This is what has happen in the church. We've not passed on the faith to our children in our generation, and we've lost them to the institutions we've abandoned to the culture. We've done everything wrong and it all started with that first disobedience of not training our children and passing on the faith as instructed in Deuteronomy Chapt. 6:
"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
When we didn't teach and train, and show by example, we lead our own children astray. But we also allowed the culture to convince us that our faith is something that must only be within our four walls at home, and not something that should encompass our politics, our morality, our education, our science, our ethics, our joy, our entertainment, our relationships, our stewardship to our neighbors and society, etc.
And because of all of this, the church has had to endure that much more force against it. The falling away and abandoning the faith with resentment has been staggering. And where does one go when they abandon the faith?... to false religion which also includes atheism and secularism.
The rise of anti-Christian anger and intolerance also increases when the church has no answers, and many fall back into paganism and false Christianity.
We see this anger and resentment growing as a culture which has been so ripped up with strife and deceit looks towards the original institution which it was supposed to have found answers, but now can only see a tattered image of what once was but is now impotent to bring any power to people's lives.
Unfortunately, people will always look to themselves and to men to find answers because men were the ones God left on the earth to teach and lead. But when those teachers are drunk with sin, cowardice and no power, they can't lead anyone.
Once The Spirit of Truth is gone, there is no power, and darkness sets in. The only thing to remove darkness is light (Truth).
Until then what's left is less light and no power but many former churches that are now simply social clubs of false piety baking cookies collecting a few bags of canned goods for a couple of less fortunate in the community but that's it.
There are no real evangelistic ministries to hit the streets to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, there are no programs to try and get the communities out of the dependence of failing public school curriculums, no visiting the prisoners, the poor or the widowed, etc., ... and most churches are within a 1-mile radius of a local abortion clinic. What's needed is for the church to GO OUT to be fishers of men -- NOT concentrate so much effort to invite anyone to "Church"! Church is where we fellowship but the fish are in the ocean and OUTSIDE of the fellowship.
There's too much time and effort to grow in numbers for the wrong motive and not enough to slave between brethren and brethren in discipleship.
No power to bring change because there's NO Holy Spirit.
Instead, the spirit of anger grows and teaches the oppressed to become more hateful than their oppressors and those seeking something to believe in get enticed with sweet sounding lies to get them believing in fluff, false peace, and false pursuits of prosperity. The world, the flesh and the devil does whatever it wants with them because there is no agitating Spirit within men to destroy the works of evil.
But I believe that while a remnant remains, the power of The Holy Spirit will continue moving. We will suffer loss because of our disobedience (the law of sowing and reaping) but even now pray that the God of the harvest will bring forth laborers.
To God be the glory!
