I think we’re getting closer to the time that the visible church is one of the beasts of Revelation. Christians will be concerned with keeping and professing their faith to the end, but the visible church will still be acting as if it’s all about appearing acceptable to the culture outside. And that part has been going on for a long time.
My husband is an LCMS (Lutheran) pastor. The congregation wants to know his “vision” for the congregation. He can’t quite figure out how to tell them that his vision is for the congregation to keep professing and proclaiming the truth even when the culture, country, and congregational members would rather be trying to attract the culture by the “coolness” of their coffee and childcare.
How do you tactfully say that when the Muslims ask you whether you will convert to Islam or have your head separated from your shoulders, the “coolness” of the church’s gadgets won’t do much to help you stand firm? So many people are asleep and have no idea what’s coming down the pike, even though we’ve been given MUCH warning.
I plan on showing them the third option.
/johnny
“So many people are asleep and have no idea what’s coming down the pike, even though we’ve been given MUCH warning.”
Mass, violent persecution has happened to the Church before. Think Corrie Ten Boom only 60 years ago.
There is no reason why it won’t again. We could face martyrdom again.
“Teabaggers” and Christians are hated by a vast and powerful elite.
Or simply practice your Christian faith in secret.
>>My husband is an LCMS (Lutheran) pastor. The congregation wants to know his “vision” for the congregation. He can’t quite figure out how to tell them that his vision is for the congregation to keep professing and proclaiming the truth even when the culture, country, and congregational members would rather be trying to attract the culture by the “coolness” of their coffee and childcare.
I know where he’s coming from. I’m the Lay Leader of a UMC church and every time we start trying to create a “vision”, the people start talking about child care, coffee, and decorations. I keep bringing them back to discipleship and they just shrug and say, “Oh yeah. We do that pretty good.”
No....we don’t. *sigh*.
You’re right about the visible church. It is an abomination and is not something that people would be willing to be martyred for.
We’re trying to establish a spiritual partnership with a Methodist church in Cuba. We can learn so much from people in the persecuted churches and I want to go visit them and bring one of them up to visit us so people can hear what discipleship really means.