A culture is an environment controlled by guided customs, ideas and behaviors. Many of today’s churches in America are void of solid teaching that cultivates an atmosphere dominated by love. When a stranger walks into a church, they should be welcomed with a smiling face. While America’s churches are spiritually in shambles, others countries like Brazil and Kenya are enjoying the free flow of the Holy Spirit America enjoyed in the 70’s and 80’s. Many of the anointed leaders have gone home and it’s clear that America’s light has dimmed. The avalanche of the world’s culture has brought America’s churches with the daunting task of plowing through the darkness that has now blanketed our country. America itself is in the fight of her life or she will cease to exist.
We see the tide has changed almost over night and the darkness of humanistic theology has become a spiritual avalanche. What was once clearly understood even among the unbelievers as right is now wrong. Churches in America have given their stamp of approval of the world’s culture and brought in its humanistic teachings through soulical interpretation of the Word of God. Sad but true. Dead to the voice of the Holy Spirit these churches are devoid of understanding and walk in the darkness of humanism.
The only way to turn back the avalanche of failed church culture is to stop ignoring the Holy Spirit and return to solid Bible-based administration of our churches. The Charismatic and Pentecostal churches in America have abandoned the Biblical model for church administration, teaching and preaching for socially driven marketing programs that do not feed spiritually on an individual or corporate basis. What I mean by soulical, is what the Book of Romans teaches us: that the Godless human (carnal) nature of man is driven by his soul (intellect, will and emotions) and not the Holy Spirit, who leads us through our spirit. The Bible does not teach that we are just soul and body. It teaches we have a spirit and that spirit must have Jesus (Rev. 3:20) in it in order to hear His voice. Our spirit, when submitted to the Holy Spirit will be lead in compliance with the Word of God. If a church is led by spirit-led leadership the results are obvious: corporate growth, individual spiritual maturity and authentic gifts and fruit operating in the midst. Instead, the Holy Spirit is marginalized. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is secretized.
The turn around comes when we return to the preaching of the true Word of God. The avalanche of the world’s culture has brought in a general acceptance that preaching that keeps true to the text of the Word of God is hate speech. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Today’s Christian can’t endure a fire and brimstone sermon but back in the day, when the crime rate was down and the general population (both in and out of the church) accepted the Bible’s definition of good and evil. Today, it has been compromised with the emotionally dominated perception of good and evil. Preaching the undiluted Word of God never sanctioned hate of people themselves – it preached the hate of sin, actions declared as ungodly in the Word of God. Preachers in America understood that to preach acceptance of sin was not just dangerous to one’s own soul, but dangerous to the congregation they were responsible to God for.
Now the world’s culture of sin dominated ideology and behavior is accepted and even practiced in America’s churches and we’re reaping what we sowed. Congregations are now filled with professed Christians who are offended by the Word of God. God’s Word says that love rejoices in truth and that’s a pair that can’t be divided. They’ve forgotten that walking in love is a command; not an option.
If we take a look in the Book of Acts, we’ll find that the Holy Spirit added to the numbers of a church. In the 2nd chapter of Acts we find out what the Holy Spirit responds to by adding numbers: love one another. Remember, Jesus said that loving your neighbor as yourself is the 2nd highest commandment, just below loving God with all your spirit and soul. Jesus reminds us in the Book of Revelation, while speaking to the Church of Ephesus that because they have lost their first love, their love of Christ who warns them to repent or He will take their lamp – their revelation. For many churches here in America, that lamp has been gone a long time. Here are some of the examples I have seen:
In today’s American churches, the manner in which the churched are conducting themselves is not only the dominant force of church culture but the leading reason why the Holy Spirit is marginalized and grieved from operating in our midst. It is a key factor why churches in America are spiritually dead. It is also a key factor why ‘seeker friendly’ has risen, but the ‘seeker friendly’ will also find dead results if not paired with Holy Spirit led preaching and teaching that results in spiritual maturity that is evident among the saints. Here are a few examples:
Gone Hollywood:
The church in America has come full circle here. Thirty years ago the Church had a deep grudge against Hollywood for all the cinematic smeers, geers and jabs endured over the years. Hollywood worked at the offending the Church and sometimes just simply looked like they were working overtime at it. Suddenly, during the turn of the century Christians decided to invade Hollywood by the droves, me included. Many Christians had visions of grandeur of proselytizing Hollywood, after all, the Lord instructed us to go so clearly that must have been what He wanted, right? Wrong. Following are just a few true stories I discovered:
- When attending a prayer meeting a few young girls asked for prayer for God to protect them as they went to an audition. When pressed for details they disclosed that the roles included running around onset naked and that the movie they were auditioning for was a horror movie. I was absolutely shocked to hear that young Christian woman, raised in the church not only disclosed this fact, but spoke so nonchalantly about it. Remember, we’re talking about Christians who felt led to go to Hollywood to win souls for Christ. Instead, they ended up compromising their own witness. That’s never a good idea and never something the Lord would lead someone to do. I was amazed at how common sense just gets tossed out the window in these types of circumstances.
- There is a cottage industry of Hollywood actors, producers, directors, and screenwriters who hold various seminars on how to get into the industry. From how to find the types of characters you can play in commercials, television shows, plays and movies to how to write a screenplay and shoot, direct and produce your own independent film. These seminars are conducted at college campuses and even churches around Los Angeles. When attending one such seminar in a well-known church I was shocked that someone was allowed to teach inside God’s house and brazenly drop the “F-bomb.”
- At the same seminar, a Producer was conducting a lecture on another topic and explained why he believed profanity can fit into a script. This Producer professed to be a Christian so I pressed him with a question that the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask. He was immediately offended and everyone knew I hit a nerve. Was I embarrassed? I just looked back at the crowd with obvious disgust. A picture can say a thousand words. Of course, when you’re in His Majesty’s Secret Service, those moments are cherished J.
After 13 years in Hollywood, when I see churches in America actually trading their worship in for entertainment it frightens me. It frightens me because God will judge that. To Him, it’s nothing short of idolatry. Which brings me to my next question: and why exactly are we emulating anything from Hollywood? This is Jezebel’s headquarters.
The Evil Twins of Jealousy and Envy:
Churches are now led by ministers who have bended to the demands of the carnal Christians. Churches have been filled with wheat and tares, sheep and goats ever since Christ started the church – that’s nothing new. What is new is that the leadership has grown dull and lost their lamps. All because they fail to actually preach and teach solid Bible. Every member of the pulpit must be held to the highest standards. That’s the Biblical model. To whom much is given, much is required. Instead, what churches are dealing with is jealousy and envy from the top down. Many churches are so driven by competition they don’t see they are spiritually dead. I have even been to a church that actually had the disrespect toward the Holy Spirit and have competitive American idol/Survivor contests. What competition does to the culture of a church is it destroys unity and is a breeding ground for jealousy and envy.
Easily Offended by the Word:
The solid proof the church in America is nearly dead is that Christians who have served Jesus for many years are now easily offended by the Word when preached and the preacher needs a pulpit so he will eventually bend to the congregations demands. We see these offenses often in church especially as people meet and form friendships and many friendships, even longstanding ones are broken because someone became offended when the Word was brought up to correct them by their friends. This is the difference in sheep and goats. Sheep can stand the correction; goats can’t. Sheep apologize, goats won’t. Sheep will try to seek peace, but goats will continue on offending because they’ve been offended.
Not Discerning the Body of Christ:
This is probably the biggest area the churches in America need serious correction. I am absolutely appalled by the lack of discerning the Lord’s body that is going on out there. I once went to a church where they served it out in the lobby in a hurried manner. There’s a serious lack of respect here when that’s taking place. There’s a reason why we take it carefully considering ourselves which means to carefully judge ourselves. We can’t do that if it’s not done solemnly and it’s done in unity. That’s where many churches are missing it and seriously grieving the Holy Spirit.
Love Grown Cold:
Another area that grieves the Holy Spirit in America’s churches is the lack of taking care of the congregation’s own people in need of food, shelter, clothing, etc. I once attended a church that allowed one of its members who was an auto mechanic to use the church parking lot to give free oil changes on cars to people in the congregation who had need and couldn’t afford it. That’s an excellent example.
Churches could come together much easier now with social media and place bulletins for people in need within their congregation. The world has a better program that churches in providing for the poor, just look at GoFundMe.org. It’s really sad when the world’s culture does better than the church when it comes to compassion. Sure, there are a few great Christian relief organizations like Samaritans Purse who are feeding the poor. I know Joyce Meyer has a great program that feeds the poor and so does other high profile ministries but I am referring to churches taking care of their own members as a necessary program to foster unity and compassion on a corporate level for each church. This is important because it feeds the congregation with compassion and compassion is powerful. Compassion and empathy go a very long way with the Holy Spirit and should never be dismissed as an unnecessary element of church culture. Most ignore it because they don’t think they have the budget, but it doesn’t take a monetary budget to bring the Holy Spirit in. It takes love, compassion and empathy that bring unity. Again, take a look at the 2nd chapter of Acts: The Lord added to their numbers in response to their unity.
The emphasis is the Bible’s definition of love and like behavior among congregants and churches. The need for unity is dire and the churches in America will be left out in the cold on the day of the Lord’s return for His bride if they don’t get it together. People are falling away from church and would rather watch it on television rather than walk into a crowd of hissers and self-righteous click clubs. Ministers in America better wake up to the cultures that have evolved due to their lack of preaching truth. If real Christ followers don’t wake up soon we will be dealing with the breakdown of American society as we have known it. America wouldn’t be in the mess she’s in if preachers held to the standard with boldness. Many have fallen to the lies of the deceiver and preached to itching ears rather than what people need to hear. Many are motivated by a lust for fame and fortune and are flocking to churches that will feed it because it pays the bills.
For the real Christ followers, we must still attend church as often as possible until the coming of the Lord as instructed to do in Heb. 10:25. Goats have been in churches ever since the start; so what else is new? If we really are serving Jesus and enjoy a real relationship with Him, it won’t matter whether the goats are in charge or even if the minister is in sin because Jesus will still honor your tithe if you walk with Him with integrity and sincerity. A goat may be stubborn and incorrectable, but a goat can’t make a sheep’s decision. If you’re a sheep, you’ll still go to church regardless of what the goats are doing. Remember: sheep apologize; goat’s don’t. Sheep pay tithes; goat’s don’t. A sheep will put his money where his trust is – in Christ. A goat won’t.
In His Service,
Laurie K. Walters
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