I was greatly discouraged the other day when I researched some statistics on the church in America. Misery loves company, so I’ve included the article I read below:
1. Roughly 90% of all people who pray to receive Christ in our American churches fall away from Christ. We are losing 90% of our new people!
2. Less than 2% of all evangelical Christians in America:
- witness weekly to unbelievers
- annually lead someone to Christ
- are being personally discipled to make disciples
- are personally discipling someone else to be a disciplemaker
3. 88% of all evangelical, born-again Christian teens leave the church at age 18 – NEVER to return!
4. Only 4% of all born-again Christians who graduate from high school loving Jesus, reading their Bibles, and active in church are still walking with Jesus 4 years after graduating from high school.
5. Today 34% of all Americans claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ…and yet, only 4% of teenagers claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
7. Less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church
8. 90% of all Christians in America will never share their faith with anyone in their life- time!
9. Only 21% will invite anyone to church in a year.
10. Only 2% will invite an unchurched person to the church in a year.
11. Yet – 160 million people in America are open and receptive to the Gospel and ready to accept Christ – if someone would show them how.
12. Only 5% of the Unchurched would be considered antagonistic or hostile toward the church.
13. 95% of all believers in America have NEVER led anybody to Christ!
14. Only 1% of all believers in America ever multiply or reproduce themselves by disciplemaking . . . and yet our Lord Jesus expects and desires 100% of His followers to be disciplemakers via the Great Commission.
15. The number one reason why more Christians don’t actually make disciples is that nobody ever showed them how . . . nobody ever discipled them
. . . and Jesus still weeps . . .
My good friend Bill Glass the legendary NFL star who is even better known for his 40 year prison ministry with over one million decisions for Christ told me that people in crisis are the ones who reach out to Jesus Christ.
God has given me a vision of a Great Awakening that will occur in America which will result in unprecedented revival. Judging from statistics like those above and the deplorable state of morality in our culture it will surely take a miracle of God in order for change to occur.
So how exactly will God instigate miraculous revival in this country? All of the indications above certainly seem to indicate that the church isn’t going to bring it about.
Hmmm . . . I believe the Lord who loves us and doesn’t want anyone to perish in their sins will punish our entire nation and put it in crisis mode whereby we will turn to God out of sheer desperation if nothing else. The Bible states that God chastens those whom He loves. Proverbs 3:12 – My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
Our country is already suffering and being chastened for its sins. The evidence is overwhelming: a sick corrupt government, failing education system, arts and entertainment industry that spews sewage, dysfunctional families, businesses that thrive on greed, religions that have strayed from the truth of the Bible, and lying media are all consequences of our turning away from God.
We see condoms given to 10 year olds, the homosexuality lifestyle being taught as acceptable in Kindergarten, divorce rates above 50%, incarceration rates the highest in the world, poverty overtaking an entire generation, 1 of 3 kids not graduating from high school, increased homelessness, suicide rates exploding, anxiety and depression affecting millions, failing economy, wars, gang violence, murders and mayhem.
Is it enough of a crisis yet to get people off the couch? Or will a dirty bomb need to go off in Manhattan or some similar calamity such as Hillary being elected for another 8 years of surrogated Obama?
We are beginning our effort to renew America by starting with prayer according to
2 Chron. 7:14 – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
So what will inspire the masses to “humble themselves”, pray, seek God, and turn from their wicked ways?
It is interesting to me as I talk to very successful friends of mine who tell me that they love the Lord, yadda, yadda, yadda. To be sure most attend church for their obligatory hour a week, but beyond that they seem to have more important work to do and of course they need time to relax with their families and friends. The statistics above give us an indication of just how many rarely if ever serve the Lord in any capacity. I wonder what it will take for them to give of their time and resources to God almighty . . .
Yikes, we’re in a heap of trouble General Custer!
Rev. 3:15
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth . . . ”
April 22, 2014 – Click here to listen