Not a Neutralizing Religion

The typical church in the West is comprised of individuals whose personal lives are an antithesis to New Testament Christianity. Their only intent is to use church as a gas station. They come to church to get a little more gas for their car so they can better enjoy the ride of a comfortable life on the way and then smuggle their souls into heaven when they die.

Any resemblance between this lifestyle and the Christians pictured in the New Testament is entirely coincidental. The early disciples led lives that were Christ-captured, Christ-centered, and Christ-controlled everywhere they went. And whatever they did, Christ was seen, heard, and felt because their brand of Christianity was counter-cultural.

A pagan society went one direction and the church went in the other. And whenever the two met, there was a clash. People would either cry out, What must I do to be saved? Or a mob riot would ensue.

Was this not the case with the Lord Jesus Christ? Whenever he passed through towns and villages, he always created an issue. Study his movements in the record of the Gospels and you will soon learn he never neutralizes wherever he went. He always either antagonized people or attracted them.

When the Lord Jesus spoke, people either believed on him or they were incensed to stone him. In John chapter 10, we see this as so. There was a division, therefore again, among the Jews for these sayings.

And many of them said, He hath a devil and is mad. Why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? I submit to you, friends, that a good portion of our religious, denominational, institutional brand of Christianity today is but a bad counterfeit of the real thing.

It's only Christian in name. It has no authority from heaven, no power of the Holy Ghost, and no influence upon society. We have so distanced ourselves from New Testament Christianity, we don't even believe it's possible today.

I was taking my oral exam for my Ph.D. and two of my seminary professors were grading me. I asked one of them a question. I said, When I read the book of Acts and compare it to our brand of Christianity today, there's no resemblance at all.

My theology professor grew upset with my comments and in a condescending tone, he said, That was for that time and not our time. And I wanted to jump out of my chair and holler, Why not? Why can't we have power like that today? But I kept my mouth shut because I wanted to graduate with my Ph.D. But it's true, friends, our religious denominations lay in the strong grip of apostasy and our churches are either houses of entertainment full of laughter or they are funeral morgues void of any life. I'm sick and tired of a counterfeit brand of Christianity that doesn't bother the devil or make any impact on society.

Where in the world is the young preacher boy who will take this book and believe it? Where in the world is the young man who will preach Christ and him crucified in the power of his spirit and begin to make a noise in the land where people are either antagonized by the gospel or attracted to it? Where is the man so wholly sold out to God, so burdened for souls and so thirsty for Christ that whenever he speaks, he doesn't neutralize? Whoever he goes, wherever he sees, Christ is seen, heard and felt. Great God, raise up such men for our day.