Is the Church Dead?

The church today is not changing and upsetting the world, it has lost its way. Christians doesn`t speak from the rooftops the things they have heard in secret anymore. Satan is winning in this world. Over a million babies are slaughtered in the womb. Divorce is rampant. Children are abandoned by their fathers. Parents are not parenting and the children are lawless. Pornography is a national disease that ruins the minds of young boys. And the Gospel is not being preached in most pulpits. The Gospel of Jesus has been replaced with a message of convenience. Preachers are pressured to offend no one. Leaders have heard the cry for ear-pleasing worship and they are giving it.

For example: Most churches just wait for special holidays or events to help the poor or in the slums here in Brazil. Most of the churches here in Brazil and also in the world wait for Christmas time to give things to the poor communities. But God has called us for something greater. He has called us to be agent of change, restoration, healing in this world. We need to influence, impact locally and globally especially on this issue of poverty. We cannot become weary of doing good and think we can`t do anything. Nowadays we have a lot of lazy and faithless Christians inside of the church. We have so many Christians that are fat spiritually speaking, obese spiritually speaking and they are just concerned about themselves and their little world but when they are doing that. Just check this out:

The world, some 26,500 children die every day.

That is equivalent to:

- 1 child dying every 3 seconds

- 18 children dying every minute

- A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring every week

- An Iraq-scale death toll every 15-36 days

- Almost 10 million children dying every year

- Some 60 million children dying between 2000 and 2006

The silent killers are poverty, hunger, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. In spite of the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.

Unfortunately, it seems that the world still does not notice. It might be reasonable to expect that death and tragedy on this scale should be prime time headlines news. Yet, these issues only surface when there are global meetings or concerts (such as the various G8 summits, the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005, etc).

Who is going to speak up? What is the church of Christ doing today? Are we sitting by on the sidelines saying it is not our business or are we speaking up and proclaiming God's will? Where does the church stand on the things that matter to God?

Something comes to mind when I think about a church that is thinking about a global issues but that church is taking global solution. I think about the the morally energized, spiritually motivated church in the Bible that was viewed as radical and a force to be reckoned with. An example of the influence the Gospel is seen in Acts 17. I can assure you that we can become that church again and we can make the difference and we can change our world and especially the numbers of children dying because of hunger or better saying starvation.

5 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also; 7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." (Acts 17:5-7)

I am never going to live for myself and I am ready to fight for this dying world and I am ready to take as many with me to Heaven. I will make the difference and I invite you to do the same. Lord, Help us all. Amen!!!