The United States today has not (yet) reached the level of systemic sin and persecution that the First Century Church was exposed to. It is still legal and easy to go to Church and worship God, though the winds of change are blowing, and this should be a cause of concern not just for Christians but also for any citizen of the United States who values freedom.
While we have not reached the level of systemic sin from the time of the Apostles, we are well on the way. On every hand, we find sin and the promotion of sin, and both Christians and the unsaved are worried about it.
We have rampant sexualization of not only adults but also children. We have transgenderism being forced upon children who are too young to understand sexuality. We have schools that do not want the parents to have any say in what their children are taught. We have open borders that are allowing criminals and terrorists into our country. We have illegal aliens coming into our country without vaccination against polio, measles, and other diseases that had been irradicated in this country for decades. We have universities and colleges that teach hatred of Christianity and Judeaism.
Not only do we have these issues, but we have a "progressive" government that treats dissent from sinful ideas as a crime. This government is using tax laws to attempt to dismantle Christian and conservative businesses, schools, and organizations. This was a method used against gangsters during prohibition, but now the criminals are let loose with no bail to continue preying on the general public while law-abiding citizens are harassed for opposing the murder of babies, the trans influence on school children, and the general destruction of Christian values. Compounding the government's actions are the noisy heathens who attempt to cancel any person who promotes Christianity or even basic dignity.
Yet many churches are mostly empty. Sure, the mega-churches have large numbers of people. If you make people feel good, promise them God-given riches, or promise freedom from all the results of sin, then you can fill a church. But, when you preach on sin, living like Christ, or the beatitudes, people turn away.
Why?
The answer lies with us; Christians have so undersold God in this day and age that people don't see Christianity as an alternative that will make a difference in their lives!
When those around us complain about these issues, we complain also. When they say that President Trump will save the United States, we agree. We commiserate with the world on every issue but never show them that the answer lies with God, not with worldly fixes. Should we vote for the candidate that best addresses these issues? Yes. And we should tell others that God will use this person to fix things.
Instead of commiserating on issues, we should tell people what God has done for us. Tell them about the peace that surpasses all understanding God gives Christians so that we trust Him and do not worry about our lives. Give them examples of answered prayer in our lives. Show them what the brotherhood of Christians is. People see more brotherhoods in a criminal motorcycle club than they do in Christians.
Our churches should be overflowing with people distraught over how this country is going, yet pews are empty.
We have done a very poor job of showing the world and backslidden Christians that the answers lie with God and the first place to find Him is in our churches...
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