If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. – 2^nd Chronicles 7:14

Churches don’t need new members half so much as they need the old ones made over. – Billy Sunday

Even though our somewhat schizophrenic world rails against it whenever it encounters it or even catches a glimpse of it, what the world wants is genuine Christians living up to their full potential via completely consecrated Christianity.  The Church also wants that type of Christianity.  Christ does not take us out of the world; He takes the world out of us.  Many, if not most, of the problems with Christianity in America today flow from the fact that few who call themselves Christian are willing to fulfill more than what they believe to be the very basic requirement to attain the label of Christian while trying to hold on to the world.  “Oh?  I get to quote that magical verse and I am automatically counted a Christian and on my way to heaven?  Cool – sign me up!”

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. – Richard M. Nixon

Then, when you make an effort to clear up and correct their misconceptions and explain that there is actually more to it than the mere recital of a few words, like some sort of special incantation, you may find yourself being brazenly accused of being “judgmental” and maybe even “narrow-minded” by some who want the “easy believism” and nothing more than that.  But righteousness does not consist of being a little bit less sinful than our neighbors.

Then there are others who will claim that you are trying to add works to the equation and we all “know” that works are not needed, not required, and, most assuredly, not even desired.  That’s found somewhere in the Bible – right?

Oh yes, I do mean to imply that Biblical illiteracy is a very serious problem which certainly needs to be corrected, we are suffering the consequences of that general ignorance already.  It is also quite fascinating the number of people who speak with certitude regarding what the Bible says when it actually does not say what they happen to be asserting in an attempt to self-justify.  It only takes a little bit of careful questioning to reveal their lack an awareness of much of anything as to what is really contained and proclaimed in the pages of the Holy Bible.  And not all of those people are outside of the church.  Some of them, not many, are even relatively active within the church.

 If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. – 2^nd Chronicles 7:14

–Pastor Ward Clinton