The New Bereans

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  Luke 24:5

Looking over much of what we label Christianity.  I see multitudes of walking dead.  An army like the one spoken of in Ezekiel, which was built of bones covered in sinew but utterly destitute of life.  Long ago Jesus told the Pharisees “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me“1. And many are erring in the same ways today.  Going to Bible studies yet lacking any real relationship with Christ.  In our preaching the fire and the passion are gone; in our congregations purity is the exception and rarely the rule.

Don’t get me wrong there are scattered saints and, passionate preachers throughout the land; but when you look at your average person identifying themselves as Christians, you rarely see anyone resembling an early church believer; and when you listen to your average Pastor, you often find someone sounding a lot more like Dr. Phil than John the Baptist.

Where is the fire?  Where is the purity? Where are the transformed lives? We have substituted entertaining for exposition, comedy for conviction, and principle for pragmatism.  We have built the church we desired, and we have the church we deserve.

What is the answer?  Repent!  Turn from your wicked ways.  Stop supporting pastors who make you fell comfortable living in sin.  Read your Bible, burn “The Prayer of Jabez,” and “The Shack,”.  Stop drinking from the fountains of Babylon, drink your tears instead.  Let the words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Joel be our guide. . . “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; “and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” Joel 2:13

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14

1. John 5:39 NKJV