Time To Raise The Bar

Statistically the Church is viewed as being in explosive growth, but only four percent of this generation claims the name of Christ. The Church has always been viewed as a place of redemption and sanctification, but in today’s media its boundaries and standards have been jaded and skewed. Has society done this, or has the body of the church brought it upon itself?
The walls of the church are still viewed as refuge to the weak, but has our definition of the weak changed? At one time the body of the church rallied around the lost, the forgotten, and the hurting and brought them the truth and strength through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Now, the body of the Church is hiding behind the safety of its own walls from the persecution of the world. Many believers have gone from proactive to immobile.
On page fourteen of An Unstoppable Force Erwin McManus writes, “We [the church] have chose standardization over uniqueness. We have chosen predictability over surprise. And without realizing it, to our own regret, we have chosen comfort and convenience over servanthood and sacrifice.” Some churches defy this norm, such as Healing Place Church, but what about the other 699 million members of the protestant belief, 1.2 billion Catholics, and the 77 million Anglicanism believers? (Wikipedia) Protestant churches are full of revivals and the Holy Ghost, but all they seem to do is “keep the holy, holy.” Then the Catholics are all about God’s forgiveness. If they are able to give one true message it would be that God covers all, but they portray very little of the sanctification the body of the Church should have for itself. God’s sanctity is all we need, true, but God calls us to live with sanctified bodies.
As God’s chosen people Christians are called to be set apart. They are not called to be set apart with just their “title” as a Christian, but also in all ways of living. God calls believers to be set apart not to hinder them but with hopes of, “…attaining yet greater perfection in living this life.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1 Amplified) In Thessalonians 4:1-8 God has specifically called follower of Christ to live a sanctified life; one pleasing to God and viewed by man.
Finally, we have the 77 million Anglicanism believers, whom I have never heard of so there is obviously not much global effect here. From what I understood about them on Wickipedia I would safely assume that they are another group, much like the Catholics, that is caught up in its traditions and much like the Protestant keeping the holy, holy. Again, this is an assumption, but I feel that we as the Church should be so bold in our faith that there would not be room for supposition.
Many great Christians are doing great things, but the majority of the Christian population fails to even present Christ-like character six days of the week. I am not trying to harp on anyone because I know for myself that much work needs to be done, but what will it take for us to awaken ourselves to this situation? The first step is accepting the problem, now it’s time to fix it.
(Some of these numbers may be dated due to the fact that research for this was done months ago)

A Life Making Lemonade

I would like everyone to know that God is good! No matter what you have done, where you have been, how many times you have "back slid", or where you currently are; God is good and He loves you.

Life has been crazy for me since forever. I grew up in church, had many years of "making a testimony", found church again, played church for almost two years, and now I am finally grasping the love and power of God. I am finally being radically restored and made too and it feels amazing! I am 23 and I am only 23. I thank God that He caught me so young. But no matter your age or time in your "race of life" God can still turn things around.

Remember the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector? (Luke 19) How does the song go... "...a little old man was he..." It wasn't his age that mattered, but his heart. His exterior may have been hard and old, but his heart was looking for something new and fresh. Be a new heart for Jesus!