Church attendance in decline

[PraiseHim1004]

21 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

LOL  

Go eat a tulip.

Or better yet sip a bit of Tulip wine.

I had a little lady Mrs' Buglelink that spoke English with a pronounced Netherlands accent. She would call like clockwork each day to ask of her trust fund of a few dollars, but the world to her. She would  ask if it was secure.  Yes Mrs. Buglelink it is secure, do you want  to withdraw it? You may do so. No I just want to know.

Finally after years of this daily call, one day she called and asked for her money. A check was issued. I can still hear her stuccato voice "This...   is...   Mrs....  Bugle... - Link ..."

Oh, one day I needed to reach the Dutch Consulate-General  office at Los Angeles California USA. I asked the then telephone information  operator for that number, and waited and waited and waited; finally the operator came back online to say she could not find "Dutch Land" in the telephone book.  I simply responded- Thank you anyway.

We are all a bunch of laughs if one will just enjoy the humor found in us and our daily lives. My LORD must be in an uproar of laughter much of the time.

I knew God had a great sense of humor the first time I saw a 300 pound chicken with a four foot long neck.

[RdJ]

9 minutes ago, PraiseHim1004 said:

I knew God had a great sense of humor the first time I saw a 300 pound chicken with a four foot long neck.

And He says that they're dumb. Luckily they're too dumb to get offended.

“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s? For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust; She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them. She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding. When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider.
Job 39:13‭-‬18 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/job.39.13-18.NKJV

[farouk]

On 5/29/2024 at 7:18 PM, Anne2 said:

I did not bring this up to offend either. I have thought on this aspect for many years. Quite frankly I myself have fallen into not appreciating the calling of another. I think it has become habitual in the Church. I also suspect it is why we have so many denominations. We want to cookie cut the various operations within the body to often. I do not wish to offend anyone. one area as an example, head knowledge vs spiritual. And people will judge others based upon these aspects. These are often simply areas of calling in the church, a gift operating in both for the benefit to the whole.

Hi @Anne2 I think it's good when it becomes possible to discern beyond the mere outward appearance any real commitment to Acts to 2.42 principles:

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

[luigi]

One of the main reasons (if not the main reason), why faith with mainstream religion is declining is due to the denial of many current scientifically proven truths. Example 1: is that of an earth being many billions of years old, versus a few thousands of years old, as many mainstream faiths continue to promote. I'm sorry, but there were no dinosaurs walking around a few thousand years ago. As such, advocating for this perspective leaves many youths seeing religion as unrealistic. Example 2: In many books of the bible (OT and NT), are described the earth in these final times experiencing dire environmental issues due to the love mankind has for the things his hands produce. And as these things we love today are produced primarily through fossil fuel burning industries; denominations who then deny what is clearly written in the bible and confirmed by science as to earth's current degradation, again leaves many youths seeing these faiths as false.

[farouk]

5 minutes ago, luigi said:

One of the main reasons (if not the main reason), why faith with mainstream religion is declining is due to the denial of many current scientifically proven truths. Example 1: is that of an earth being many billions of years old, versus a few thousands of years old, as many mainstream faiths continue to promote. I'm sorry, but there were no dinosaurs walking around a few thousand years ago. As such, advocating for this perspective leaves many youths seeing religion as unrealistic. Example 2: In many books of the bible (OT and NT), are described the earth in these final times experiencing dire environmental issues due to the love mankind has for the things his hands produce. And as these things we love today are produced primarily through fossil fuel burning industries; denominations who then deny what is clearly written in the bible and confirmed by science as to earth's current degradation, again leaves many youths seeing these faiths as false.

@luigi I don't see a supposedly mature and Godly youth superseding what Hebrews 11.4 says about Creation:

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

[luigi]

5 minutes ago, farouk said:

@luigi I don't see a supposedly mature and Godly youth superseding what Hebrews 11.4 says about Creation:

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

I agree farouk, The things we see were made of things which do not appear. Even science indirectly agrees with this, with their Big Bang theory of the entire universe coming into being from an infinitesimally tiny singularity.

[farouk]

On 5/29/2024 at 5:09 PM, Anne2 said:

Maybe it is an issue of differing gifts for a calling.

 

However they did leave Egypt to worship God

Ex 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2  And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3  And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

I think sometimes we do not recognize/appreciate the various operations of the body of christ.

1 Cor 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.
15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19  And if they were all one member, where were the body?

David a man of war, blessed and chosen King...was not to build God's house..

1Chr 28:3  But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. {blood: Heb. bloods }
4  Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:

 

Hi @Anne2 Today we have 'no continuing city'........

Hebrews 13.12-16:

"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

¹³ Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

¹⁴ For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

¹⁵ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

¹⁶ But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

[Reynolds357]

On 5/13/2024 at 3:11 PM, RV_Wizard said:

It is no secret that church attendance is declining in America.  Two decades ago, an average of 42% of U.S. adults attended religious services every week or nearly every week. That number is currently at 30%. This decline correlates to an increase in the percentage of Americans with no religious affiliation: 9% in 2000 versus 21% in 2023.  In a survey of young adults aged between 18 and 22 who had attended church regularly for at least a year during high school, seven out of 10 had stopped attending church regularly.  According to Pew research, in 1972 92% of Americans said they were Christian.  By 2070 that number will drop to below 50%.

There are a variety of reasons for this.  The most prominent is the secularization of America.  The government has taken over the role that used to belong to the church. Instead of the church providing for the poor, bringing meals to the ill, cleaning their house or providing a ride to the doctor, the government now provides these services. To a large extent, the church has lost its role in society. Couple this with the re-interpretation of the Constitution to eliminate God-based religious teaching of any kind in public schools in favor of the teaching of scientific theories as immutable facts, and you have children raised to believe that everything the Bible teaches is wrong.  It’s no wonder they refuse to attend church services.

As people move further away from the church and the teaching of the Bible, teaching the word of God is increasingly called hate speech and intolerance.  However, nowhere in the Bible does it say that God tolerates sin.  God doesn’t tolerate homosexuality.  God doesn’t tolerate adultery.  God doesn’t tolerate lying, stealing, or idolatry.  God doesn’t tolerate taking His name in vain or disrespecting the Sabbath.  These things are all sin.  Sinners are invited to come to get support in overcoming their sin, but a church which openly supports sin is not accurately teaching God’s word.  It is not the mission of the church to make people feel good about going to Hell, but to show them how to go to Heaven.  Still, it is not the words of the pastor that makes sinners uncomfortable in church, but rather the Holy Spirit convicting them of their sin.

A good, Bible believing church is an anchor in a stormy world.  What is more needed than a community marked by sincere love, sharing what they have from each according to their ability, assisting those in need, generously serving neighbors, and living lives of quiet virtue and prayer? A healthy church can be a safety net in the harsh American economy by offering its members material assistance in times of need: meals after a baby is born, money for rent after a layoff. Perhaps more important, it reminds people that their identity is not in their job or how much money they make; they are children of God, loved and protected and infinitely valuable.

A vibrant, life-giving church requires more, not less, time and energy from its members.  Sunday morning attendance is important, but also Sunday night, Wednesday night and any other night your church has services.  If God is a priority in your life, then supporting God’s house should be a priority as well.  Maybe you are already saved and you find repeated altar calls redundant, but there others who have not been saved, and maybe others that, for them, it’s the last opportunity before they die.  Regardless, Christ said that where three or more are gathered in His name, there he is in the midst of them.  Who among us would refuse to attend a service if they KNEW Jesus was going to be there?

We know from the Scriptures that there will be a great falling away from God before the return of Christ.  That doesn’t have to happen to you, or to your friends and family.  While others may be turning away from God, God will never turn away from you.
 

Unfortunately, the decline will continue.

[LaMonte]

Eagle or chicken

Are we building are house on the Rock “Christ” or on the Sand “World

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

What does it mean, to "mount up" with wings as eagles? The Hebrew word is alah and means "to ascend," "to be high," "lifted up," "arise up," or "carry up," and is used in a great variety of senses. An eagle "mounts up" as it soars high into the sky, far above the plains below. When a storm breaks, the violent winds that hits the earth also carry the eagle upward above the storm clouds.

In what ways is a Christian like an "eagle"? Are we a spiritual "eagle" who can soar to great heights, above the circumstances? Or are we more like a barnyard "chicken" -- bound to the earth, scratching for a living, dependent on the local "flock" and chicken "coop" for protection?

Many Christians, in these last days, are much like these "chickens." Rather than being spiritually strong through Faith which brings contentment and Godliness like the eagle, they are more like chickens in a chicken coop, they are not single minded towards Christ they need protection and the security that world offers.

Each "chicken" is confined to the chicken pen of its owner. It is not allowed to wander or roam freely. Woe to the chicken who keep straying from the pen! Such a chicken becomes a candidate for a fried chicken dinner! Today, as we look about us, we see all kinds of groups of "spiritual chickens" -- there is "United," over there, and the "Global chicken yard" over there, and the "Philadelphia Chicken pens" down the street, and the 'Chicken Yard, International," over the hill, as well as many smaller chicken pens. The various chickens may all feel comfortable in their own chicken yard, and may think it is better than the others, but aren't they all pretty much the same? The dull, monotonous, routine life of the 'chicken yard" will never appeal to those who are like the "eagle."

When the storm strikes with its fury, notice how the chickens dash for the chicken coop, cuddle up inside, and cower in fear. If the storm should beat upon their own coop with real fury, they would be tossed about, and perhaps killed, all together. They have no way of escape -- for they are bound up inside the chicken pen!

The eagle, on the other hand, doesn't blink at the storm clouds coming along the horizon. Its nest is built upon a "rock," high up in the mountains, safe from the fury and onslaught of the storm's violent winds and rains and lightning. The same storm of tribulation and persecution that beats down upon the cowering chickens -- is the very storm that allows the eagles -- bold, fearless, obedient Christians who know the 'way of the eagle" -- to ride the powerful of the storms winds, and to soar to heights never before imagined or attained by mere mortal man!

Are we building are house on the Rock “Christ” or on the Sand “World

[TheBlade]

What happens in the USA is not what's happening all over the world :) Christianity is growing very fast all over the world :) The Church is still here and we have all power all authority over the enemy. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.

There is life and death in your mouth speak talk like your Father. We walk by faith, we live by faith. Remember He has never lost. Remember He leaves the 99 to go after the one. Remember in Rev that number that just came out of the great tribulation in heaven no one could count. 

Like Israel which this is what its really all about, every time bad things started to happen because they got away from God.. they then cried out to Him. Oh man praise GOD GLORY TO JESUS this is the best time to be a live! WOOT