“Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”” Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV
A few weeks ago, I met a good friend in Dallas for dinner. We had made plans to meet at a steak restaurant we found online that was decently priced and within driving distance for the both of us. When we arrived to our destination, we found ourselves in a totally unexpected part of Dallas neither of us had been before. As we parked the car and walked through Deep Ellum, what we saw shocked us to our very core.
We saw hundreds of people walking the streets all there for the common purpose of indulging in debauchery, booze and homosexuality. At one point we even saw a demon possessed man walking the streets and completely out of his mind. None of us anticipated our journey to the restaurant would lead us through one of the darkest parts of Dallas, but while there in Deep Ellum, I never felt so hopeless, burdened and unprepared as a Christian in my entire life. When I left dinner that night, I wept for the souls that I saw and I wept over the guilt of feeling like I failed God.
Deep Ellum is a spiritually dark place but the truth is, what we saw that evening was just a small glimpse of what our nation of America is like as a whole. The United States of America that was once a godly nation is now an evil nation. I see evidence of America’s wickedness everyday in the news. From the outrage over the Supreme Court’s draft on overturning Roe v Wade to the public school system indoctrinating our little ones into the LGBTQA agenda. But how did our once great nation succumb to so much immorality and abhorrent evil? Most Christians are quick to blame a political party, the media and the education system. No Christian denies that these things have contributed to the moral decline of America but the hard truth is, America is morally bankrupt because the American church has failed in her only mission:
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
Over the years, I have become acquainted with two types of churches. There’s the country club church who has made its primary mission holding the fort. This kind of church clings to their memories and traditions and is willing to do anything to preserve them at the cost of keeping the things out that could potentially threaten them. Then there’s the seeker friendly church. This kind of church has made its primary mission swinging their church doors as wide open as possible. This kind of church is willing to do anything to attract anything and anyone. They do this by preaching a non-confrontational gospel and saturate their services with entertainment.
In one extreme, there’s the church that won’t let anything in and in the other extreme there’s the church that lets anything in. But both kind of churches have one thing in common. Both fail the mission that Jesus commanded His followers to fulfill – “GO.” Jesus clearly compels us to seek out the lost but it seems the western church has tried everything but that. The Bible doesn’t say anything about staying put and letting the lost come to us, but rather for the church to go to them.
“Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23 NKJV
Studies show that the percentage of Americans still attending church today is around 28% (ifstudies.org). This number is evidence that our attempts to draw people to church isn’t working anymore. The reason church attendance is dwindling has nothing to do with styles of praise music or the lack of church programs but has everything to do with the fact that the church isn’t seeking out the lost. God’s greatest concern is saving the lost and God will always care more about the next sinner getting saved than the church trying to preserve heritage or being trendy.
There is a disturbing trend in the American church and that is the Lord doesn’t move in church services as much as He did in times past. We don’t see miracles, healings or people set free from demon possession as frequently as we did in the past. Because we see a decline, it’s only human nature to blame it on changes in the church to the point we hate anything new. I have often pondered on the thought “why aren’t we seeing miracles and signs take place in the church anymore?” I always attributed the reason to compromise and lukewarmness but the honest truth is, the further we get away from evangelism, the less we see of the signs and wonders.
Anytime the signs and wonders followed the early church, it was usually when they were on the mission. From healing people, raising the dead to casting out demons, the book of Acts is full of accounts describing how the signs and wonders followed the early church. These accounts never happened in a synagogue or in a church service but rather on the streets and in the homes of unbelievers. In other words, the early church took the gospel to THEM. Their ministry was accompanied with signs and wonders because they were on the mission. In fact, Jesus said that the signs will follow those who believe but He said it in context to fulfilling the Great Commission.
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”” Mark 16:15-18 NKJV
Could it be possible we have kept the Good News to ourselves? I tend to think so. The bottom line is the world has made a mockery of the Christian faith and wants nothing to do with it. But imagine if the church made reaching the lost its top priority again and the signs and wonders returned. How can the unbeliever refute the legitimacy of the gospel while it is accompanied with signs and wonders?! Science nor logic would be able to explain the supernatural without concluding that God is realer than anyone could have ever imagined!
As amazing as this sounds, I believe it can still happen; however, the church has to do her part and remember the mission. Granted, it won’t be an easy road ahead and our gospel will undoubtedly face hostility like it faced the early church. This is why we need to pray and pray for boldness. When the religious leaders forbade the early church from speaking the name of Jesus, they weren’t intimidated but instead prayed for a greater boldness!
“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”” Acts 4:29-30 NKJV
It is time for the church to take action for the lost souls of America. No man or woman of God is pleased with the evil in our nation but complaining about it on social media is not being a part of the solution. If we want to see change, we have to hit our knees. Then we must take the gospel outside of the four walls. God is counting on YOU to reach the lost souls of America!
‘“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
Charles Spurgeon
Joshua Hawk 