THE IMPOTENT CHURCH

How does the church lose its potency? What is potency? What is the mission of the church supposed to be anyway? And how can one life make a difference?

I've been thinking about these things for the past couple days ever since I had a conversation with someone that made me sad. I humbly postulate that worldliness is a thriving cancer in the church, at least in this nation. We gladly swallow the lie that what we consume with our eyes and ears will have no effect on us. I include myself in this indictment. What is the major avenue by which the spirit of this age enters our eyes and ears and poisons our hearts and sears our consciousness? The media. Lately I have tried to be in the habit of praying while preparing to pay at the grocery store. I pray that the filth being sold at the checkout won't grab my attention. I pray that the Lord will avert my eyes. (See Psalm 101). Many times I fail. What saddened me in this recent conversation was to hear a Christian unconcerned about watching a certain movie which glorified sinful, and can I say evil, behavior. I said that I strive not to laugh at what God calls evil.

One of the many ways this worldliness has infected me is in the way I speak about sin. God calls sinful behavior evil and abhorrent. There is no doubt about how God feels about sin. But I shy away from saying certain behaviors are sinful or evil. I'd rather use a more moderate tone and more palatable words.

Today I was reading a little book by Spurgeon called The Key to Holiness. He says this ~

"You who profess to be followers of Christ, I pray that you will set a high value upon purity of life and godliness of conversation. Consider the blood of Christ as the foundation of your hope, but never speak disparagingly of the work of the Spirit, which makes you fit for "the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). Yes, prize it; prize it so heartily that you dread the very appearance of evil."

In 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Paul says, "Avoid every kind of evil."

How do we get to the point where we dread the very appearance of evil? In my humble opinion, I think the main thing is this -- Pondering the Cross and the horrifying suffering our Savior went through as propitiation for our sins should put within us such a holy fear of God that we would never think to laugh and be entertained by what is evil. I pray with all my heart that I don't get jaded, that I never cease to be amazed at what the Cross accomplished and how the Spirit has made me fit for the inheritance of the saints in light. More programs and bigger churches are not going to infuse the church with a godly potency. More Christians living holy and distinct lives before the face of God will.