Here are a few additional reasons that I see that the church in America along with it's leadership have lost Influence in culture...
3. Lack of a Servants Heart - The come and see mentality has been embraced by churches to a fault. When Jesus was alive, He had crowds that followed Him to hear Him teach as well as see the miracles He performed. They asked Him questions and He had influence within His culture. He didn't always make people, (especially religious people) happy, but nonetheless He had influence. It came directly from His heart for people. He said in Matthew 20:28 that He came not to be served but to serve. He lived a life of service and thus people listened. He had a voice in His culture. This leads me to the next point...
4. A Conditional Love - The church as a whole has placed conditions on love. Do we really love people, or are we building an institution. The love that Jesus had was a love of inconvenience. One that caused Him to abandon everything for the sake of changing some one's life. When Jesus spoke, His motives were pure. They were focused on the unconditional love He and the Father had for them.
The church and leaders lose their voice when we attempt to run a well oiled institutional machine called a "church" instead of being a life-giving movement that embraces people and loves them in spite of their weaknesses and in spite of what they can "bring to the table."
Thoughts???? More Tomorrow...
Carl
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