The Bleeding Church- Modern Relevancy

Some of our pastors, churches, and congregations have bought into an egregious lie. In a movement pioneered by the formation of America’s “mega-churches,” churches have been restructuring their attitudes in an attempt to become more “user-friendly” for a world whose culture poses a stark contrast to the traditional church. Fundamental Christians have been labeled “extreme” to the point where even the word “fundamental” now has negative connotations. Our religious leaders fear coming across as abrasive to the culture that they are enveloped in. I am in no place to judge the motives of various pastors, but whether their intentions were bent towards evangelism or simply to grow their church, the effects of such actions are dangerously the same. There are sizable churches in my city that have removed crosses and crucifixes because studies showed that they are “offensive symbols.”

We Christians are too concerned with offending the people around us with the judgmental abrasiveness of the scripture. In 1 Corinthians 1:23, Paul refers to the message of Jesus as a stumbling block and foolishness to the world. Jesus says in Luke 12:51-53 “⁵¹Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; ⁵²for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³"They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

2 Corinthians 6:14

¹⁴Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

¹⁵Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

¹⁶Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
¹⁷"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.

What fellowship has light with darkness? We have been called to separate ourselves from the world. Now this does not mean that we should all practice pietism and retreat from the world, isolating ourselves. Mathew 5:10-16 portrays a perfect example of what Jesus expects of His followers.

¹⁰"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

¹²"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

¹⁵nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

¹⁶"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Being an ambassador of Christ means that we will be persecuted, but God tells us that we are to go out into the world anyway. The world will not like us, nor will they be accepting of the implications that the presence our faith brings, following us everywhere we go. Pay close attention to the words of John in chapter fifteen verses eighteen to twenty-one; "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master ' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

If you were of the world, the world would love its own. We should not feel comfortable in the world. Our lives should be a living reflection of Christ, showing that “now they have no excuse for sin.” Romans 12:2 says “do not be conformed to this world,” and Romans 12:9 tells us to “abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” We cannot be accepted by evil if we abhor it. Our churches cannot house Christians living in sin if we consistently spoke God’s truth. If, in your personal life, you find it easy to live your life in the world, then reevaluate it. Like I said before, I accuse the reader of the same things that I accuse myself, and personally, I am dismayed by how close I am with the world.

James 4:4

⁴You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.