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Failure to Build
Failure to Build (a little longer than usual)
“You can destroy as much by failing to build as by actively wrecking” (Rod Dreher, Live Not By Lies). While this quote is describing the rise of totalitarianism within nations, I found it intriguingly applicable to churches. As for wrecking within, historically churches die from:
1. Being wrecked internally by importing external cultural forces. This is seen in 1 Corinthians.
2. Being wrecked internally by importing external philosophical ideas. This is seen in Colossians.
But.
I don’t recollect any NT epistles being written to specifically correct the lack of building through evangelism. Possibly this is the Ephesians leaving the first love (Rev.2), or the Laodicians being lukewarm (Rev.3). Today most congregations admit one of their top needs is evangelism, or “failing to build”.
There are many indictments that can be made concerning today’s church.
1. Like the Corinthians, today’s Christians are too enamored with modern outside forces. One of which is celebrity which almost always involves approving immoral lifestyles. How many Christians change their views, or at least moderate them, based upon their favorite celebrities?
2. Like the Collossians, today’s Christians are being taught a false Jesus. Modern Jesus is cool, he never condemns because he loves, and is tolerant of contradictions against revealed truth. This almost always involves feelings as the only reality. How many Christians today are adversely affected our modern societal views on sexuality, American ideals, and such? This could be applied to any modern philosophy involving any topic as it originates outside of the religious realm even if it cloaks itself in sheep’s clothing.
Both of those errors can be found within Moralistic Therapeutic Deism where God just wants us to be nice to each other (accepting everyone without repentance) and happy within (accepting ourselves without repentance).
As concerning the Corinthians and Colossians, the good news is they were having to fight against internalizing such outside forces because they were reaching out to the world and bringing sinners into a covenant relationship with Christ.
But.
Once again, possibly the greatest indictment against the modern church is a lack of evangelism, “failing to build”. If the early church did not have this problem, we need to learn why. We don’t need hours and hours on how to evangelize. We need to focus on why they did evangelize even in the face of persecution and we don’t in the face of rejection. The answer is partiallly found in going back to the beginning. We need to relearn the gospel. The gospel builds because it is the power of God to salvation to everyone (Romans 1:15). Let’s not fail to build!
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