The more I watch American churches the more I am convinced that we are losing the essential focus - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe this is a two-fold problem and one that is creating false converts who are saturating American churches. We should be concerned about this and our passion as Christians should be to proclaim with boldness the full Gospel of Christ, not some watered down version!

I think the first problem involves the American church’s focus on numbers and growth. It seems that the majority of churches today feel that the qualifications of success is the number of warm bodies sitting in the pews and in Sunday school classes. It’s obvious given the proliferation, especially within the Baptist denomination, of the Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church curriculum. (Which in my opinion is a complete waste of time and produces a man-focused and “success” focused church.) Why can’t we understand that what the church needs is the regenerating message of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t get me wrong. There are several churches I’ve seen or read about that have embraced this approach - namely Mark Dever and Paul Washer to name two, who understand that the focus should be the regeneration of their congregation.

We are so fast to cram entertainment, financial success training, purpose driven drivel, activities, football, concerts, clown-led worship and others that we water-down and oftentimes completely overlook proclaiming the most glorious message that can ever be uttered from a human mouth - the Gospel of Christ! I agree with Paul Washer wholeheartedly when he says from his recent True Church conference when speaking on church discipline…

“we need less discipline and more preaching…because, sadly, people are not faithful believers because of a lack of discipline, but because they are not being converted.”

The church today just seems to have major issues with the Gospel. Churches are run more like corporations who look at the numbers. I believe it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the spiritual growth and growing maturity of believers in the church.

I am a Sunday school teacher at our church and I gauge success not by numbers. I could care less about numbers. I look for spiritual growth, a growing hunger for God’s Word, a growing in holiness and a growing hatred for sin. Bottom line I look for the flock I am responsible for to be conformed more and more everyday into the image of Jesus Christ. And we need to remember that Sunday School, just like worship service should never be without the Gospel!

Churches today need to take a look around them at the results of leaving the Gospel behind and replacing it with entertainment or a man-centered feel-good sermon that is nothing more than a motivational speech. Are you afraid that you will loose membership at your church if you boldly proclaim the full Gospel message? Are you afraid that words like repentance, sin and damnation will drive your congregation away? If so, you shouldn’t be preaching - because you are not preaching the full Gospel message.

That leads me to my second point. I frequent the internet a lot. I love to visit blogs and I love to visit church web sites and listen to their sermons. Most who know me well also know I have a real problem with many of the “mega” churches out there who teach the “prosperity gospel” and the “man centered motivational best life now” drivel. However, those are blatant problems that can easily be seen by most Christians as heterodox or down right heretical. But what we’re seeing in churches today is a Gospel message that is so convoluted or watered-down that it’s not the gospel at all! I’ve heard preachers fumble through the Gospel as if they either have not heard it themselves or haven’t preach it in years. This is a serious problem in the church today. How can our churches grow spiritually if we’re not preaching the full Gospel? No Gospel = no conversions. Result: false converts saturating the church. And when we have false converts saturating the church the church looks no different from the world. Is this not a glaring problem in most of today’s churches! I stress that I am speaking of the visible church. The invisible church of Jesus Christ - the true body of Christ made up of His elect will never falter and will never fail!

I am so concerned about the American church today. In fact, I believe the American church is my mission field. I walked around most of my life as a false convert because I was never regenerated through the Word of Christ. I understand fully the problem of the American church today and the need for a return to the preaching of the full Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

That’s right… I want to hear about Christ in church. I don’t want to hear about how I can be successful, or about my purpose driven life, and I sure could care less about my best life now! I want to be in church and hear Christ exalted, heralded, praised and the good news of the atoning, propitiating cross-work of my Lord and Savior whose blood can cover the vilest, most wretched sinner who repents and puts their faith and trust in Christ.  I want to hear about our God who performs a miraculous work on the spiritually dead to cause them to be born from above so that he sees his sin and turns to Christ as the only cure for the disease and condemnation of sin.  I want to hear about holiness and sanctification.  I want to hear proclamations of mortification of sin!

Preachers and teachers have the privilege of sharing the Gospel. We are to be faithful and handle the Word of God with fear and trembling knowing that through the power of the Holy Spirit, faithfulness in the preaching of the full Gospel of Christ will result in the regeneration and conversion of lost souls who are in earshot of that message. Pray for the church visible. Pray for the pastors, teachers and leaders in many churches today that are mishandling the Gospel and turning the church into a concert stage. Pray for the congregations of these churches. Pray that God will work repentance in these churches and in their leadership!