Scripture: John 5:33-34
Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn’t he? “But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I’m speaking to you this way so that you will be saved.”
Thought for the Day: I always find it interesting when multiple people in the church send me the same article (or in this case, a link to an article). It came from CNN’s Religion Blog, and it was written by Rachel Held Evans. She offered in her article, Why millennials are leaving the church (CLICK HERE) a simple list of why younger folks are choosing to stay away from the church. Evans wrote:
What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance.
- We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.
- We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.
- We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation.
- We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.
- We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.
I appreciated how everyone at Cypress Creek Christian Church who sent me this article did not complain or criticize young people, but by their comments, appeared to really appreciate the concerns raise in this article. And I tend to agree that the church has, in many ways, forgotten its mission and purpose…becoming an institution without much substance. Young people are showing up at churches more often when the community is promoting discipleship, and in doing so, showing how Jesus was passionate about a substantive faith.
Prayer: Make your mission my mission, Lord God, for I (along with many others) desire to be a participant in something much greater than myself. Amen.
