The second question addresses our current progress in living out loud. In verse 10, Peter draws a contrast, which has implications to us today. To the readers, he contrasts what they were, with what they are now, "for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY."
His language smacks of the adoption process. When a child is taken out of one environment and is placed into a new environment, it changes their identity altogether. If you contrasted what you were with what you are now, how much difference would there be?
According to a couple of reports, here is how we as the Body of Christ are doing in the realm of living up to the change that has supposedly taken place. In the National and International Religion Report, October 1990, p.8, Gallup Poll. This study said that one third of American adults say they have had a born again experience. The survey finds that there is little difference in the behavior of these born again Christians before and after their conversion experiences. In three major categories – use of illegal drugs, driving while intoxicated and marital infidelity – behavior actually deteriorates after a commitment to Christ. The incidence of drug use and illicit sex roughly doubles after conversion and incidence of drunk-driving triples.
A more recent Barna study (2003) said that 84% of adults claim to be Christian, three out of four say they are either absolutely or somewhat committed to Christianity, and three-fifths say they believe the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches and yet many of these people contend that the following behaviors are morally acceptable:
His language smacks of the adoption process. When a child is taken out of one environment and is placed into a new environment, it changes their identity altogether. If you contrasted what you were with what you are now, how much difference would there be?
According to a couple of reports, here is how we as the Body of Christ are doing in the realm of living up to the change that has supposedly taken place. In the National and International Religion Report, October 1990, p.8, Gallup Poll. This study said that one third of American adults say they have had a born again experience. The survey finds that there is little difference in the behavior of these born again Christians before and after their conversion experiences. In three major categories – use of illegal drugs, driving while intoxicated and marital infidelity – behavior actually deteriorates after a commitment to Christ. The incidence of drug use and illicit sex roughly doubles after conversion and incidence of drunk-driving triples.
A more recent Barna study (2003) said that 84% of adults claim to be Christian, three out of four say they are either absolutely or somewhat committed to Christianity, and three-fifths say they believe the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches and yet many of these people contend that the following behaviors are morally acceptable:
1. cohabitation (60%)
2. adultery (42%)
3. sexual relations between homosexuals (30%)
4. abortion (45%)
5. pornography (38%)
6. the use of profanity (36%)
7. gambling (61%)
8. Research shows that only 4% of adults, and just 9% of born again Christians, have a biblical worldview.
That last statistic basically says that even though we believe the Bible, we either don't know it well enough to line up their lives with it or we don't care! If what we live does not line up with what we profess to believe, there is a serious problem. This is the very heart of what James wrote about in his letter; true faith cannot be without works. A former pastor of mine expresses it like this, "While the authenticity of message of the gospel is not compromised, the credibility of the messenger is. Whether we like it or not, how people see us affects whether or not they accept the validity of the gospel." He goes on to say that if it has little impact on how we live our lives and how we treat one another, why would they [the nonbelievers] want to subject themselves to it? Of course it would be better if they evaluated the message of the Gospel based solely on the person and work of Christ, but they don’t. People take into account what they see in His followers.
Dan Kimball, a pastor and author in California, states in his book, They Like Jesus but Not the Church, that a huge number of the younger emerging generation, and non-Christians in general, have developed certain perceptions of the Church and Christians and will have nothing to do with the church because they believe the following 6 things about us:
1. the church is an organized religion with a political agenda
2. the church is judgmental and negative
3. the church is dominated by males and oppresses females
4. the church is homophobic
5. the church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong
6. the church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally
One of the main problems with these statements is that those who made them, most of them, according to Kimball, don’t even know any Christians. So, they form their opinions based on what they see in the media and movies. That tells me that we, as a church, have failed to engage these people. How many non-believers do you know and have relationships with? Do you treat them as targets or has people? Do you want the media speaking on your behalf? Kimball noted that the bulk of the issues that were raised had less to with message that it did attitude and heart. When we deal with issues of the heart, we deal with the area of spiritual control. Who is in control of your heart? I will discuss the necessary adjustments to make tomorrow.
That last statistic basically says that even though we believe the Bible, we either don't know it well enough to line up their lives with it or we don't care! If what we live does not line up with what we profess to believe, there is a serious problem. This is the very heart of what James wrote about in his letter; true faith cannot be without works. A former pastor of mine expresses it like this, "While the authenticity of message of the gospel is not compromised, the credibility of the messenger is. Whether we like it or not, how people see us affects whether or not they accept the validity of the gospel." He goes on to say that if it has little impact on how we live our lives and how we treat one another, why would they [the nonbelievers] want to subject themselves to it? Of course it would be better if they evaluated the message of the Gospel based solely on the person and work of Christ, but they don’t. People take into account what they see in His followers.
Dan Kimball, a pastor and author in California, states in his book, They Like Jesus but Not the Church, that a huge number of the younger emerging generation, and non-Christians in general, have developed certain perceptions of the Church and Christians and will have nothing to do with the church because they believe the following 6 things about us:
1. the church is an organized religion with a political agenda
2. the church is judgmental and negative
3. the church is dominated by males and oppresses females
4. the church is homophobic
5. the church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong
6. the church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally
One of the main problems with these statements is that those who made them, most of them, according to Kimball, don’t even know any Christians. So, they form their opinions based on what they see in the media and movies. That tells me that we, as a church, have failed to engage these people. How many non-believers do you know and have relationships with? Do you treat them as targets or has people? Do you want the media speaking on your behalf? Kimball noted that the bulk of the issues that were raised had less to with message that it did attitude and heart. When we deal with issues of the heart, we deal with the area of spiritual control. Who is in control of your heart? I will discuss the necessary adjustments to make tomorrow.
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