The Fat and Happy Church

Image Source: Xcaret Park by Curtis and Renee; CC 2.0

I am no fan of spreading unbiblical, apocalyptic messages of doom to Christians that seek to prioritize fear mongering above all else. They are radically unhelpful, can cause panic to some who have a low view of God’s sovereign control over all Creation, and marginalize the true apocalyptic claims of scripture. We can all easily process the culture war as an indication of the end times, as so many previous generations have done. We can cry “chicken little” and diminish the omnipotent and omnipresent Lord who ordains, sustains, and even causes the destruction of all things.

Yet, I fear moreover, that Christians have become fat and happy in the pews; they have forgotten what it means to live radically opposed to the organized system of belief this world clings to vehemently. We have enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and peace in the American church – much like the time when Constantine ruled. When the church isn’t being persecuted fiercely, there are always doctrinal threats. Faithful expositors arise and defend the scriptures and character of God against unworthy men and women who usurp authority in teaching falsehoods. Yet over time, the church grows fat and happy.

I have said numerous times before that I believe history is cyclical in nature, though linear in trajectory. It is for this reason I write today. I believe we are at a national tipping-point, and the secular culture is growing more hostile toward God, and especially of those whom represent Him. The disdain with which genuinely orthodox Christians are met is no small thing. It is the impetus of another dispensation in the cyclical history of the church, one that will likely involve persecution like we have not known in our modern American epoch. We are swiftly drawing dividing lines in the sand – as we should.

We can bemoan the fact of the church’s marriage to culture; another euphemistic, colloquial term we like to embrace instead of using the scriptural term, “world,” since it is softer on the ears and easier to swallow, given the apostle John’s proclivity to denounce one’s faith for loving it. We can climb on the piss-pot of pity and say we are a church in exile – yet that is far from the truth of the matter. We have and always will be, if found faithful in obedience to God’s commands, sojourners and strangers in this land. We will and must face persecution if we are found truly desiring godliness. However, we will also find our backsides sore from the rod of correction, if we are His own, and we are found lacking.

Call it “burning the dross” or whatever you will – it is the scourge of discipline upon us in order to take part in the sufferings of Christ, so that we truly may know what it means to bear the cross. It is the outworking of our theology in orthopraxy. It is the litmus test of our faith in order to unravel and lay the heart bare before one another. Shall we be found as those who persevere, counting the scorns and scars of this world worthy of the name of Christ? Shall we walk boldly into the metaphorical furnace with no regard to our life, indicative of the power and majesty of God regardless if we are saved from the fire?

This is no time to be fat and happy in the pews, complacent with the action of a few individuals who see the urgency of the times and brevity of life. If we resoundingly believe the reality of eternal condemnation for those who do not profess Christ, as Lord and Savior, and we know His second coming will not be without fierce judgment of all mankind in the righteous wrath and indignation of our Lord, will we not preach the gospel with urgency?

Will we not draw a dividing line in the proverbial sand, so as to say to the world, “You are wrong and dangling over the pit of hell by the thinnest of threads. Repent and believe upon the Lamb of God who takes your sins away or you shall weep and gnash your teeth forevermore!”

But there’s the rub! We can’t simply develop friendships with unbelievers and post the occasional scripture verse or challenging article on social media. We can’t simply wait for the opportunity of the starving man to come to us as we sit fat and happy in the pews. We either get up, or we will be moved. If we are too lazy to move now, we may simply find ourselves unable to stand with resolve when the day comes and we are asked to bow down.

We may now say much like Israel to Joshua: “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD and serve other gods!” only to later hear something akin to, “I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

The day in our American bubble of prosperity is swiftly being removed. Christian ethics are no longer tolerated; blasphemy, hatred of all things good, and moral collapse are not only embraced, but also politically sanctioned. The wrath of God, as indicated in Romans 1, is being poured out upon our nation. We will see two things: professing Christians bowing down before the popular culture and gaining worldly renown for their embrace and sanction of sin – and – faithful Christians standing opposed to the organized system of belief this world operates under, bearing upon them the wounds of Christ in perseverance for the hope set before them.

Choose today whom you will serve.