Has the Church Lost Its Mind?

 

 

 

Quotation

 

I think this is the time for us to humble ourselves. This is a time for us to weep for ourselves and our land. Our world is a mess. The church appears to have lost its mind. What are we becoming, what will happen to us and our children? Have we approached a cataclysmic reordering of our priorities? Does this present challenge qualify for such a change? We must defend each other from this challenge by Satan. We must stand with Jesus, who never changes. When we stand with Jesus, this gives us a certain hope for the future.

 

Barry Denzil Haney, MD

 

Scripture

 

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 

2 Corinthians 4:1-4

 

Reflection

 

Has the church lost its mind? In the spirit of religious tolerance, some Christian thinkers have embraced pluralism, the belief that all religions are equally valid pathways to God, with no need for Christ and the belief no single religion can claim to have the final word on truth. This postmodernist thinking leads to a moral relativism where judging what is right and wrong is a matter of personal taste.

 

Religion based on this kind of postmodern thinking leads to a cookie-cutter type of spirituality and idolatry, not requiring institutional religion. These postmodernists believe Christians are exclusivists who are arrogant and intolerant of other faiths, not to be trusted or believed.

 

The danger for those postmodernists who believe in religious pluralism and moral relativism comes from the slippery road they travel along. This intellectual journey may lead the individual further away from the foundation of his Christian faith. When Jesus is no longer the subject, a belief in humanism, followed by agnosticism and even atheism may soon follow.

 

Yes, today’s church has lost its mind! David Watson agrees stating “we have lost the mind of Christ.” (Watson)

 

Author and leadership coach, Bob Dale believes culture is shaping churches today and points to two powerful influences affecting today’s church, individualism and consumerism. He states, ““In most American denominations and religious bodies, it’s more a me faith. It’s more individuals. We’re more self-absorbed. That’s really not very biblical.” (Kaylor)

 

In his article, “Four Reasons the Church Has Lost Its Power”, Trevor DeVage gives us the following reasons Satan has succeeded and the church has lost its power: sin is less offensive; heaven is less appealing; hell is less horrific; there is less urgency in preaching the Gospel. (DeVage)

 

Religious non-affiliation in the United States has risen from 5% in 1972 to 23% in 2018 based on the source, General Social Survey. According to the Atlantic, this grab bag includes atheists, agnostics, and spiritual dabblers. (Thompson) In this same article, Derek Thompson believes “religion has lost its halo effect in the past three decades, not because science drove God from the public square, but rather because politics did.”

 

In his article, “8 Reasons Why the Church Lost the Culture Wars in North America”, Joseph Mattera gives us these eight reasons for the loss of church influence in today’s church: pastors have abandoned the Gospel of the Kingdom; the 1954 Johnson amendment resulted in the legal ability to revoke the 501C3 non-profit status of churches; church growth has become more important than making disciples; the secularists on the Left have become more committed; the Church has become more relevant to the culture, providing therapeutic motivational messages instead of preaching the truth of the Gospel; believers use God to chase the American dream; Christians on the Right are more focused on politics instead of Jesus; the Evangelical Church has been divided politically.

 

With all of this negativity, what are we to do about the church? First, we need to realize the church is not a human invention, it’s God’s idea. Most of the New Testament is about the work of the church that Jesus started and ordained. As a Christian, church is not something we go to, we are the church. If we try to get rid of the church, we will need to get rid of Jesus. The only way to change the direction of the church is to stand with Jesus, who never changes. When we stand with Jesus, this gives us hope for the future and will result in changes in the hearts of those falling for the lies and deceptions of Satan.

 

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

 

Ephesians 4:11-16

 

Illustration

 

In any flesh-and-bones body, there are a variety of cells. There are nerve cells, blood cells, muscle cells, and many others, each having a distinct function. The body operates smoothly, not because the cells get together and vote on what to do, but because each one does what it was designed to do. It is the function of the head to bring all these different functions together, so that the body operates effectively as each cell gives itself to the task of functioning according to its design.

 

Certainly the body would not operate properly if its cells chose to go their own way. Do you know what we call a rebellion of the cells of your stomach? We call it indigestion! A revolt of your brain cells is called insanity. Any time the cells in our body don’t operate properly, it means that the body is sick, that something is wrong with it.

 

Many of the problems in the church today are a result of our forgetting that the church is a body with a head, Jesus Christ. Instead we sometimes try to operate the church as an organization. As a result, the church has no more power than any other human organization at work in the world. (Green)

 

Prayer

 

Our Heavenly Father,

 

Help us to remember that it’s time for us to humble ourselves. 

We must defend each other from this challenge by Satan.

We must stand with Jesus, who never changes. When

we stand with Jesus, this gives us a certain hope for the future!

 

Protect us from the negative influences of individualism

and consumerism, which are destroying our churches today!

Help us to stand with Jesus in everything we do to help

protect us from the lies and deceptions of Satan!

 

In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

 

Amen!

 

Worship

 

Never Lost by Elevation Worship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVjHGYcz3CU

 

God Bless You,

Barry

 

Watson, David. “When the Church Loses Its Mind.” Firebrand Magazine, November 16, 2020. https://firebrandmag.com/articles/when-the-church-loses-its-mind. 

 

Kaylor, Brian. “Experts Warn That the Church Has Lost Its Way - and Its Influence.” Baptist News Global, February 14, 2017. https://baptistnews.com/article/experts-warn-that-the-church-has-lost-its-way-and-its-influence/. 

 

DeVage, Trevor. “FOUR REASONS THE CHURCH HAS LOST ITS POWER.” Trevor DeVage. Trevor DeVage, December 5, 2018. https://www.trevordevage.com/blog/5/12/2018/four-reasons-the-church-has-lost-its-power. 

Thompson, Derek. “Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why?” The Atlantic, September 26, 2019. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/atheism-fastest-growing-religion-us/598843/. 

 

Mattera, Joseph. “8 Reasons Why the Church Lost the Culture Wars in North America.” Mattera Ministries International, January 12, 2021. https://josephmattera.org/reasons-church-lost-culture-wars-2/. 

 

Green, Michael P. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.