The Church Is Not What It Used to Be
What About Christians?
By Adam Litmer

At a funeral, you wouldn't bring up the fact that the recently deceased owed you a bit of money that he never repaid; that just isn't the proper time or place. In a business meeting at your work place, you would not broadcast your admiration for, and desire to become part of, your company's chief competitor's organization; it's just not the proper time or place (and your "superiors" may just decide to give you that opportunity--immediately). I think we all get the point. Propriety, decency, respect for others, and just plain common sense tell us that there are certain topics that should never be discussed in certain circumstances, or in certain company; it is not the time or place.

Yet, it is shocking to me how Christians sometimes manage to narrow down the "proper" time and place to discuss our Lord, His will, and the plan of salvation. The time seems to be confined to a three-or-four-hour window, twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday. The place is an auditorium, and maybe a classroom or two. For my own amusement and curiosity, I've done a little math work.

So, if I am a Christian who believes that the church building is the only place that is the "right place" to speak about the Lord, that would mean that I speak of the Lord during fewer than three percent of the total hours in a week. Interesting isn't it? Some would never say they believe that the time they spend in the church building is the only "right time and place" to mention the Lord, but their practices betray them. Could anyone honestly say that this is pleasing to the Lord?

Unquestionably, most of this world doesn't want to hear about God. But why should that surprise or frustrate us? Our Lord, Himself, said it would be that way. "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Yes, people will turn up their noses and roll their eyes when we start with the "Jesus talk." We will face anger and outrage, prejudice, and perhaps even hostility and hatred. Again, we ask why this would surprise or frustrate the Christian. Our Lord told us it would be this way. "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but I chose you out of the world; therefore, the world hates you...But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." (John 15:18-19,21-22)

Since when has the world dictated to Christians when they can and cannot speak of their Master and Savior? When did the authority standard switch from the Divine to the human? Matthew 5:13 and 14 still say we are "the salt of the earth" and the "light of the world." Brethren, the world does not preserve and season the church, and it certainly does not light our path.

Not one thing has changed since the apostle Paul, through the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, penned the powerful words in Romans 1:16-17. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" Ah, but could that be the rub?

Could it be that the world is starting to get through to some Christians? Could it be that the gospel message--one Lord, one church, one plan of salvation, one standard of authority--is becoming uncomfortably narrow and restrictive? Could it be, God forbid, that the gospel message is becoming something at which Christians blush? Could it be that shame has begun to rear its ugly head? Consider the following quote from R.L. Whiteside.

"But why should anyone be ashamed of the gospel? It has God as its source, Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation its subject matter, the Holy Spirit as its Revelator, the highest ideals as its philosophy of life, and heaven as its ultimate goal. To be ashamed of the gospel is to be ashamed of God, of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Should a person be ashamed to be a child of the Ruler of the universe, ashamed of being a citizen in the glorious kingdom of Christ, ashamed to be striving for heaven and immortal glory? Yet some people are ashamed of the gospel; but not so Paul. No sane person, when he considers, will be ashamed of that which brings the greatest possible good to his fellows. He may have many reasons for being ashamed of himself, but not one reason for being ashamed of God " (R.L. Whiteside, Paul's Letter to the Saints at Rome, p. 15)

The time has come for Christians to stop complaining that the church is not what it once was, to begin rereading the New Testament, particularly Acts, and to ask if it could be that Christians aren't what they once were. Obviously, we are not dealing with the plan of salvation and what it takes to become a Christian. We are talking about what occurs after one renders obedience to Christ and takes his Christianity out into the cruel, sinful, faith-destroying world. What do we do with our faith at that point? That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?

We often speak of the Restoration Movement as something from the past. We often talk as though men such as Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, Ben Franklin, David Lipscomb, etc., did all the work that led us to a complete, fully restored New Testament church. I would suggest, brethren, that this restoration is far from over. Who would question that, as a whole, we are still trying to become the church we read about in Acts 2? Before anyone claims that Adam says we are a denomination, let me explain. I am not speaking of doctrine, though we must continue to study on a daily basis and pray that we remain in the truth. I am speaking of zeal. I am speaking of enthusiasm. I am speaking of the faithful Christian's knowledge that enables him to know he is saved and sits like a fire in his belly until it is impossible for him to remain silent (Jeremiah 20:9). That is what the church we read of in Acts 2 had, and that is what we largely lack today. I not only want to teach what the New Testament teaches, but I want to be the type of Christian described therein, and that involves more than doctrine. Remember, "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

I appreciate brother Litmer's comments. Over the past years, I've seen some members who are unable to function in the present because they live in the past. Perhaps they have not gone back far enough and need to consider the hearts and determination of the early disciples who spread the news of the kingdom! (KMG)


Go Back to our Main Page