Being the Church in a Post-Christian Age

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, 
but to turn it into glory.”  William Barclay

  A father took his son to a large city museum, thinking that the visit would entertain the boy. But for two hours the boy did nothing but sigh, moan, and complain. Finally, in desperation, he said to his father, “Dad, let’s go someplace where things are real.” 
  Many people feel that way about the Bible. Most of them have also never read it. Some when they read the Bible think they’re in a religious museum, looking at ancient artifacts that have no meaning for life in today’s modern, scientific world. But they’re wrong! No book published has more meaning for our lives, more relevance to our predicaments and problems than the Bible. No wonder William Lyon Phelps, for years called “Yale’s most inspiring professor,” said: “I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without a Bible.” 

  Our world has dramatically changed in the last few decades, yet is becoming more like the world of the early church. The New Testament was written in a pre-Christian age, we are living in a post-Christian one. Interestingly, they are very similar. 

  One of the most monumental shifts in Western culture is secularization. The word secular, in this sense, means the decline of belief in God. With that decline of belief in God comes a decline in church attendance and in any religious identification. 

  A recent study from Gallup organization tells us that the pattern has reached the point where a minority of Americans identify as members of any religious organization, specifically in the United States. Given the fact that the vast majority of citizens say they believe in God and the vast majority of them identify as Christians in one way or another in answer to a pollster statement, it’s a very significant issue. 

  In 2020, according to Gallup, only 47% of Americans indicated that they have actual formal membership in a church or religious congregation. Compare that to the 1930s when the number was over 70%. That's a fall of 20% in less than a hundred years. For Christians, this is a wake-up call just in terms of the statistics about the United States. It tells us that we are now increasingly, when we talk to our neighbors or co-workers, talking to someone who is not formally identified with any religious congregation. 

  Socio-theological change tends to take place slowly until it takes place quickly. If you look at generational replacement, the picture gets very fast. Because the generation of those passing from the population and the public scene is much more churched, by some sense, almost twice as likely to be churched than those coming on the scene and increasingly dominating the scene. Those who are increasingly in retirement are churched, but those entering the workforce are increasingly unchurched. 

  Whereas America was once a nation that held to a Judeo-Christian worldview, that’s no longer the case. And that’s where the New Testament is so encouraging. The early church was born in a world without a Judeo-Christian worldview. The Church today is now living in one. As the gospel empowered and sustained them in their world, it will empower and sustain us in ours. There is no better example of this than the book of 1 Thessalonians. This group of new Christians faced the same predicaments that we faced. Like them, we too must be Staying Strong, Living Ready. 

  Like them, we’re a church that needs strengthening. That early group of believers faced various forms of opposition, slander, and persecution. The culture around them was hostile to the gospel and Christianity. 

  When we go through difficult times, we can wonder if our faith is real. We need to have confidence in Christ even in intense pressure. We need to know that our experience of suffering is not unusual but normal. We need to know Jesus is enough for whatever heat and pressure that we might face. 

  Like them, we’re a church that needs encouraging. Conversion is only the starting point. We need encouragement to press on and move forward toward healthy spiritual growth. Our faith in Christ is to be evidenced by a godly lifestyle. Our hope in confidence that this world is not the end, that Jesus is coming back, needs to be strengthened to help us face both death and life. One of the worst things that can happen to a Christian or church is to be stunted in our growth. Life in this world can be very discouraging. Every church, every Christian needs more encouragement. 

  When the famous painter Benjamin West was a boy, he decided to paint a picture of his sister while his mother was out. Gathering some bottles of ink and paper, he soon made an awful mess in his house. When his mother returned, she saw the mess but also her son’s attempt at making art. Instead of scolding him, she picked up the portrait and declared, “What a beautiful picture of your sister!” and kissed her son. Benjamin West later recalled, “With that kiss I became a painter.” 

  As we struggle, God kisses us with His grace. His Word is our source of strength and encouragement that we need, particularly in our post-Christian world. We need 1 Thessalonians. We need the Bible. 

  If you and I will look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Bible, we’ll gain from Him the greatest encouragement of all as God’s grace invites us into His heavenly peace. When we look to Jesus, the “star” of all history looks back to us with grace, revealing Himself as Savior who died for our sins. Jesus invites us to trust Him, to partner with our brothers and sisters in His church, and to be encouraged by His grace, to share His offer of love, peace, and forgiveness to a sinful, broken world. It means Staying Strong, Living Ready.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.