Are Christians making a difference in today’s society?

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If we were honest, we would admit that Christians are becoming more and more irrelevant in today’s society. Congregations are shrinking. Christians are perceived negatively in all aspects of life. American society continues to move away from its Christian roots. It is becoming more and more difficult (and important) to reach people for Christ. However, most Christians today do not share their faith. They do not take the Great Commission seriously. It is easier to talk about anything else than their faith.

Let there be no mistake – it is the job of all Christians to reach the world with the gospel. However, it is much easier to do nothing and so that is what most Christians do. The biggest “Christian thing” we do all week is occupy a pew seat on Sunday morning. There is a common saying in churches that “15% of the people do 85% of the work.” That seems like a pretty good estimate. And, usually it is the same 15% for every event. Involvement takes effort and that is something that most Christians aren’t willing to give.

I wonder what the Church would look like if the 85% of uninvolved Christians decided to get involved. What if 100% of the Christians in a church were involved in church activities? The result would be a church who took the Great Commission seriously. They could help meet the needs of society. They would reflect the love of Christ to the lost world. They could accomplish almost anything they attempted.

So how do we get Christians to get involved? How do we get churches involved in the Great Commission and not just social events? When is the last time someone was saved at a potluck dinner? When is the last time someone was saved at a softball game? When is the last time someone was saved in a Sunday morning service – ouch – that one hurts! It means we, the body of Christ, have to start to take responsibility for things. We need to learn what it means to be a true disciple, an authentic Christian. We need to learn to love and care for people. We need to learn to reflect the image of Christ to others. We are called to be like Christ. We need to be His hands and feet to a lost world. We need to speak the truth in love. We need to open our mouths and our lives and share about our relationship with Christ with others. We need to stop being so lazy and get some “guts” in this area.

We don’t have to continue to be a “Christian failure”. We don’t have to be a lukewarm mediocre church. We have a lot of potential. We can change. We can be the kind of Christian that the Bible calls us to be. We are mediocre because that is what we choose to be. We can choose to be so much more. We can make a difference in this world for the cause of Christ.

As I thought about this the last few days and wrote this, make no mistake, I am speaking to and about myself as much as I am about Christians in general. I need to make more of a stand. I need to be more proactive in sharing my faith. I need a “kick in the pants” to be more involved. What about you? Think it through and be honest. Are you doing all you can for the cause of Christ? It is the only thing that really matters.

I am thinking my way through a post on what makes an authentic Christian. Look for that post in the next day or two.


The Great Commission from Matthew 28:
16. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
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