How Watered Down Are You?

When was the last time you pulled an audit on your self?  When was the last time you pulled an audit on your church? Home? Family?  I asked myself this just a few minutes ago when driving home from Kendra’s house.  Then I asked myself, how watered down are you?  Watered down Christianity is like an epidemic plaguing our churches and the biggest conundrum and deceit, satan is the producer.  I’ll repeate that because later it will be important, Satan is the producer.

We as Christians stopped holding ourselves to a higher standard.  We are the text book definition of carnal, we sin then pray for forgiveness, sin then pray for forgiveness, then sin again.  We literally play Russian Roulette with Satan the only problem is the chamber is full so every time we pull the trigger we are killing our testimony not to mention nailing Christ to the cross over and over.  When did we lay down our shield and stop protecting ourselves from the world?  When did worldy pleasure out weigh our spiritual gain?  It started when we allowed Satan a foothold into places he never should have been.

If you go back 100 years and look at the church do you think it’s mirrored in the church today?  Of course not.  But why not?  The is a fast food generation,  people want instant gratification.  Churches fail to wait on God, so they go out and do what they think is best.  They add these new things in to “Attract” new members.  But what kind of new things?  New music, new lighting systems, new attractions, new preachers, new screens, new new new new.  But what was wrong with the old?  “Well, people just don’t like the red back hymnal, they like the light shows, the big screens, the new age preachers.”   It’s because it appeals to the senses, but senses are worldy.  I used to walk into this local church I loved it, it smelled old, the pews were ugly, the songs were old…we didn’t have the new…in fact even the carpet was old.  I remember when I was a kid sitting under the preaching of a man who God brought fire through.  Preaching that would scare a kid but make him feel blessed all at the same time.  Preaching that 20+ years later rang true in my ears and seeds from so long ago God brought to harvest.  This same church fell apart when Satan came through the doors, this same church scrambled to bring back true worship, and by true I don’t mean the make you skin tingle and goosebumps come up on your arms.  Worship, I mean you feeling it deep in your soul making you realize you’re nothing but by the wonderful grace of God I’m saved kind of worship.  To this day, I’m unsure about this church and many others.  Did God tell you to, or did you decide to add in the things of the world.

We bring this stuff in and we water it down.  Our preachers have to look cool so they don’t wear their Sunday best, might I add losing all reference to the pulpit.  We have massive bands to preform for the audience, light shows to get you in the mood, and coffee bars to help make it a little more like home.  But for what?  New members?  I’d rather have a congregation of 10 solid believers that a mega church of lukewarm watered down Christians.  What would our forefathers say?  It wouldn’t matter our church would call them legalistic for thinking women should dress in modesty, men should be leaders, children should obey their parents, and preachers should preach the truth.

This is our modern church.  This is what’s become of our heritage, passed down from generation to generation.  God, to many has become a vending machine, churches a social gathering, and who produced it?  None other than Satan himself.  These entertainment centers we call church are little more than feel good Satan domes where everyone is saved but no one wants to address their sinful ways.  The kicker is what’s coming next.

Next, God is going to pull back.  Next, God is going to say, you didn’t want it my way so you have it your way.  Next, the Holy Spirit stops manifesting in the church.  But the bad thing is, fast food entitled Christians won’t even know the difference because it’s been so long since they let God do what God does, they won’t even know he’s gone.  Call me legalistic, call me old fashion, tell me I’m wrong that your churches aren’t production facilities.  But I want a church where God is the reason for every season, a church that is more than a social gathering, a church where the Holy Spirit is there every Sunday.  And I want to be a lion among the sheep.  I want to be a man of courage, a leader, a friend, a co worker, a husband after Gods own heart.  I want God to say step and then I move.  But most of all I want to be on fire, not like warm and watered down.