Following Judah's Lion

But in the End, We Grieve

Those of us who by God’s grace have come to see and identify the heresy and the apostasy in the western church continue to speak out. Sometimes we name names, and sometimes we speak about truth. We often mention spiritual practices that compromise, and we often mention issues of power, violence, and money. There is an abundance of material with which to deal, and hopefully our words are taken as warnings. We will continue to speak, warn, and plead.

But in the end, we grieve. We grieve over deceived brethren that are walking a path of compromise. We grieve over the abject hedonism and greed that so often is exhibited by professing believers. We grieve over the massive divorce rate among believers and even preachers. We grieve over the state of our young people who were born into a diluted brand of Christianity.

We grieve over how the Word of God has been maligned and treated with so much disrespect. We grieve over the complacency about the lost in favor of how we can advance our own personal agendas. We grieve over millionaire preachers whose example has led many astray. We grieve over how the exclusivity of Christ has been challenged and eroded in our churches. We grieve over how much money it takes to run even the smallest local church.

We grieve because we have become prisoners of the culture and not prisoners of Christ. We grieve because violence and war is now embraced as part of God’s kingdom. We grieve when the plight of foreign missionaries is given so little attention and concern. We grieve when we see entertainment become the focal point of a worship service. We grieve because some of our friends distance themselves from us because we cannot remain silent.

We grieve when the communion service is streamlined to fit into a schedule. We grieve when sinners are told they are born again simply because they repeated a prayer. We grieve because the cross is no longer the center of Christ’s ministry. We grieve when adultery is rampant among professing believers. We grieve when the church castigates sinners rather than love and pray for them. We grieve when preachers spend more time golfing than they do praying.

Oh yes, we attempt to expose errors in doctrine and practice. And we speak out against the deepening compromises in the western church. We confront them with Scriptural truth. We contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. We do all that and more.

But in the end, we grieve.