The Church Today

23 January, 2011

Once upon a time, the church of Jesus Christ was considered an important institution and played a central role in society.

This is not so today in the West.

It is not too far-fetched to say that the world has successfully marginalized the church in our era. Christianity is tolerated more than accepted. Society is willing to put up with the church out of politeness that it is a historical heritage.

Just as the early church was able to flourish in the midst of persecution, the church may yet be revived by the Spirit because of its perilous position.

When the Roman Emperor, Constantine made Christianity its official religion, he wielded a double-edged sword.

The church steadily gained power and became the dominant culture, building the basic infrastructure with Judeo-Christian beliefs. However with the passing of time, discipleship suffered a deadly blow even though church membership grew exponentially. Before long, the world’s values have crept into the church and the church and the world increasingly became one. In prosperity, the church began to rot from within.

It is time to recover our discipleship call. It is time for the church to reclaim our witness to the world as an alternate culture. A community of saints set apart by God for holy living, different from the world and of relevance and service to the society.

To do so, we must be strong in our doctrine of the church. The church exists as a reminder to the world that there is a God. The people of God must exemplify what it means to live as holy people in service to a lost world.

It is time for Christ’s church to be serious about being church. We do it to our peril if we ignore God’s call. How else can our generations and the world be saved; if not through the testimony of the church?