Here’s what we know… the Church will never fall. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18: “Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Okay, so we got it. But while the Church will never fail, will it ever become weak? I would say ABSOLUTELY. In fact, the Church today (I’m talking about the corporate church) is very weak. And I believe the weakness of the church can be attributed to one word… COMPROMISE. We are a compromised Church. Here are three things the Church has compromised…
The Gospel! The Church has been preaching a watered-down gospel for decades and it’s getting worse. Many churches have strayed from the TRUE gospel in an attempt to make Christianity more appealing to outsiders. They use human creativity, flashy sermons, strobing lights, and entertainment to make Christ as appealing as they can. Rather than help people out of their sin, they dismiss it, never talking to them about the depravity of their hearts and the remedy through the cross. So the question is… Do these things work? NO! Why is that? Because Paul said in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel (or the Good News) is the POWER alone for salvation.
Morally! Here’s the thing… the things that use to appall us we don’t even bat an eye lid to any more. We have a really hard time recognizing sin these days. The Church is full of immorality. Peter says in 1 Peter 1:15: “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.” And Paul says in Romans 12:2: “Don’t copy the customs and behavior of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
Are Christians living this way? Is the Church living up to the Bible’s standards? Not really! Within the Church, there is a lot of sexual impurity, greed, jealousy, discord, and compromise. But if we took Peter’s words and Paul’s exhortation verbatim, this means that we are to live righteously, truthfully, and with great integrity. We should strive to live the way God tells us to live rather than the way we want to live. Therefore, it’s important we become very careful about the things we watch, the things we listen to, and the things we endorse.
Courageously! Here’s the thing, the Church is supposed to be bold and stand up against the evils of this world. We see this throughout the New Testament. But here are a few questions… Where was the Church when one atheist went to the Supreme Court and demanded that prayer be taken out of the schools? Or when one person positioned to have abortion legalized? Or where was the Church when the LBGTQ demanded rights for their evil agendas? Or where was the Church when Muslims positioned to have Christian plaques and crosses removed from buildings and cities? Where was the Church when Hitler was killing thousands of Jewish people and others who did not side with his evil plans?
Let me say too… Christians are known to vote for the candidate that they like or their preference, rather than the one who stands closest to biblical values. And this has brought in godless leaders who have sought to destroy our country. And then we wonder why we’re in such bad shape. The Bible warns against compromise. Elijah was warning against it when he said to the people of God, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21)!
When Joshua was getting ready to conquer the land, God said to him, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9) The same is true of how we are to live in this world… like Stephen, we are to stand up and speak up when we see things that go against God’s Word. Let’s not be part of the problem… let’s be part of the solution.
Let’s be careful that we do not compromise. It’s not too late to strengthen the weakened Church.