The State of the American Church Today

photo credit: orlandograce.org

John Calvin's description of the disciples pre-Pentecost sounds an awful lot like the (childish) contemporary Church (see Eph. 4:11-16).

"They were so slow that the slightest difficulty of any kind made them hesitate; for as children who are learning the alphabet cannot read a single verse without pausing frequently, so almost every word of Christ gave them some sort of offence, and this hindered their (spiritual) progress."
 

Jesus' word(s) concerning discipleship, hell, church discipline, marriage and divorce, sexuality and gender, true worship, and the mission of the church are but a few examples of what the contemporary church trips over today.   Well aware of this trend, consumer-driven pastors routinely smooth out the rough edges of Scripture that might otherwise offend their satisfied customers.  In so doing evangelical leaders hinder the maturation of Christ's bride.

It is time for the "mile-wide and an inch-deep" evangelical church to grow up (see Hebrews 5:12-14, Colossians 1:28-29)!  "Lord Jesus Christ, revive Your Church in this, her crucial hour!  Lord Jesus Christ, awake Your Church with Spirit-given power."   God help us all.