Abba's Own. David R. Lumsden

hope found in God’s Word, and defended by conservative evangelicals.

      One acquaintance said that the church was no longer relevant, and he would choose instead to go for a walk in the park or sit in the Bru Café for a coffee. He had gone through a significant divorce and had lost the true meaning and reason for the Church in his life. He had no respect for the Church. He needed to have Jesus to understand and respect the Church.

      May the Lord help us to restore the respect for God and His Church in our society. Society needs to be able to view the Church as headed by Jesus Christ, the Way, to find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life, worthy of wonderment and respect. People need a sense of meaning, use, and hope in their life. They can, through faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

      The author seeks to review the relevance of the true church for seekers and opts for bringing the church back to its once-known place of respect in the community. He believes that believing and trusting God with a sound development of theology based on God’s Word taken literally, is the way. Biblical soul-winning seems to be of less interest than filling pews and offering baskets in the church. A mockery of the church is created. Self-centeredness kills even though some say they are Bible-believing. Christian, biblical, Protestant, conservative, evangelical, local church-goers will say otherwise. We are not to forbid speaking foreign (learnable) languages for people to hear the Gospel in their language, to be converted, and added to the Church, but for self-centred ecstasy, it is non-biblical, self-centeredness, and therefore, sin.

      Churches are struggling to keep doors open with 40 to 100 members and adherents, but they are balking at preaching a liberal-free Christianity. The Gospel of Jesus Christ needs to be preached, taught and practiced wisely, boldly, and fearlessly, led by the Power of God the Holy Spirit, (1 Jn 2; 29), and not through man’s non-biblical philosophical musings that lead to unrighteousness.

      True biblical soul-winning for true salvation of souls in obedience to God for true church growth rather than sheep stealing, is imperative in the ministry of the church. Among churches where the true Gospel is being preached, and souls are receiving Christ Jesus, there is growth. This author argues that any substitution for the word “Grace, by Faith,” in Ephesians 2: 8, is cause to have a suspicion of false prophecy, and man’s centeredness, relativity, and sin, leading in a pathway to a decline of the ‘Christian’ Church and a movement toward the apostate church.

      The true Christian church is on the incline; we are not in a post-church, post-evangelical era, the author argues. Jesus says, “On this Rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it,” (Mt 16:18). The Church must follow Her Leader and take what He says at face value and do it. That means spiritual leaders and their followers.

      For those who say that we are in a post-Christian, post-evangelical era, Jesus is Lord, and He is not finished His work yet. The theme of Missions Fest at the Shaw Center in Edmonton in Feb 2018 was “If you want to hasten the Coming of Christ, then you better get the Great Commission finished.” Every supposed Christian leader thinks his or her way is right, but Jesus has not finished building His church. The fields are white unto harvest. Let’s get on with obedience in love and service of Jesus or start with one’s repentance from sin and turn to Jesus by faith. By faith through God’s grace, true Christians want to tell the whole world the Good News, that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God come in the flesh, sent to be the Savior of the world that God loves and is ready to forgive those who believe on His Son. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all will come to repentance,” even pastors, (2 Pet 3: 9). God makes overcomers complete in Christ, and they will join Him in Heaven.

      Their tradition may be right, but their traditional evangelical church may have changed toward secular liberalism.²² Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death, (Prov 14: 12). Heed Jesus’ call to ‘Come unto Him.’ He gives fruitfulness, fulfillment, purpose, and joy. Believe God, and you will see. David Haskell revealed in his research that conservative evangelical churches were growing, but liberal churches are dying.

      Many people are attending a church near where they live regardless of the belief system or theology of that church; they believe, falsely, they are on the right path to Heaven, having been taught in a non-biblical church. On one Sunday morning, this author and his wife saw an acquaintance, who is a long-term, faithful attendant at another evangelical church, so called, in the city. We know of the pastors by name, and the attendee boasts of having a good friendship with one of them. He boasted of being a Christian and that he believed the Bible. This author asked, ‘Well, when did you receive Christ?’ and asked how his faith in Jesus Christ was treating him, since being born-again. The man, in his eighties, said, “Oh no! I have nothing to do with that born-again stuff. I don’t talk about Jesus and being born-again. I don’t believe in it.” What has his pastor-friend been doing for all these years? How will he answer God for such negligence? Has he been teaching boldly and fearlessly the way of peace with God the Father in Heaven for salvation to his friend (the parishioner) that he might know in his soul that he is known by God and is truly ready for the transition to eternity? Just because he is a friend, God calls and still holds the pastor responsible, to be focused and faithful in presenting the Gospel regarding that man’s eternal destiny. To share truth for assurance would be true friendship shown toward his friend. Being a friend and not bold, in the Spirit, about salvation, is not being a good friend. Caring about the final state of others is a gift to God’s servants, who are given the responsibility of the ministry of reconciliation should be right in the case of a pastor, as one might expect.

      How are religious leaders purporting to be doing church, by doing an appearance or form of church? They need to reexamine themselves and study the Scriptures to know what God means by doing church according to His doctrine of Ecclesiology (Church). God places them for caring for the sheep; to help them find the Great Shepherd, for holiness and authentic Christian living, and conducting discipleship to develop another person’s true Christian testimony. Jesus commands us “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world,” (Matt 28: 19-20). Take a look and perceive what you see. Spiritual leaders, ‘are you taking into consideration what is obedient action toward God, by faith in Jesus, referred to as the Word?’ God calls us to examine ourselves. The safe place for us positioned by His Holy Spirit is “in Jesus.” Are you there?

      The subject, in this case, is viewed through the subject’s childhood eyes in hindsight, and what he saw in the natural was distasteful, indiscriminate, and brutish. The findings that this author found in his research are cause for a re-evaluation of vision, one’s position in Christ, and purpose for doing church, and for the true Church to grow as God wills. God seeks for those (singularly or collectively) to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. Jesus Himself, when tempted, said to Satan, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve,” (Matt 4: 10). Changing the church through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and reviving true Christianity is needed in leadership and ministry that are Christian, to participate in turning the world around 180 degrees, to impact society with God’s righteousness. God, through Jesus, gives believers His Holy Spirit to empower them in the ministry of reconciliation, soul-winning, the addition of converts for the true worship of God in spirit and truth in our churches. Only by the Spirit of God, are souls won to worship God, through compassionate spiritual leadership, whether that be through a preacher, teacher, Sunday school superintendent, counsellor, life-coach, or an educated lay-person.