Characteristics of many modern churches: Part II

As we discussed in Part I, many modern American churches have become a weak representation of the Almighty God serving flesh and sin rather than God.  Let us examine the modern American church according to the Bible.

Characteristic number 3 is there is more focus on the community rather than God.  A community is defined as a socially connected group of any size whose members share government, common cultural and historical heritage, public, or society.  While Christians should share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their community in evangelism, many modern churches only focus on being a part of the community with social activities and little to no Gospel being shared. 

Acts 2:41-47 displays that many people that were part of the early church gladly received Peter’s preaching of Jesus Christ, were baptized, and were continuing in the doctrine of the apostles that were originally taught by Jesus to His disciples.  Many modern American churches focus on the doctrine of “good” as opposed to the Gospel.  This gives the false sense of feeling good without the Good News of Jesus Christ.  As faithfulness to doctrine, prayer, and fellowship (AKA church attendance) was found among the people signs and wonders were evident through the biblical leaders as confirmation of God’s Word.  These verses also describe as having all things in common, but this was a voluntary assisting to believers in a time of persecution as opposed to an attitude of making everyone equal much like the socialist agenda found not only in America but within many modern American churches.

“As every man had need” found in verse 45 is not equality or reliance on the wealth of everyone else but the help for those that needed temporary as-sistance.  Vocabulary used by many of these churches is a key element to discern which churches fall into this category. 

Colossians 2:4 warns that Christians should not allow others to use deceiving or empty words to persuade them into things.  Using words of flattery or words that originate from a doctrine that opposes the Christian faith is a common practice within many modern American churches.

 Let us examine some of these vocabulary words used by modern churches and see what they really mean in the context of true Christian faith.  Let’s be authentic in our fake Christianity.  Let’s do good in the community while ignoring the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commis-sion for God.  Let’s have a conversation to convince others that sin is acceptable.  Let’s be compassionate to those in the community to feel good about ourselves.  Let’s be casual to create the right atmosphere to relax in during the entertainment created to be the church.  Let’s engage in a lifestyle that pleases flesh and opposes God.  Let’s go on a faith journey to travel the roads we de-sire and declare it is God’s plan.  Let’s be relevant to modern culture to please our flesh and fulfill youthful lusts while labeling it as God.  Let’s be intentional in the perversion of the Gospel by being a friend to the sinful world. 

Christians and the church should be more focused on the things of God as opposed to being a copy of things or people of the world (Colossians 3:1-2).  Churches are to reflect the culture of God not the culture of the age.  Being a friend to the world makes that person or church an enemy of God (James 4:4).  May churches everywhere begin to get back to the Word of God as well as the culture of God to get people born again and make disciples of Jesus Christ.