Thomas Kempis wrote this describing the attitudes of Christians in his day, “Jesus has now many lovers of His heavenly Kingdom, but few that are willing to bear His Cross. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few are willing to suffer with Him. Many love Jesus as long as they are met with no adversity, and they have become lovers of themselves rather than lovers of Christ, thinking only about their own profit and gain.” He wrote that in 1472!!!!
Do you know what was happening in Italy in 1472? The Renaissance had begun. There was a guy named Leonardo Da Vinci who was just getting going, and they were reaping in wealth from maritime trade and intellectual revival. In short, they were successful. And success always leads to lukewarm Christianity, whereas persecution always leads to an explosion of faith. China and the Middle East have the fastest-growing Christian populations, even though Christianity is not welcome. But here in the US, the most successful country in the history of the world, not so much.
From 2000 to 2023, over 30 million Americans left the faith. 2024 did see an uptick, with more people calling themselves Christians than we lost. So, at least the carnage has stopped, but you can not call that flourishing. And the question becomes, what type of Christians are we turning out? Kempis was lamenting a lukewarm Christian, someone who says they are a Christian but only lives for themselves. I believe the Church today has mastered the art of bringing people in with a watered-down, lukewarm message. This Sunday, we will take a stroll down Lukewarm Lane and see how the major thrust of teaching in this country is leading to a Christian that, by and large, can not be discerned from a non-Christian. There is almost no difference. We will explore how that is happening and what to watch out for; it will be a very interesting and enlightening sermon. I am pumped for it. I hope to see you there at 10:30 this Sunday at 900 Cripple Creek Dr., Lawrenceville, GA, or stream it online on our YouTube channel @TheGreatAwarenessChurch. I hope to see you then, you won’t regret it. Peace out!
Pastor Brian
| P.S. The purpose of the Great Awareness Church is to get Christians ready for Jesus’s coming. We preach Scripture and challenge our congregation to grow that relationship with Jesus. Join us won’t you? It is a real “coffee house” type feel. Please join us this Sunday at 10:30…we will have coffee and donuts for you! Get to know each other better as we walk through this thing called life. 900 Cripple Creek Drive, Lawrenceville. Or Stream it live on our YouTube channel @TheGreatAwarenessChurch . See you then!!!!! P.P.S. My book, “The Last Instructions of Jesus (Before He Comes Again),” is a deep dive into Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus’ last words and it is a game-changing book. You can click on this link to order or go online to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. Click the link below and get yours today! https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/867418-the-last-instructions-of-jesus |
| “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV) |
Leave a Reply