I think that this question must be asked and warrants deep soul searching before the response. Unfortunately far too many churches in America can best be characterized like the Laodicean church, believing we are rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;' and don't know that we are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; (Rev 3:17-18)

I’m not sure when the subtle changes began, but the effects of the focus on church growth and building development in place of Kingdom mandates is undeniable.

The “established” church, much like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Christ’s day, are having an ever diminishing impact on the communities around them.
If we don’t return to true biblical Christianity and focus on the agenda of souls and discipleship the “Religious Establishment “ will become irrelevant and the true Body of Christ will be manifested in different sectors and places to carry on His work.

I think the story of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16:19-31 tells us that the rich man is the church and lazarus is the lost. The church as a whole has been taken captive and has become inefective.

Is it possible on you radio program today that you're asking people in the organized church to do something they that they are totally powerless to do, because they are not true Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to start with?

Do we have the cart before the horse? I know the true Church of Jesus Christ is in the organized church somewhere but in what numbers?

The poll numbers we see in the church that look just like the world are not representative of born again believers are they?

Joe

The Evangelical movement fails through its people, who have become fake, regarding money, building funds, and professionally run programs as more important than the true teachings of the Bible, just simply reading the Bible has been replaced by fancy-schmancy sermon series on topics where verses are picked out of the scriptures; the old-fashioned pot-luck where every woman could show off her cooking has been replaced by restaurant style chef night, where no one's cooking is on show, and no one feels important, and how you look, dress, what you drive, where you live and what kind of furniture, jewelry and clothing are more important to the church than you or your salvation. Volunteers have been replaced by highly paid professional staff; WHAT IS THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH'S NEW MESSAGE TO THE CONGREGATION? WE DON'T NEED YOU, BUT PLEASE, PAY US ANYWAY. This is a huge turn off. Many people are leaving Christianity for Neo-Paganism, Islam, Mormonism and other faiths in search for truth - to bad the churches, and specifically the Evangelical Churches, hide Biblical Truth behind the building fund, highly paid professionals who form "cliques", immoral ministers who commit adultery, and programs of every kind and color. Add to this the whole spiritual abuse issue where people divide themselves into who is "righteous" and who "is not", and you have spelled out why Evangelicals are loosing people. But will their culture change? It is difficult to change the mindset of hundreds of "mis-trained, brainwashed" individuals who have grown up thinking that these things are not only normal, but mandatory for salvation. Indeed, Evangelicals outdoor Catholics and Mormons in their efforts to combine works and Grace - they just "hide" this notion behind the glittering words "Grace only", but they don't mean it. In fact while Mormons and catholics ask you to "prove your salvation" through your works BEFORE you join up, Evangelicals constantly test you to prove your salvation AFTER you have declared that you are a believer - and you are on watch ever more. It is all hipocrisy, and I for one think Jesus would be the first to turn over the money-changer's tables in the Evangelical movement. It's to bad, because the doctrines are Biblical - they have just become very elitist and judgmental. I hope that by telling about this problem, people will try to change it by changing themselves, and by pointing it out in their own Evangelical group.