". . .that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:10).
The contemporary church seems to mirror the contemporary culture at large. Divorce, addiction, abuse and infidelity rates are nearly the same in the church as outside it. This is extremely troubling to me, but it reminds me of a statement made by a great Christian thinker, 'A Christian may be no more moral than anyone else, but this is what makes him different; he knows he is a sinner and is trying to do something about it.' At least that much is positive!
Are we missing something as we do church? We have emphasized meeting "felt needs." Perhaps we need to get back to meeting real needs because personal happiness seems to be the felt need of most of our church members. Is the Spirit being formed in our people? It is interesting to note that the divorce rate within the Catholic Church is lower than the general population while in evangelical and "Spirit-filled" churches it is a bit higher than the general population. Could it be that the reason for this is the emphasis on God's grace and making the easy assumption that God will forgive? Has grace become "cheap" in evangelical churches?
I am not saying I have answers. I do believe that the Church is a hospital for sinners and that it is in this environment that the greatest battles for souls are waged! It could well be for this reason that the church reflects what is going on in the culture at large. The Church is not an accident. It is not the creation of men; it exists by God's creation, design and provision. The Church will fulfill it's purpose!
Grace&Peace;
Tom
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