Why They Don't Believe? Part #2

Isaiah 53:1  Who hath believed our report?  This question is reiterated twice in the New Testament, by Jesus in John 12:38 and by Paul in Romans 10:16.  It is a question that the church should ask repeatedly.  Doing so will allow will allow the pastors and the members to self-check themselves for errors.  The truth of our message cannot be determined by the number of people who turn out to hear what we have to say. A message of earthly prosperity and favors is more attractive to the masses than a message that teaches of blessing we will receive in the kingdom of heaven.  The purity of the gospel should not be tamper with for the sake of generating a following or creating a "but God" moment. Jesus attempted to put everything in the proper perspective in Matthew 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  

The proliferation of the church and the shaped or tainted message emulating from the church is at the forefront of the lack of believability in God.  The amplification of blessing and favor to create that, 'but God' moment is not scripturally supported, nor is it believable to many of us who are suffering. Many have learned as Paul did, to be contented with our 'throne in the flesh'. There are two types of churches at play, there is the church that was ordained by Jesus and established by Paul, which is accessible anywhere two or three meet. This church caters to the spiritual need of its member.  This church was not a building with a cross on top.  Then, there is the organized, denominational church created by man, lorded over by men. This church caters to the need of its leaders.  Jesus addressed the transformation of these church in his letters to the seven representative churches in the book of Revelation. 

Jesus sent seven letters to the church.  In each of those letters, he admonished the church to retain its status of purity.  Jesus final message to the church was a message of condemnation.  Every since the publication of my first book, "My Search For The Real God", I have endured many tongue lashings because of what is said my disrespect for the Church.  I was even asked if I believed in God.  With the publication of my second work on religion, "Understanding The Word Of God", I was criticized for what some called a blatant attack on the church and it leadership.  As a matter of fact, many refuse to associate with me because of what they perceive to be an anti-Christian views.

Each of these churches represented a church age from the day of Pentecost until the day the church is caught up to meet Christ in the air.  Each letter amplified the decline in the church as a spiritual body and Jesus threaten to remove their light "candlestick". The letter to the seventh church which I believe is representative of today's church age, an apostate church that Jesus said because you are neither hot not cold, I will spew you out of my mouth. Jesus final plea was not made to a church building, but to the individuals who holds the church within their heart. Revelation 3:6 HE that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.  

This verse instructs the individual to hear what the spirit is saying to the church. Revelation 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:20-22 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

If we asked the right questions and proceeded to find the answer, it would allow us to explore the reason "why they don't believe us?' This question should be at the forefront of our daily walk with God.   The question is they don't believe. For me to answer that question I must destroy one of the many sacred calves we have created.  In the midst of the rubble maybe we will stop and think. At the risk of being redundant, mainstream Christianity is speedily digressing into a religion that is constantly searching for that, "but God" moment.  To justify the inability to present the Gospel of the Kingdom in a believable manner, there are those who will quote John 12:32 out of context in which it was spoken. They began by stating that Jesus said, all we have to do is lift him up and he will do the drawing. John 12:33 explains what Jesus was referring to when he alluded to being lifted up from this earth.  

The government and the religious community are  guilty of creating programs and services that destroy initiative.  The concept of the government taking care of me, combined with the ideology that God is also going to take care of me, has created an alien  mentality that manifest itself and is passed on to further generations.  This alien mentality breeds a form of dependency and laziness of spirit that thrives in our communities and it has even infected the mindset of many of the enlighten.  As a child, I was constantly aware of the message that was used to indoctrinate the weak, “ If God takes care of the birds, I know he is going to take care of me.”  A common sense fact of this analogy is, if the birds sat in the trees waiting for God to feed them, they would starve to death. 

Taking has become a way of life that is easily expanded to the “Nth” degree.  It prevails in the home, the church and in the government. The government takes and the organized church takes.   Social Security was designed to provide for the elderly,  It had a stated purpose the same as the tithes.   Neither were designed to support pet projects or fatten the purse of those who administrated the programs.  As a matter of fact, a careful reading of  Malachi would seem to indicate that the message of the prophet was to the priesthood rather than the assembly.  Malachi 2:1  And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.  It can get any plainer than that, yet the book of Malachi is used to condemn souls to Hell for not paying tithes.  The same as the government has become obsessed with collecting and raising taxes, the church has followed the same path, and the bible is used to enforce the pay as you go type of salvation. 

What many have failed to realize is that the promise of the prophets has become self-serving and the government and the organized church are becoming fat at the expense of the suffering souls and the communities they are supposed to serve.  There is a profound disconnect within the government and the organized church.  In this country, the exploitation of the constitution and the Gospel of the Kingdom  is a hand in hand process.  Our leaders, even our pastors have adopted a policy of, "don't do as I do, but do as I say do." This allows a sense of self-righteousness to flourish that the emerging generation finds deceitful.  The end result of this fallacy is many of our goverment and church leaders are becoming victims of their vices.

New denominations are being established and the proliferation of the body of Christ is at an all time high.  New and massive edifices dot the landscape  as pastors scramble to create the mega church effect.  Church failure is at an all time high, mostly because members are balking at taking on the extra expense to satisfy the pastor's ego, and in many churches a whole generation has opted out on attending church.  With the increasing number of new ministers arriving on the scene boasting of a fresh new message from God, it would seem as if the believability problem would be solved.  Even with the influx of new ministers, the building of modern and exquisite sanctuaries, the high-tech presentation of the Gospel by men and women in "colorful" outfits, the believability of God is at an all-time low. 

In Luke 18, Jesus used the parable of the unjust judge to teach the value of prayer.  In a sudden twist, he seems to change the conversation and posed the question, " ...when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"  This is a question that should be at the forefront of our Christian endeavor.  Do our Christian walk exemplify a walk of faith, or are we caught up in useless rhetoric seeking to impress our peers.  Clearly the art of preaching has fail to attract the emerging generation, a generation that has become obsessed with violence.  The preacher preaches but they don't believe us.