I watched a mass suicide in my kitchen yesterday

About a million lives were lost yesterday.  In my kitchen.

Fortunately, it wasn't people.  It was an ant colony.

We've had ant problems in our house all summer.  They haven't really gotten into anything, but they were constantly crawling across our counters, windowsills, etc.  I had to do something.

I got some Terro Ant Killer.  It is a sweet liquid that attracts ants like nothing else.  Literally a few drops and ants come out of the woodwork and surround it.

I placed several different drops of Terro on my kitchen windowsill, and within seconds, ants were crawling all over each other to have at it.  It was like crack cocaine to these ants.  They couldn't get enough of it.

They ran to the very thing that would kill them.  They failed to see the danger.  They weren't killed.  They were enticed, and they willingly committed mass suicide just to have the pleasure of good-tasting poison.  No one took their lives.  They willingly gave them away for a moment's pleasure.  Here is a video of the event:

We are like those ants.

We as human beings have the amazing capacity for self-destruction.  How many of us are dealing with problems that are completely of our own doing?  We did something stupid, simply for a moment's pleasure, that right now is killing us.  We bought something that promised far more than it delivered and now we are stuck behind huge payments that are killing us financially.  We dated someone who had no character and everyone warned us about, and now we are paying the price in the form of a broken heart, an STD, a pregnancy, or just plain old-fashioned hurt.  We indulged a drug, for a moment's pleasure, that now has us addicted and rebuilding a completely broken life.

Our society reminds me of those ants.  We sit down every night to a steady diet of trash, also known as television, where Jesus' name is used as a swear word, faith is ridiculed, casual sex is the norm, disrespect for parents is celebrated, and we wonder why we are dying as a society.  We belly up to the bar and drink in filthy song lyrics, and we wonder why we are pessimistic.  We dine every night at the table of perversion, calling good evil and evil good, and we wonder why we have school shootings, rampant debt, failing schools, broken marriages, complacent churches, wimpy pastors, ineffective laypeople, gangs, and rampant drug use.

Those ants swarmed over the poison, drinking it in with all their might. Yet are we any different?  Our country is committing mass suicide.  We have embraced and drank in filth, pornography, illicit sex, disrespect for elders, foul language, cynicism, and violence.  We have pulled up to the table of secularism and postmodernism and drank our fill.  We have chosen the poison, bypassing the real food and the real nourishment offered by faith, hope, love, joy, goodness, morality, self-denial, and sacrifice.

We are committing mass suicide on a daily basis, just like those ants on my windowsill.  No one is taking their lives- they are willingly giving them up.  I put down poison that was dressed up in an attractive way, and like unthinking morons, they went for what felt right.  They decided their course of action with what made them feel good.  They didn't stop to think of the consequences, nor did they learn when their friends started dying off.  Thinking with their stomachs and their passions, they dove into the poison, enjoying for a moment what would kill them forever.

I think that pretty much sums up American culture right now.  When will we, as people, sit up and realize the poison that not only has been set out for us, but that we are actually indulging in?  When we will realize the consequences to our souls, to our homes, to our families, to our communities, to our nation?

When will we, as people, stop committing mass suicide and instead turn to the things that give us life- God, faith, goodness, trust, sacrifice, delayed gratification, joy, friendship, honesty, self-control, and most importantly, love?

Richard Dawkins and the "Immorality" of letting a Down's Syndrome Child Live

Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins has shown us a great deal about the fruit of atheism this week.  Without a belief in a sovereign God (and consequently believing that life is a gift from Him and that all humans are made in His image and therefore worthy of dignity and respect) you are left with Dawkins' worldview- kill Down's Syndrome babies in utero.

As a matter of fact, it is immoral to let them live.  His words, not mine.

It is perfectly natural for someone with this worldview to arrive at this conclusion.  After all, life has no point.  We are simply a great cosmological accident- lightning struck a bunch of nonliving matter and life evolved from nothing. Human beings are simply some of the lucky ones to make it off the top of the pond, so to speak, and there is no difference between us and the slime mold that covers damp basement walls.

Why not kill a baby?  We kill flies and ants and cockroaches.  We have no more purpose than they do.  That is, if you subscribe to atheism and the atheistic worldview.

Are all atheists this way?  No.  Some have a higher view of human life than that, but it isn't because of atheism.  Atheism naturally leads to this conclusion, and Dawkins is simply stating what his beliefs have led him to- human beings are not inherently worthy of dignity and respect.  The only ones who should be allowed to be born are those with normal, healthy, fully-developed bodies.

The life of a person with Down's Syndrome isn't worth anything. They will simply suffer, cause caregivers to put their lives on hold, and be an inconvenience to everyone.  So, they should be aborted and save everyone the trouble.

Hence, the fruit of atheism.

Things are radically different when you hold a theistic worldview.  I know this for a fact.  My wife and I were faced with exactly what Richard Dawkins was talking about when we found out that our third child, Jacob Benjamin Kibler, had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning he was going to be born with a three-chamber heart.  It was a condition that was 100% fatal without surgery, and even after three rounds of surgery, his prognosis wouldn't be good.  He would be doing well to have an IQ of 100, wouldn't be able to play sports, probably would be slower than other children his age, etc.  Our OB/GYN told us that many parents upon receiving this news choose to abort.

Now, if we held Dawkin's worldview, we would have said, "Well, here is a defective child. It will be immoral to bring him into the world.  Let's just kill him now." Makes perfect sense, huh?

No, it doesn't.  This isn't some blob of cells or nameless parasite growing inside my wife's womb.  This is my son.  He has a name.  He has a family.  He has a father who is proud of him.  He has sisters who care about him.  He has a mother who cries tears over him.  This is a human being made in God's image whom God has fashioned together and whom God loves more than anything in the world.

That's who it is.  Now, it would be immoral NOT to bring him into the world.

Mr Dawkins, I understand where you are coming from.  I don't want to see people suffer, and to a healthy, normal human being, it would seem like people with special needs are suffering. However, have you ever spent time among people with special needs?

Have you ever known the love of someone who has Down's Syndrome? They are some of the sweetest, kindest, most humble people I've ever met.  Do you know the love their families have for them?  Do you know the bright ray of sunshine they bring to the lives of people?

Sometimes I wonder if special needs kids aren't the ones that are okay, and it is WE who have the problem.  After all, I've never seen a Down's Syndrome kid call for the death of healthy people.  I've never seen a Down's Syndrome kid commit mass murder- that is reserved for us "normal, healthy" people.  I've never seen the mass numbers of Down's Syndrome rapists, or thieves, perjurers, or anything else.  No, Mr Dawkins, that is the sole domain of people with "normal" sets of chromosomes.  And we have the gall to say that THEY don't deserve to live?

Could it be that there is a purpose for special needs kids that you, in your limited human ability, can't see?  Some eternal purpose that we could only see when we reach eternity?

But of course, you can't see that with your atheistic worldview.  Therefore, you just want them dead.  Even worse, you seem to think it GOOD to kill these babies before they are born. It is the moral thing to do, right?

My son only lived ten days. This year will be the tenth anniversary of his short life (9/5/04- 9/15/04). His short life was spent in a hospital, stuck with wires and tubes and test after test. He never saw the sky, trees, grass, or anything else.  However, he was loved.  He was held.  He was prayed for.  He knew the closeness of family, the love of his mother and father, and he brought a perspective on life to our family that we never would have had otherwise.  He impacted more people in his ten days than most people do in their entire lifespan.

I believe Down's Syndrome children do the same thing, and therefore Mr Dawkins, you are wrong.  Dead wrong. It is NOT immoral to bring a Down's Syndrome child, or any other child with special needs, into this world. I pray that one day you will be loved by a special needs child and you will see how truly wonderful they are.

Five Constitutional Words that too many Christians have forgotten

Most of us remember times in our lives when we thought we were completely right when we were wrong.  We were on our way somewhere, thinking we were following the directions, thinking we knew where we were going, and wound up someplace completely wrong.

I believe America is in one of those phases right now in regards to religious liberty.

We all know the rhetoric surrounding the "establishment clause" where public officials, schools, and government organizations are not allowed to pray, read the Bible, or otherwise encourage religious activity (which only boils down to CHRISTIAN religious activity, mind you) because of a constitutional separation of church and state, right?

Wrong.

Atheists and militant secularists will always cite the First Amendment, using it to justify shutting down school prayers, prayers before football games, filling shoe boxes for underprivileged kids, etc. However, the First Amendment says this:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Who?  Congress.  Congress can't pass a law.  I guess that means that state legislatures can, school boards can, local councils can, depending on the will of the local people.  However, that's small potatoes compared to the second part of the First Amendment:

"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

What?

I'll say it again:  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

There you have it.  Government cannot stop someone from exercising freely the actions and commands of faith.  In other words, government cannot stop someone from praying before a football game, no matter who it is.  ""Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Government cannot stop a school from packing shoe boxes for underprivileged kids for Samaritan's Purse.  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Government cannot stop teachers from praying in schools-  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  

Why have we forgotten the second half?  

Because we are ignorant.

How many of us truly know our rights?  How many of us truly know the law?  How many of us have simply allowed the atheists and secular forces, determined to remove God at all costs from every aspect of public life, to tell us what to do?

"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

I would like for Christians to get ahold of what the Constitution really says.  There are no limits, no governmental limits, on what can be religiously be practiced.  We've been traveling down the wrong road, thinking we were right all these years.  Court cases have interpreted the amendment, liberal courts, mind you, to say that all religious expression should be banned from schools, public areas, public extracurricular activities, and just about anything else. And we've taken it.

I say that Christians take back the Constitution and begin challenging the secularists by saying these five words:  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Make these five words your mantra as you move the free exercise of religion into the public sphere.  If anyone says anything to you, just calmly say those five words and point them to the First Amendment.  

"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

For too long, people have looked at the First Amendment through the lens of not establishing a state religion.  I don't want that.  I don't want to look like Europe with it's church-state marriage.  That would be terrible.  However, allowing prayer in schools, prayer before football games, Bible reading in classes, and other expressions of faith is not establishing a state religion.  It is "not prohibiting the free practice thereof."

I realize this is radical.  It goes against what we've been ramrodded for the last sixty years of American history.  But stop to think of it.  A public high school teacher who is a Christian, by Constitutional Right, can pray in his or her classroom.  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  A Christian football coach can pray with his players.  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Government has no right and no constitutional grounds to deny them that right.  They cannot, by the Constitution, pass any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, and that includes public teachers, public officials, coaches, etc.

Take back your constitutional rights and remember those five words- "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

Another atheist group with too much time on their hands

Breaking news.  An atheist group threatens to sue a football team in Georgia over prayer and Bible references.

This atheist group is from out-of-town.

This atheist group is annoying.

This atheist group has too much time on their hands.

And Christians are getting sick of being bullied.

I read the news story that the school board, unlike many other school boards who run around fearing lawsuits and wringing their hands, has stood up to the group and said, "Bring it on."  More than 200 people from the community gathered in prayer on the school field in defiance of the atheist group's demands.

What should Christians do in the face of letters threatening lawsuits from atheist groups with too much time on their hands?

I had a few reactions:

1) My immediate reaction is the hypocrisy of these atheist groups.  What happens when Christians complain about movies, songs, media, etc that glorify violence, sex, and drugs?  We are told, "If you don't like it, don't watch it.  If you don't like it, don't listen to it."  Then these same people, when they are offended by prayer, fail to exercise their own words.  Hey atheists- don't like people praying?  Don't pray.  Don't like prayer at football games?  Don't go to the football game.  Or, show up later when the prayers are done.  How does that suit you?  That's what we Christians have been told for years.

2) My second reaction was an incredible outpouring of disinterest. So what if there is a lawsuit?  Pray anyway.  So what if the court rules that prayer and Bible verses are illegal?  Pray and post them anyway. When did Christians start worrying about their beliefs being legal?

The people who have gone before us in our faith faced all kinds of government persecution for their faith.  It didn't stop them. Peter and John were threatened in Acts 4 with jail and death if they preached in the name of Jesus.  Their reaction? "Oh no!  We'd better stop doing this. We'd better listen to these authorities. We'd better just go into our homes and be safe."

Actually, no.  They said, "We must obey God rather than man.  For we cannot stop preaching about what we have seen and heard."

What are these atheist groups going to do, sue every Christian who prays?  Fire every coach who disobeys the ruling and prays with his team?  Christians should do little more than yawn at these baseless, empty threats from atheists that have little more to do than annoy everyone else.

3)  My third reaction was a motivation to prayer. If there are forces within America trying to intimidate Christians into being quiet, then I will gladly move the other direction and intensify my prayer life. We need Christians to be openly defiant of these annoying atheist groups who try to impose their secular humanism on others. Will there be consequences?  Maybe.  Probably not. At least not on the scale that the guys in the Bible faced, or the Christians in Iraq are facing, or other parts of the world.

I've had it with these we'll-save-you-from-yourself meddlers and busybodies who like to walk around looking for things to be offended by. These groups that have too much time on their hands and feel the need to shove their noses into everyone else's lives to fix what doesn't need to be fixed are just bullies.  The way to deal with a bully isn't to give in. The way to deal with a bully is defiance. Bullies enjoy power; they enjoy imposing themselves on others, and they love it when their intimidation tactics work. What they can't stand is when their intimidation tactics backfire and they are shown to be the spineless, gutless cowards they truly are.

So, don't be intimidated by these bullies.  Don't worry about the "consequences."  Christians never have paid much mind to laws outlawing the practice of their faith.  They have never been good at following lawsuits that say they can't pray whenever they want.

Don't capitulate to the atheist group.  If it goes to court and you lose, disobey the law. That's been the history of Christians for the past 2000 years, and it's not likely to change soon.  

3000 years later . . . it's the same old thing

I've been reading The One Year Bible reading plan on YouVersion this year.  In the Old Testament part, I'm at the part where Israel is in its latter days with king after king being listed.  The Biblical writers view the kings of Israel and Judah through one lens- how faithful they were to God.

There is no mention of the economy, of military might, of what they did for the people, etc.  The Biblical writers didn't seem to think that was very important.  The only thing that mattered about the kings was how faithful they were to God.  Did they worship the God of the Bible, or did they go after other gods?

One of the "gods" that appears quite a bit in this section is a god named Baal.  Baal was a half-bull, half-man god of fertility that was worshiped by many of the neighboring tribes and nations around Israel.  Israel took on their customs and began to worship him as well.

What does this have to do with us today?  Well, a lot, actually.

The pillars of Baal worship were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both homosexual and heterosexual), and pantheism (reverence of creation over the Creator).  Ritualistic Baal worship looked like this:  Adults would gather around the altar of Baal.  Infants would then be burned alive as a sacrifice.  While the children were being burned alive, men and women would then engage in both heterosexual and homosexual orgies hoping to bring rain and fertility.

There are strong forces in this nation that, while not mentioning Baal, still engage wholeheartedly in the worship of him.

Abortion is our means of child sacrifice.

Sexual immorality, both hetero and homo, is promoted and pushed to the point that anyone criticizing it is labelled an extremist and is mocked and ridiculed, just like God-worshipers in the Bible who condemned Baal worship.

The religious fervor of the global warming/climate change pushers, the militancy of some radical environmental groups, where the creation is worshiped rather than the Creator, is alive and well.

In other words, 3000 years later, it's the same old story.

It's time that the church recognizes the current trends as more than just passing fads or "changing times."  Truth is, times HAVEN'T changed.  They've been given a new name.  Baal worship is now called "pro-choice," "marriage equality," and "climate change/environmentalism."  However, what went into Baal worship hasn't changed at all.  At its heart, the pillars of Baal worship are alive and well- child sacrifice, sexual immorality, and worship of creation over Creator.

The scary part of this section of the Bible is that the nation of Israel was at one point extremely devoted to God.  However, over time, things changed so radically that there were altars to Baal everywhere- even in the Lord's temple.  The nation did a complete 180 to where it not only tolerated Baal worship; it actively persecuted those who condemned it.  The nation actively persecuted those whose faith was in God- in a nation that once dedicated itself to God and received His blessings.

3000 years later . . . .  it's the same old story.

We like to think we have evolved so much as a society and as people.  We like to think that we are so much more advanced than those "primitive societies" of thousands of years ago.  The truth is, we aren't.  The human heart still struggles with the same sins.  The human heart still desires the same things.  And the human heart still rebels against God to the same extent that it did 3000 years ago, choosing any god but God.

When I see the clear parallels between modern America and Baal worship, I also take note of the consequences faced by Israel for their rejection of God and their embracing of Baal.  Do we, as a country, think that we will not see the same consequences?  

"White privilege" is more a result of decisions than skin color

I am a poster boy for the new trendy term "white privilege."

I am a white male.  I grew up in the home of married parents who are still married to this day.  Both my mom and dad were valedictorians in high school and went to private universities.  My dad is an orthopedic surgeon, and my mom stayed home with my brother and I.  I went to a nice high school in the suburbs and grew up in a gated community.  In the summers, I worked if I wanted to, not because I had to.

I am a poster boy for "white privilege."

Or am I?

It is easy to think that when you look at one snapshot of my family.  But let's go back a few generations.

My great-grandfather was a conductor on a coal train out of Appalachia, VA. My grandfather, after coming home from WWII, was a brick salesman who got his first vehicle at age 30. My other grandfather was an insurance salesman, and my mom grew up as a farm girl in Tennessee. My dad grew up in a blue-collar working class neighborhood.

Even though money was not a part of my family tree, something else was.

The benefits I enjoy now are the results of good decisions my ancestors made.

My ancestors, as far back as I can remember, lived by Christian values.  They believed in hard work, discipline, and education.  They believed in marriage- they got married and stayed married for life, having children within wedlock and raising them in stable homes.  They got a job and kept that job, ensuring steady income and opportunities for advancement.

By doing those things, they also avoided many things.  They avoided drugs and alcohol.  Therefore addiction was never a part of our family tree.  They avoided the uncertainty of joblessness.  They avoided the stress and uncertainty of single parenthood.  They avoided breaking the law, which ensured that they would never do jail time and suffer loss of job opportunities.  By staying in school and finishing school, they set themselves up for success in landing job opportunities.

In other words, good decisions, not skin color, are the reasons for my current situation.

I am saying this because, somewhere in my family's past, someone made decisions that I am now benefitting from.  Now, I challenge you to do the same for your descendants.

Will your descendants benefit from your current decisions?  Or will they pay for them?

It's up to you.

You can be the person that brings "privilege" into your family tree.

You can change your family story from a cycle of despair, poverty, and hopelessness to one of success and prosperity in one generation.  You can choose, by your good decisions, to set your descendant up for "privilege."

I'm going to change the term "white privilege" to "decision privilege" because that's exactly what it is.  Want a life of "decision privilege?"  Make these decisions now.

1. Put God first.  Dedicate your life to Christ and commit yourself to living by Biblical standards. You will be amazed at the blessing that comes from living a life of integrity, and when your life is marked with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) you will be amazed at the opportunities that open up in front of you.

2.  Finish school.  Education is incredibly important.  Finish high school at least.  If you are a parent, make sure your children graduate high school.  Stress the importance of good grades and strong work ethic in school.  Don't enable your children to skip school or do less than 100% at their studies.  Believe me, they will thank you later.

3.  Get married . . . .  THEN have children, not the reverse.  The best gift you can give your children is a stable home where mother and father are committed for life.  Do everything you can to avoid divorce. Commit your marriage to God and allow Him to bless it as you do things His way.

4.  Get a job and keep that job.  Flying from one job to another shows employers that you are only in it for the short term, so why bother promoting you or giving you a raise?  I always entered a job with the attitude, "When I leave here, they will have to hire two people to do the work I was doing."  Employers don't fire people who are doing the work of two people.  Work as if working for the Lord, and you will see "privilege" marking your life.

That's it, people.  I am very thankful for the "decision privilege" that my ancestors passed on to me.  I am the beneficiary of their discipline, hard work, sacrifice, and wise decisions.  Now, I have committed to continuing that tradition and passing down "decision privilege" to my children and grandchildren (hopefully one of these days FAR in the future).

You may have been set up in life to fail.  Your ancestors may have passed on to you a raw deal.  Maybe you never knew your parents.  Maybe you never knew your father.  Maybe you grew up in poverty, or with incarcerated parents, or without much at all.  I sympathize with you.  But here is the question- what will your children grow up with?  Your grandchildren?  Do you want something better for them?

It's easy to look around at other people and blame them for your problems.  It makes people feel good and makes fantastic political talking points, but at the end of the day, you are simply passing on a cycle of brokenness and dysfunction to your descendants if you make poor decisions in life.

So here is the challenge.  You are the one who will determine whether "decision privilege" will be a part of your family tree.  It doesn't matter what everyone else around you is doing.  If you do what they do, you'll simply be what they are.

Now, be the first in your family to pass on "decision privilege" to your children. Your descendants will thank you.  Live your life in such a way that one day, your grandchildren will write this kind of blog about YOU.

The "decline" of the Church is completely orchestrated by God

We've all heard the news:  church in America is declining.

We think this is a bad thing.  What if it isn't?  As a matter of fact, it is a great thing, because the "decline" of the American church is completely orchestrated by God.

What Dave?  Are you serious?  Doesn't God want all people to be saved?  Why would He be behind churches closing their doors, denominational headquarters being sold, etc?

The answer lies in John 15:1-2.  Jesus says to His disciples, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

What is happening right now is a ruthless pruning of God's church.  Right now, God is pruning off leaders that have not remained faithful to Scripture, moving them out of ministry, declining their influence, closing their denominations.  God has put up with church leaders who deny the Resurrection but trumpet political causes, but now He has moved to the judgment phase and is "cutting off the branches that bear no fruit."

If you look closely at the "decline" of the American church, it isn't Bible-believing and theologically orthodox churches that are declining.  Quite the opposite.  Churches who hold fast to Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, who boldly state that salvation is found in Him and Him alone, who look to the Bible as the Word of God not to be compromised or forgotten, are actually doing quite well.  Very well, in fact.

It is the churches that can't decide if their Christianity includes Christ that are dying.

Yes.

For example, the Episcopal Church in America is collapsing.  Several years ago, some clergy put forth a resolution to declare Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and it was soundly rejected by the governing body.  The only resolution that was overwhelmingly agreed to was to affirm the humanity of gay and transgender people.

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

When a church can't decide if their Christianity includes Christ, it is no longer a church, no matter whose humanity they affirm.

I pastor a non-denominational church that is theologically orthodox and holds the Bible to be the true Word of God.  We believe that salvation is in Christ alone.  I was talking with a friend of mine who is an atheist, and he asked me, "Does your church do gay weddings?"

I said, "No, we don't.  We welcome homosexual people to come and worship God with us, and they will be loved like everyone else, but we will not bless same-sex marriage because it just doesn't happen in Scripture."

He said, "That's what I thought.  That's why I don't go to church- you all exclude people."

I said, "Let me ask you a question- if all of a sudden we changed our beliefs and started doing gay weddings, would you all of a sudden become a committed church member, being baptized into Christ and repenting of your sins, turning your life over to the Lordship of Christ and living as God intends you to live?"

He said, "No."

I said, "So, it's not that we are 'excluding people.' It's just that you don't want to be a Christian."

See, church leaders, here is the practical example:  it is unpopular in America to hold to an orthodox view of Christianity.  Orthodox churches endure ridicule and withering criticism from the mass media, the militant homosexual movement, atheists, academia, etc.  It is very tempting to change our beliefs so that we will be more "accepted" in society.  I think that many church leaders change their beliefs in order to attract nonbelievers to their churches.

However, the people criticizing your church for its lack of "inclusiveness" don't join your church when you all of a sudden become "inclusive."  All you've done is compromise who you are. So, it's a dumb policy regardless.

Right now, we are in a season of God's ruthless pruning of His church.  You might say He is preparing empty church buildings for more mission-minded, Bible-believing, Jesus-following congregations.  The face of Christianity is going to change dramatically in the next ten years.  Many of the mainline denominations, who years ago abandoned Christ for more liberal, secular causes, will cease to exist.  Their buildings- huge, grandiose buildings once holding vast congregations of worshipers- now a quarter or a tenth full, will be closed and then re-opened by an evangelical, mission-minded new congregation that believes in Christ alone as Savior.

Take note, church leaders and church people- the only churches in America that will be left after God's great pruning will be churches that take His Great Commission seriously.  God has washed His hands of churches that resemble social clubs more than missional communities.  God has washed His hands of materialistic, worldly churches more interested in comfort than truth.  God has washed His hands of churches that are more influenced by the world than by God's Word.

So, all of you church leaders who remain true to the Gospel, all of you Christians who remain true to God's Holy Word, be encouraged.  God is ruthlessly pruning off churches that teach a false spirituality so that your churches can be more productive.  It is His will that you are even more fruitful.  It is His will that your church thrive even more.  That is why He is pruning back the church in America right now.

The "decline" of the church is nothing of the sort.  Like a farmer who prunes off dead branches, bitter fruit, and weeds, God is clearing the way so that churches who stay faithful to Christ will have more and more influence.  God is placing more and more resources into churches that stay true to His word, and His blessings will be concentrated in churches who truly worship Christ.

Be ready for His blessings as you stay true to His Word.