What is missing in todays North American church?

Howdy folks, it's been a while since I have been here. I just want to pose a question, and that is " what is missing in todays North American church." I will post my thoughts next time, but was wondering what people here think.
Blessings Greg

We don't know if anything is missing until we look. If Christ is there nothing is missing. If he is not there, then nothing else matters. The question for each of us is: Is Christ in you and your church?

Rich, sound theology motivating to sound practice.

Love for God is missing. Love for self abounds. Christ is held up only in name, not in spirit. Today's North American church is very much like the Jewish religion during the time of Christ - full of hypocrisy.

The post entitled "A Prayer Summons to American Christians" by Moore describes the main thing that is missing in the American Church.

"The greatest need in every church, in every community, and in every home, is for a prayer leadership that will stir the people of God to prayer. Talking about the conditions, bewailing the need of America for a spiritual awakening is not enough. The most difficult thing to do is to get men and women to pray. This is not a day when people readily pray. Few men and women will actually pray. The greatest spiritual need in America is for a praying leadership who will bring the preachers and the Church back to prayer."

"My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves". ... (Matthew 21:13)

Mike

If Jesus is in that Church, and they are Spirit filled, then nothing is missing.

hi, the church in my area is alive and well. they pray for each other, the pastors fellowship, most have unpresidented growth... there are some detractors but i am blessed to live in an area with about 10 great churches who preach the word with power. there are many intercessors in these churches and many cooperative outreaches to the community...resulting in hundreds of people getting saved every week. we have restaurants with bibles in them. all this with mostly unknown pastors.i love what is going on here.jimp

Quote:

"If Jesus is in that church, and they are Spirit filled, then nothing is missing."

Praise God for all of the good churches that are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and are recognizing the Lord as the sovereign Head of their congregations, but this is not the case in many of the Churches in America, where He is on the outside, knocking on the door, saying "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). Jesus is not in those churches that are preaching a false, humanistic, gospel message. He is not in those churches that have their own agenda and are looking to the world's methods and techniques to draw men to themselves. The Lord is not in these churches because just as the Laodiceans, they have said: "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing". The Lord's rebuke to these churches is that they are neither hot or cold but lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16,17)

Many churches in America believe that they are pleasing to the Lord because they are growing in size and prospering financially, but you will not find the presence of Christ in many of these churches. You will not find the true gospel being preached that men need to repent and run to Jesus to be saved from their sins. Forgiveness of sin is preached, but deliverance from sinning also needs to be preached. Jesus came to save us from our sins, so that we would no longer continue in sin. I believe the Word of the Lord to many of the churches in America is the same as it was to the Laodiceans: "Knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17). But praise God that the Lord doesn't rebuke the Church to leave it in despair and without hope, but some of the greatest promises were given to the Church at Laodicea. "To Him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne." (Revelation 3:21).

The Church in America must recognize her true condition, and then obey the Word of the Lord: "I council thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and annoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent." (Revelation 3:18,19).

Mike

As I have been thinking about the churches in my area, I know that there is most likely a lot of reasonably good churches here, as there are throughout North America. We have nice big buildings where the congregation gathers once, and in some churches, twice a week and hear the "gospel" presented by sincere hard working pasters. I enjoy a good message pesented with passion and conviction by Leonard Ravenhill, Paul Washer, John Piper, John MaCarthur, just as most of you probably do. I get pumped for a little while, then I wander into the family room, plop down in my nice soft lazy boy, and spend hours totally wasting time "relaxing".
The problem is not: Is the gospel being preached, or if Jesus is in the church, the problem as I see it is:
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE/KNOW?"
The biggest problem in the North American church, is a lack of true authentic persicution.
Blessings Greg

Smokey wrote:
" what is missing in todays North American church."

Christians. :-?

The unified body. Every yoke must be broken in the denominations. He will only come when, there is togetherness on a massive scale. When the 24 hour church arises. Signs and wonders and miracles. He will pour out the Glory and then we will see what Jesus Authority in the believer looks like.

If I had to say what is noticeably missing from the [u]congregations[/u] of today's "Church," I would say that insatiable hunger and passionate desire to truly know the only living God. It can be faked. However, it is difficult to fake when a person is alone. If a person finds private prayer or intimate worship to be just a little [i]boring[/i], then something is very, very wrong. If a person prefers the pleasures of this world above the joy of spending time with God...something is terribly wrong. Yet many modern churches are catering to those people who seem to want God...but only on their own terms! It is almost as if they want God to conform to their own standards (rather than vice versa).

If I had to say what is noticeably missing from the [u]pulpits[/u] of today's "Church," I would say the same...but I would add something else. Today's pulpits need to share the TRUTH...no [i][u]more[/u][/i]...and no [i][u]less[/u][/i]. The purity of such undiluted and non-supplemented truth needs to be preached with sincere love, with sincere tears, from men whose hearts are sincerely broken before the Lord after spending many hours spent on their face before the Lord.

:-(

I was speaking with my wife this afternoon about this as we read through the various posts in this thread. We agree with many of them. However, I wanted to clarify what I meant by this statement:

"Today's pulpits need to share the TRUTH...no [i]more[/i]...and no [i]less[/i]."

I truly believe that there are churches out there that dilute the purity of the Gospel by [i]adding[/i] personal sectarian ideas about the faith. These ideas are often incorrectly called "doctrine" or "truth" when they are actually opinionated supplements. I don't have a problem with someone sharing their views about some of these sort of sectarian ideas about what does or does not constitute the "truth," but I think that they should be correctly identified as "opinions." Of course, this isn't in regard to those unquestionable doctrines of the faith that are clearly presented in the Word of God. I am speaking of those divisive issues that are often considered prerequisites for involvement in a local fellowship (or, ironically, even considered prerequisites for salvation by some).

I also believe that there are churches out there that dilute the purity of the Gospel by [i]removing[/i] important truths from their messages. Many churches are so afraid to offend people that they remove parts of the Gospel that might possibly be deemed "offensive" by visitors (or even long term members). They are focused on building up a "community" type of local fellowship that is more focused on the concept of "strength in numbers" than the "power of the Truth."

What a marvelous thought -- to have men who would actually present the Gospel for what it says...nothing more...and nothing less! While such men could share different personal views on certain issues, they allow for the grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit and the purity of the Word to lead men to what is truly "truth." We need broken men! We need men who are broken over the condition of this world. We need men who can see themselves for what they truly are -- imperfect human beings with useless skills, gifts and personalities...but loved and saved by the unfathomable grace of God -- before they can be used as vessels that God is able to pour Himself through. We need undiluted preachers who prefer to spend real time with God than time split time between God and the deceiving pleasures of this life.

My wife was reminding me about the limited work that many ministers are actually completing. Often, they are paid, "professionals" who are "on the job" for a certain amount of hours in the week and on Sundays. Some of them spend the rest of their time trying to decide what they are going to say on Sunday...or discussing their ideas with others in person or on the internet...or even trying to figure out what is wrong with everyone else's doctrines. Others are interested in finding ways to "build up" their congregations in both numbers and enthusiasm.

Where are the pastors and evangelists who go out throughout the week and visit people in the homes, jails and hospitals around them -- but who aren't concerned with whether or not those people will ever attend their own congregations? I know so many pastors of moderate to larger churches who think that they have turned into "administrators" who attempt to "delegate" this sort of responsibility to everyone else in the congregation (so they can "grow in ministry"), yet these pastors fail to do much of this themselves. I have known ministers who have admitted to having not "led a person to the Lord" or meeting with individuals from the congregation outside of "official" Church meetings. The purpose of being a pastor or leader is NOT to add numbers to your church, or to preach sectarian doctrines that they (or their denomination) think is "acceptable," or to create a place that serves as a corporate "base of operations" for other ministries. Yet our North American churches have become just that!

We need men who, like John the Baptist, are decreasing so that [u]Christ[/u] may increase. We need men in the ministry who can fulfill the encourage of Philippians chapter 2 -- and become a servant of all.

There are several churches in our community who set up booths at the local Wal-Mart and Target stores and ask everyone who leaves the store if they can spare a cash donation "for missions." We have lived in this community in Northern California for over a year now...and these people are still asking for donations. My wife has wondered why the same Churches have not set up booths that do not ask for donations -- but ask about needs? Why hasn't anyone set up a booth at the local Wal-Mart with a sign that says [i]I will pray with you[/i]? Why hasn't someone stood outside the doors of these stores under a banner that asks about those needs...or if people want to know more about Jesus? There doesn't have to be some sort of ulterior motive to get people inside the doors of a particular church. I think that "professional" pastors might reignite their faith or rediscover their calling if they would spend time on a street with people -- not as a gimmick, a story to tell the congregation on Sunday morning, or as a way to get more people in the pews on Sunday -- but out of a genuine desire to show the love of Christ to a lost and dying world in their own backyards.

Anyway, I apologize for adding so much to my last remarks. I believe that when "revival" comes, it might not come in the way that some people expect. I don't think that it will be merely bring "added excitement" to an existing church system. Rather, I am praying that entire congregations and communities will experience a sudden realization of God's existence...and the vain existence of anyone who simply does not know Him. Such a real "awakening" might disrupt the plans, goals and ambitions of many.

May God wake up the Church in North America...and may it start with each individual who wants Him desperately.

!

~ I tell ya what's not missing
from Churches today.

And that's Fear!
Pastors's make sure of that.