The Statistics Are Staggering

You may have to forgive me if I take a lot of what pastors such as Francis Chan and David Platt have to say about what it means to live a Biblical life. It’s only because I believe they speak the truth about God’s Word. They do not sugar coat what Jesus was trying to tell us in the gospels even if it means having people walk away.

So, I mentioned yesterday about getting uncomfortable. Let me give you some statistics that might help you with that. Only about 18% of Americans attend any church regularly – 82% don’t. We all know that going to church does not make you a Christian but bear with me as I show you the decline of Christianity in America. Thousands of Evangelicals walk away from their churches every day and most don’t come back. Skepticism is growing and apathy about spiritual matters seems to be at an all-time high. The fastest growing faith groups in the country are atheists and nonbelievers. According to a survey of young adults conducted by Lifeway Christian Resources, 65% rarely or never pray with others; 38% almost never pray by themselves either; 65% rarely or never attend worship services of any kind; and 67% don't read the Bible or any other religious texts on a regular basis.

It does not take an expert to see the many reasons that lie beneath these statistics. We live in a country that is consumed by materialism and consumerism. Our churches are spending more money living out the American church dream by building fancy churches to put productions on each week instead of on the poor who are without the gospel, food, shelter, and clothing. Our society has painted an unfortunate picture on how life should be, and with those of us who have children, we are in an uphill battle to teach them differently.

In my upcoming posts, I want to give you a glimpse into another world where people are so hungry for God and His Word that they will risk everything, even their lives, just to know more about Him. As I heard these stories, my heart was broken because I know that I have become way too comfortable with life and my walk with Christ. We will also study Jesus’ teachings on what it means to be a follower of Him.

I challenge you today to start reading through the Gospels and really focusing on the Words of Jesus. Remember, His Words are the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). It’s time to start living the life that He calls us to live.