If We’d Only Known!

This past week, with all of the filth coming out of Penn State, many people are saying, “If we’d only known”.  But people did know.  We, as a nation, have overlooked evil for years.  The church in America has overlooked sin for years.  There is a big elephant in the room that nobody wants to admit.  The molestation of young boys has been going for years in America.  Nobody wants to even speak about the fact that men are molesting young boys.  Everybody sees the pedophilia, but nobody mentions that it is homosexual pedophilia.  That would be politically incorrect.  Homosexuality has become the norm.  It is taught in our public schools as an alternative life style.  Many of the churches in America have accepted this as normal. 

 BUT,

As bad as this is, this is only a symptom of the real problem.  The church is no longer the salt of the earth.  It has lost its saltiness.  We have been playing church.  The world looks at the church as a joke!  The church has become irrelevant. Young people are leaving the church. The New Testament church was not seen as a joke.  It was not irrelevant.  Jesus was not seen as irrelevant.  He was a threat.  He was a threat to the religious people.  He was a threat to Satan!  The church was a threat to Satan!

Jesus never watered down the message of the gospel to make it “seeker friendly”.  Jesus did not use gimmicks.  He did not use coercion.  People thronged to Him.  If they could just touch Him, they knew they would be healed.

For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. ²²But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

The followers of Peter knew that if they came within the area of his shadow, they would be healed.

¹²And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. ¹³And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. ¹⁴And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) ¹⁵Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. ¹⁶There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Jim Elliot the 27-year-old missionary that was killed by the Auca Indians in 1956 said:

"It makes me boil when I think of the power we profess and the utter impotency of our action. Believers who know one-tenth as much as we do are doing one-hundred times more for God, with His blessing and our criticism. Oh if I could write it, preach it, say it, paint it, anything at all, if only God's power would become known among us."

The tragedy at Penn State pales in comparison to what is going on in the church in America.  People are going to HELL because the church is playing church.  We have programs coming out of our ears.  People are running themselves ragged, trying to be “good Christians”, to do everything that the church has concocted to keep the latest programs running. 

2 Timothy 3:5 “in the last days perilous times shall come. ²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. ⁶For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ⁷Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

The tragedy at Penn State occurred because people in charge looked the other way and kept playing football. The fans enabled the entire situation, not wanting to miss the games. The tragedy in our churches is occurring because the leadership in our churches ignores the power of God and keeps playing church. Are the people in the pews enabling the leadership because they want to be comfortable?

Never let it be said in your church:

IF WE”D ONLY KNOWN THE POWER OF GOD!