Of the World

I have begun reading a new book. I try to always find something to blog about when I'm reading. The new book is: "Comeback Churches -How 300 churches turned around and yours can too."

In the first chapter of the book, while the authors are trying to lay the foundation, I read this sentence. "It's ironic that most evangelical churches are filled with people who live very much like the world but look different from it. It should be exactly the opposite. We should look similar to those in our community but act differently."

Those lines immediately struck a chord with me. I stopped reading further and reread those lines. The authors go on to comment that our church members "engage in the same lifestyles and sins as the unchurched." The church today has ceased to follow biblical commands.

We can't tell the difference between the churched and the unchurched, so how are we as the church supposed to be able to reach the unchurched? The Bible says that we are to be "peculiar" people. We are to live differently so the unchurched can see the difference Christ has made in our lives. When our lifestyles are the same as the unchurched then Christ can't be seen.

Is it any wonder why our churches are not growing? How can the church reach the unchurched when the church acts like the unchurched? She can't!

Evangelical churches need to become just that - 'evangelical.' The world needs to see that we live and act differently; then and only then will they be able to see Jesus and the change that He can make in their lives.