesting facts as well that  seem to point to why the above stats are so shockingly prevalent.
1)According to the US Census Bureau, every year more than 4,000 churches close their doors while only roughly 1,000 are planted. That is a net loss of 3,000 churches in America a year.Shocked yet? Let me continue.
2) Every year 2.7 million church members fall into inactivity. Let me repeat that 2.7 MILLION CHURCH MEMBERS A YEAR FALL INTO INACTIVITY. Why. Well through the Census Bureaus research it seems to be they fall into inactivity by LEAVING THE CHURCH because of reasons such as abuse, yes abuse in the church, disillusionment, in other words they just got disheartened with the church not living up to what the church should be. Or they leave because they just plain old get neglected. That's right, their own church from the pastor to the pew NEGLECTS them.
3) And here's one that should just blow your mind. 50% of all people who go to church , ARE NOT CHRISTIANS. 50% are not Christians.
   I don't know about you brothers and sisters, but these statistics should be a wake up call for every God fearing, Born Again Believer out there to hit their knees and cry out to God for our churches, our nation, our neighbors in general. We have turned away from God as a whole, just like an adulterous spouse. We have put Christ on the back burner long enough. Even if it hurts, which it's going to brothers and sisters, we should pray God, Use me. Help me to reach out to those who are lost and dying. Forgive me for the sin of Neglect, and the sin of putting self first. Help me to change my ways and reach out to a lost and dying world Lord before it's to late. You see brothers and sisters, we do not have long. For even if the Lord tarries and his return is a hundred years away, we are only here for a brief time, and we should be about the fathers work, for we have no idea how long before we leave this Earth either by death or by rapture, time is short. as 2 Chronicles 7:14 states " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. " If we are to change the numbers we have seen above then the church and America need us to humble ourselves and pray, desperately seeking the Face of God and asking for forgiveness. I believe we have bright and dark days ahead in the church. How they turn out is all up to us. The fate of a nation in in the hand of the church. I know this has been a lengthy blog tonight, but it s one I felt God had laid on my heart and needed to be written. Good night my brothers and sisters in Chris. May he bless your coming, your going, and all that you do in between.

In Christ's Love,

  Bro Bill Roy