They're NOT Prodigals, Just Leaving

 I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples.  John 15:5 & 8

 

I read an article this morning posted by Christianity Today regarding the Barna group research which shows the 'Millenials' leaving the formal Church.  First of all the article was titled as 'Prodigals...' which is wrong.  Prodigal means wastefully extravagant or profligately generous, not 'leaving or lost'.  The title tweaked me, because the subject matter is something I've been focusing on for well over a decade, before the Millenials were even given their pigeon hole niche title of categorization.  And the problem isn't just one generation, we've been leaking sincere believers and turning away hungry seekers for a long time.

Here's my response to the post itself:   Young people aren't seeing the fruit and power that Scripture promises will resullt from living a faith life, they see fire insurance Salvation making ourselves comfortable and withdrawing from the culture - which isn't snatching people from the flames. If traditionalists can't refute the accusation with an evidence filled life then they'll keep watching as they leave.

Here's a  lengthier response of some of the stuff stirred in my heart:

You want to know why they’re leaving?  Here’s a nutshell review IMHO:

They are leaving because they are not seeing the fruit and power filled life that Jesus says would be demonstrated in His followers lives as they abide in Him. 

Some of us who have stayed have been excoriated, verbally flayed by those we’ve attempted to witness to because of the business practices of those who sit in the pew with us on Sunday morning.  The “Christian” businessman tells me “that’s Church, but this is business.”  Hogwash.  You have one life without dichotomy, you either believe, abide and show fruit, or you were not purchased with the price of Christ’s blood on the Cross of Calvary.

They are seeing fire insurance Salvation that is making itself comfortable here and now while withdrawing from the culture.  Jesus was the epitome of “God is love” and yet found Himself crucified, while we ask WWJD and think that always looks like “being nice.”

They are reading and hearing sermons about “Truth” and then watching as we live our lives as if “that’s your truth, but mine is different” – or hearing us say: “yes, but…”  Whatever follows the word ‘but’ is what you truly believe.

They need to see the powerful impact of a sacrificial life that costs believers something – rather than a culturally successful life that has added Church culture afterward, almost as a second thought or an add-on.

They aren’t seeing men that repent and apologize and strive to make righteous relationships and sacrificial submission to their family; or women with joy who thrive so fully it would take a minute to realize they live their lives in submission to Christ and their husband.  Wait… what?

They need to see the overcoming power of a believer walking on the stormy waters of life to reach the boat that holds the people we were meant to impact most profoundly – rather than seeing them blithely wave from the shore and cite the myriad sad reasons it’ll never work.  Or worse, the man who runs to the other end of the country after wreaking havoc on his home field, given by God into that man’s stewardship.  The grass isn’t greener on the other side and it still has to be watered and mowed… and you left a behind a yard that will now be overcome by weeds even if it turns out to a parched ground of hateful blistering heat, weeds still grow even in drought conditions.

They need to see believers who are truly content to walk where Jesus has opened the doors for them, content to serve in everything they do, confident to speak the truth in love and to right daily injustices where they are – which may be somewhere that others never expected to find you.  It likely won’t fit the approved 5 and 10 year plans that success minded mentors drilled you to fulfill.

In the model that A.B. Simpson recognized as the foundational premise of what became the Christian and Missionary Alliance, he spent his life preaching “The Fourfold Gospel” which revealed God’s eternal plan of reconciliation to be expounded fully in Jesus Christ as our Savior, our Sanctifier, our Healer, and our Coming King.  The reason there is a mass exodus from the Church isn’t because it’s not true, but because people are tired of seeing people get ‘saved’ and then sit around and wait for their ‘Coming King.’  If we believe, then the dash that is our life here and now is lived in that Sanctification and Healing nature of Christ.  They are leaving because we aren’t living it, and those of us who are living it are an irritant in many cases because we show up dusty and messy and worn out with stories to tell that leave people shaking their heads that we could see God in that event we just related.

We are going to see a revival, and it’s going to be disappointingly powerful to most of the Church when it comes.  It won’t come with man’s denominational rules, with theologically advanced training and quibbling about the doctrines of man, but in Power and Might that rocks the world and blows away the chaff to feed clean grain to a starving world.  Most of what we call the Church today is just that, chaff.