I have been struggling with something for a while now, and I can’t quite get over it. It deals with the fact that I see even my fellow Christian women blatantly ignoring the way God would have us live. I see them dressing immodestly, even at church, and obsessing over television shows that are either raunchy or irrelevant. I feel uppity and self-righteous even thinking these things, because I certainly am not without sin and I’m not nearly a prude either. But at times I feel completely surrounded by people who are choosing worldly ways over God’s ways.
Research on Christian lifestyles confirms your experience. A recent Pew Forum report reveals that over 90% of families claiming to be Christian live in a manner that’s indistinguishable from their non-believing counterparts. As the end of the age approaches we who try to live in a way that’s pleasing to God are steadily feeling less comfortable in this world, and for its part the world has less tolerance for our lifestyle as well.
And no matter where you live, visit some of your local churches and you’ll find more than one where it’s hard to tell whether the people in attendance believe the same things you do, and sometimes after listening to their pastors you won’t know for sure what they believe either. So if you belong to a Bible believing, Bible teaching church be sure to thank the Lord tonight, even if there are some people around you who don’t “get it” because churches like this are becoming harder to find.
In his letters to Timothy, Paul warned us that the things you’ve mentioned would happen in “later times” (1 Tim. 4:1-5, 2 Tim. 3:1-5, 2 Tim 4:3-4). That means their appearance would be a sign that the Church will soon be leaving this world because we don’t belong here.
“For our citizenship is in Heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21). Maranatha!