Let's be honest...American Christianity is rarely Christlike.

[BorderCowboy]

I agree, I see alot of sanctimonious behavior these days. These conformity churches springing up all over and false prophets growing in power and influence.

Just my two bits, JJ

[RonaldBruno]

We are all sinners. Some are mature, knowledgeable, obedient and practicing  Christians. Others are maybe infants, still clinging onto their old ways. They didn't really die to themselves. Did they really repent? Or maybe not yet, "I really need this sinful activity and can't let go of it yet ... I'll learn and go to church but I'm not ready to give this up". They compromise with God. Certainly when you first become a Christian, you are purified spiritually, forgiven, no matter what you did. And that power of sin should have been broken, making us no longer slaves to it. Sanctification of the Spirit is (if it's real), is instant, but sanctification of our flesh takes  a lifetime. Sin dwells in the members of our flesh. So there is this battle between flesh and spirit within us. Paul had it, we all do. Eventually we mortify our old self. We begin to hate sin, not just in everyone else life but our own and so we confess our sins - thanking God Je already forgave them (past, present and future).

But don't think you can point the finger at others and claim you are pure - get the log out of your eye first. 

As the parable of the Sower goes, seed (the WORD) is scattered, some on Rocky soil, some on shallow soil and some on fertile soil. The seed in Rocky or shallow soil may grow slightly, but hasn't been thoroughly nourished, watered and so these are the ones with weak faith. Maybe they go to church, but really haven't been transformed/ born again. They are not spirit filled, guided and still very much living in the world and not quite taking it seriously - because they don't have the Holy Spirit. If they do, He will sanctify them. He makes us holy, we can't. So when these tribulations come as we have now, they crumble and fall away. Those who have deep roots, and actually have a relationship with Christ persevere through them.

Jesus rebuked five out of seven churches in Revelation. He said repent or else. So problems now are no different then the first century.

Btw, I heard a teaching on Corinth where the  Pastor described it as present day AMSTERDAM. How many Christians do you think live in that city?

In general, as a nation, the moral fiber of this country has decayed in this generation and we have grown callous to sin. What was taboo 50 years ago is now accepted: abortion, gay marriage ... and we are being judged as we speak. And this is only the "beginning of sorrows".

[Alive]

Lumping all within christendom into the same loaf, is like saying all Walmart shoppers by necessity wear pajamas.

[Prycejosh1987]

On 12/10/2019 at 1:32 AM, mlssufan01 said:

Granted, we are all saved by grace, but for people to renounce one of the most basic behavioral (non-salvific) doctrines is quite alarming.  Could you imagine, half of the single people in your church were engaged in premarital sex?
But yet, there is hope if they repent.
but it must be said...what are they being taught that is either leading them falsely, or what is not being taught, that they might refrain from such sin?

Serving Christ can be hard but it is worth it in the end. Even i get tested to have sex at times. I have not had sex in a long time. I love being single and i enjoy time alone.

[ravindran]

On 12/9/2019 at 9:39 PM, mlssufan01 said:

I do understand this sentiment, where grace should be shown...however we must not let grace mean a tolerance of sin, both of our own and of others.
If all sin were permissible, then Paul had virtually no reason to visit Corinth.  The whole point of the majority of Paul's voyage was to a). spread the Gospel; b). correct false gospels and c). rebuke those living in sin.  As far as I can see, the most descriptive example of how we show grace is exemplified by the incestual and immoral man in Corinth, who is rebuked, but whom also repents, and Paul instructs Corinth not only to forgive, but COMFORT, and reaffirm their love (this word reaffirm is the Greek is exemplified by actions, not just a restoration of membership, as most churches today would do).

I agree.. It is one thing to struggle with sin. A person who acknowledges sin, struggles to get out of it and does every attempt to come out of it. Then there is this other group who very well know it is sin, but keeps it in the dark and takes no effort to come out of it. On the outside they would condemn the sin. Then the final group who openly condone sin. A true repentant believer would fall in the first group, after being in the second group. It is our hope that God would move people from the 2nd group into 1st group. The 3rd group is dangerous to health of Church as a whole!