Will Jesus Find Faith?

WILL JESUS FIND FAITH?

Lk.18: And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

In the context of a woman getting some justice because of her relentless spirit, Jesus makes a startling statement at the end of the story. The Lord acknowledges how the secular world works, but instead of using that to teach about prayer or even being fervent and relentless, Jesus says,

“Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

How did we get from a lesson on secular relentlessness, applied to relentless prayer, to the absence of faith when the Lord returns? This must be addressed in its context. Most of the church has never given much thought to these words as it applies to this teaching, but would it not deserve a fair amount of thought just because of the seriousness of the statement? If when the Son of Man returns He wonders about the state of faith on earth, it might be wise to consider what has led to this situation.

Consider what constitutes the local church in the west, and what is used to attract more visitors and members. All kinds of manipulations and clever advertisements are now part and parcel of the vast majority of churches from every specter of the evangelical landscape. Let us examine a few techniques employed by churches which openly reveal a secular and fallen mindset, or in effect a faithless church..

* Slogans like “A friendly church” or “The fellowship where Jesus meets”

These and a thousand others are designed to allure people to come to that particular church. We can no longer rely on the remarkable lives of believers or the prayer closets or the observable witness revealed by believers and seen with clarity by their neighbors. No, we must have slogans. And these slogans are seen on bumper stickers and church signs and stationary, and they subtly generate a sense of pride - another unchristian trait. Who else has slogans? Both political parties as well as soft drinks, etc..

* The elevation and enhancement of preachers

Many preacher have the prefix “Dr.” before their name which is meant to suggest some intellectual prowess. The world does the exact same thing and the church follows suit. It surely is not meant to reflect humility or the meekness of the earthly ministry of Christ. In fact, many churches are built upon the résumé or reputation or speaking prowess of its pastor. Paul had none of those qualities. But Paul said that his impressive résumé was nothing but dung.

* Monikers like “Bible believing” or “conservative” or “reformed” or Fundamental”

These are designed to imply that we adhere to the Scriptures unlike others. That is most self righteous and if we truly did believe the Bible we would exhibit a much more humble stance. But these and other monikers draw like minded people. In other words, other people who think they believe the Bible will give that church a try because, after all, we believe the Bible.

*Denominations

Here we have a modern creation. Since people need a sense of belonging as well as feeling that they are right, denominations have sprung up. But many churches hide their denominational affiliations since they seem to hinder growth. And every year large and small denominations spend inordinate amounts of money for a national meeting to hear speakers and…uh…oh yes, talk.

*Church budgets

Here is a massive issue within the local church. Many have split over this very issue. But if we take a look at most church budgets we will find that the overwhelming amount is allocated to staff. No one in the Mormon church receives a salary, and we wonder why they spread so effectively. Most Mormon buildings are built debt free. Hmm, what is wrong with this picture?

*Music program

I play the piano and sing and have led worship for many years. But I have noticed that a professional music program draws many visitors. In fact, the better the music program the more members. And there seems to be a direct correlation between the music and a “great worship service”. No one ever claims that God’s presence was so discernable because many scores of believers were praying during the week and many scores arrived hours early at the church and began to cry out unto God.

* Doctrine

Most churches pride themselves on their doctrine. The statements of faith give lip service to the existence of heaven and hell, the deity of Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, and a few other things. But then why are the lives of the people who attend there not different than the liberal church members down the street or even the friendly and dedicated Mormons? Doctrine is important but it can be used as a clandestine way to exhibit self righteousness. What we do is what we believe, everything else is religious talk.

* Church buildings

Many church buildings are not just functional. They are built with many unnecessary accoutrements and all the comforts needed by western people. And many if not most church buildings are built with large amounts of debt leveraged by faith pledges from its congregants. Why? Because new buildings are a subtle way of saying that church is alive, and new buildings bring in more visitors. Take a look at the new pastor’s office and you will see wonderful desks, great carpeting, a modern phone system, and some even have a shower. Not many have kneeling marks in the carpet.

* Seminars and conferences

This is an especially under the radar idea which seems beneficial but actually just keeps ecclesiastical momentum going. The speakers earn wonderful honorariums while selling books and Cds. And if they are pastors they are double dipping since they continue to receive their home church salary. I know, I’m like a magician revealing how the tricks are done. Many pastors plan their vacations around a speaking engagement. They certainly do not spend a week in prayer. And what are the seminars about? Prayer and fasting? Repenting and living in moderation? Are you kidding? They are overwhelmingly about what can benefit you (marriage, finances, self esteem, etc.) or things of interest (prophecy, signs of the times, etc.).

* Special Sundays

Visitor Sunday! Give the Tithe Sunday! Love the Pastor Sunday! Bring a friend Sunday! Homecoming Sunday! God Bless America Sunday! And many more are designed to accumulate more human heads. I just received an e-mail from a church in my neighborhood advertising “Unashamed Sunday!” which is designed to get anabaptized people to be baptized. The thinking is that if that person can blend in with many others perhaps he will not be embarrassed. That is also a sales technique.

These are a few of the things churches have adopted from the secular business world. So perhaps you can get a little understanding into what Jesus meant when He said would He find faith on the earth when He returns. We have taken a little Jesus and constructed a colossal scaffolding of cultural methods and organization. Can anyone suggest that what has become a western ecclesiastical construct is anything like the early church or anything unlike the business down the street. In fact, when a church grows in membership and budget, the pastor and staff almost always receive a sizeable raise even though sometimes the senior pastor’s duties become more of a manager and less demanding of his personal time.

Many times the pastor of 200 members has to do more personal work and involvement than the senior pastor of a 5000 member congregation. And rarely does a pastor take another pastorate of a church with less membership or especially less salary. Most pastoral moves are of the upward variety. How ungodly and how carnal, but this is where we stand in today’s evangelical construct. Many churches would never call a pastor without the letters “Dr.” in front of his name, or a seminary education. And here is how the average church calls a new pastor.

They form a “search committee” comprised of men and women from the congregation. I dare not go into the unscriptural nature of that mixed gender construct. Anyway, they listen to Cds of certain preachers, paw over his résumé, and then set out to hear him preach personally. After that service they meet him and his family and go out to lunch and have a chit-chat. If they are impressed, they go back to their home church and recommend they have him come and preach with a “view to a call”. Of course just the committee’s stamp of approval usually tilts the scales.

The man preaches the morning service and then a church business meeting is called and they vote. Just the democracy of it all is unscriptural and reflects the culture rather than the Spirit. The man is elected and they set a date for his coming. Voilà! Like a drive through fast food restaurant, we have a new preacher. Again, a system that mirrors a company hiring a new high ranking official. Think about this: In a presidential election all sorts of people will cast their vote. People on drugs, people involved in adultery, people who are molesting children, people who hate other people, people who are embezzling money, people who know little about the candidates, people who are drunks, people who are greedy, people who are violent, and all sorts of other miscreants are legally allowed to vote.

The same with a church calling a pastor. Members who never read the Scriptures, members who never pray, members who are involved with adultery, members who look at pornography, members who hated the former pastor, members who get drunk, members who take drugs, and a mixed multitude of other members whose only validation as a believer is their church membership are welcomed to cast their vote. OK, where have we seen that format before? Oh yes, an American election. In fact, most Americans know more about their candidates than do church members know about this stranger they are calling to be their pastor.

OK, back to the original verses. If Jesus returned today how much true faith would He find here? You do the math. The western church is consumed with preacher following, huge budgets, secular growth techniques, and a variety of pleasurable activities. It shuns sacrifice, self denial, prayer, and a life of humility, holiness, and walking in the steps of Jesus. And what about those “would I find faith when I return” words? Yes, we are ready for you, Lord.