Steven Moen, Minot
We had a very interesting lady at our church from Voice of the Martyr's ministries and it was an eye-opener to say the least. She has been all over the world with VOM reaching out to the persecuted Christian churches in countries unfriendly to Christians. The worst persecutor of Christians is North Korea followed by all the Muslim countries and the communist countries like China.
In many of these countries it illegal to gather together to even have church yet these Christians risk life and limb to do so. She had many stories of people getting beaten, tortured, raped, and even killed just to hear the message of Jesus. Many even go back after being tortured just to worship with fellow believers knowing full well they could be killed if they are caught. Nothing seems to stop these believers so VOM does what ever it can to get them Bibles and various supplies they need.
How different from here, where people have many excuses not to attend church. It's too hot, it's too cold, there's a game on TV, Sunday's my day of rest and the list goes on.
It might be that the churches have lost their relevance in that they are too interested in being politically correct and don't want to offend anyone. This lady correctly stated that political correctness is from Satan and the results of it prove it to be so. Just look at all the shootings in the news. The church is too busy trying to fit into the ever-changing society instead of being the salt and the light.
Homosexuality is an abomination, not an alternative lifestyle and definitely not to be condoned and promoted by the church.
Abortion is murder, not the choice of the mother as some political groups promote and many churchgoers agree with and some even provide abortion services.
Living with someone outside of marriage is wrong yet it's widely accepted and many do this.
The government no matter how powerful is not God and shouldn't be looked to as such but sadly it is.
Which is more loving, a church that preaches and teaches about sin and its consequences along with the gospel of grace and in doing so offends some or one that doesn't but tries to not offend anyone and in doing so lets all suffer the consequences of sin they don't know about because the church didn't tell them? After all isn't the church filled with sinners, saved by grace?
It is high time the Christians get back to being the salt and the light and demanding that their churches do likewise other wise as it says in Luke we won't be fit for the soil or the manure pile.
Romans 1:18 and following depict what happens when God abandons a nation and in reading it, it is easy to see that the United States is pretty much abandoned.