Have you backed away from the mission and calling God has for you? Are you retreating into culture instead of advancing for the kingdom?
Oregon Pastor Rick McKinley, author of the book Faith for the Moment, says many of today's believers done just that, and he attributes this lack to the loss of their identity in Christ.
Christianity, he says, has been marginalized, and it has put believers in an uncomfortable place. He has even referred to America as "the new Babylon." But there is hope.
"One of the things I think should bring us some comfort is that, as you look at the Scriptures, the people of God have always been in this place," McKinley told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of "Greenelines" on the Charisma Podcast Network. "Consider the exile when Israel was taken captive into Babylon. They lost everything.
"Yet, somehow in excruciating circumstance, they found a way to be faithful. I think that's similar to where we are at with the church today. We're either going to get assimilated into the cultural moment, or we're going to retreat from it, or do we find a way to engage the culture in faithful ways that represent who Christ is? I think the third way is where God is calling His people.
"Instead of looking to our bank account for security or wondering how we're going to protect our own homes, we need to plead the blood of Jesus over the situation and let it go at that. Jesus is not stressed at this moment, and neither should we be. We're His church. We're His people. And he is victorious. We weren't called to protect ourselves. We were called to proclaim Jesus knowing that we could get crucified for it. Our purpose is faithfulness, not retreat."
For more of Pastor McKinley's thoughts on how believers can advance for the kingdom, listen to the podcast below.
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