CHRISTIANS IN THESE LAST DAYS
Grant Edwards

Jeremiah proclaimed, “Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved from evil” (Jer. 4:14). The result: nobody listened. Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C.

Prophets who predict future events and write scripture may not exist today but a prophetic ministry does. God endows some men with discernment into present events enabling them to make statements concerning the future. Some of these men are raising their voices in alarm for America’s future.

Francis Schaeffer stated during a speech in Pittsburgh, “The soft days are over for christians in America. The United States will either return to the biblical basis upon which our country was founded or an authoritative government will take over.”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn delivered the commencement address entitled, “A World Split Apart” to the graduating class at Harvard last spring. Speaking as an outsider but friend to our country he accused our society of a decline in courage, loss of willpower, and superficiality. All of these are symptoms of a failing culture. Toward the end of his speech he concluded, “If the world has not come to it’s end, it has approach a major turn in history equal in importance to the turn from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.” (The complete text of Solzhenitsyn’s speech is contained in the July 7 issue of National Review.)

Nobody listened to Jeremiah. Will anybody listen today? Probably few if any, our culture is too comfortable for drastic change. Most Americans will be deaf to the symptoms of doom until it is upon them.

But will the church listen? There is little hope for a non-christian society in America. The little hope that survives depends upon christians who will listen to the warnings and a church that will lead renewal. Maybe it is too late to renew our society, but a renewed church can take advantage of tremendous opportunities to evangelize and minister to an America with no hope.

The renewal needed today is summed up in the word “difference”. Christians must be different. The church must exist as a society so radically different that outsiders will be impressed, and the scripture that reads, “. . . the Lord was adding to their number daily . . .” will be an expression of the church today. The difference must lie in two areas --- discipleship and materialism.

Solzhenitsyn was correct when he described hastiness and superficiality as the psychic disease of the twentieth century. It is also a disease of the church. Upwards of 50 million Americans claim to have experienced a new birth in Christ, but our society continues to deteriorate. The crime rate increases, in the last fifteen years the number of unmarried couples living together has shot up 700%, and yet 1976 was declared the “Year of the Evangelical” by both Time and Newsweek.

How is it possible for Christianity with it’s life changing power to be embraced by the multitudes and have little effect upon society? The answer is too simple: Americans are superficial in their discipleship.

Discipleship is commitment to the Lordship of Christ, His teachings, and a body of believers. All three are necessary elements. Discipleship begins with proclaiming Christ as Lord and becoming obedient to His teachings. Faith and works are two elements of discipleship; the third is neglected. Discipleship fails when Christians are not committed to a body of believers.

Too little time is available for Christian commitment to one another. The Church of Christ is a New Testament church following the pattern of Acts 2:42, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” All the essential elements of these verses are practiced except one. The Church of Christ devotes itself to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. The neglected element is time. Are we truly committed to a body of believers, “continually” (Acts 2:42), and “Day by day” (Acts 2:46)?

The church of the first century spent time together. Today many Christians have become entwined in the subtle ways of society. There is the television, the job, the club, the racquetball game, the kids; and when all is accomplished there is little time left for fellowship. Certainly, Sunday service is squeezed in and the particularly diligent add Wednesday night bible study. But the time spent in fellowship does not measure up to the “Day by day” basis of the first century. Instead of continuing in one mind from house to house the church continues in many minds from activity to activity. All the while Christians within the church remain unknown entities with vague problems and unused gifts.

Christians, continually together, can observe the strengths and weaknesses of each other. Spiritual gifts are developed as Christians minister and become sensitive to one another. This sensitivity and ministering yields Christians who become true brothers and sisters. All gifts, all possessions, all time will be spent helping a Christian in need. This is the family of God and the witness that God can use to add daily to the church those who are being saved.

Lack of time and materialism are closely connected. Christians do not have time to serve God because they are too involved increasing their material kingdom. Materialism is the great American sin. All Americans are rich compared with some inhabitants of India.

The American ideal is to get: get one car then two; get a house then a bigger one; get a boat, a camper, and the other necessities in our affluent society. Few Christians are different, out to possess all they desire. To pay for them the husband works one job then two and the wife works. The conclusion, when all the bills are paid: there is little time left to serve the Lord.

The standard of the first century church was not ‘to get’ but ‘to give’. They were not out to raise their standard of living but lowered it, giving excess possessions to the church. All things were held in common, no rich or poor, everyone had enough.

Today a Christian selling property for the poor is a rare species. An almost extinct species is the Christian who sells property for the poor overseas. Too many excuses are given for this rarity, “I’ve earned what I have,” “I want to retire, I need all my money in the bank,” and “We’re not responsible for the poor.”

Instead of trusting God to provide for the future, trust is held in the bank. In the first century, Christians trusted each other. Today it is easy to replace one another with bank accounts, insurance policies, and investments. Under the pretense of saving for the future treasure is hoarded on earth. The example of Barnabas is covered-up as relevant to the first century only.

There are alternatives. Instead of huge debts and long hours at work, we should investigate ways of sharing expenses by living together. Recently an older couple left occupying a large house when their children left home, opened their house to two college students. The students, short on money, spent eight hours each week on maintenance. For their efforts they received free room and board. This situation benefitted all. The students were not pinched for money and the older couple had free time to serve God.