Generally speaking, the church in the United States has lost its power. The power is still available, but the people who make up the church refuse to be used by the power. I wonder if this is because many of the people in the church are not really believers; they have never truly been converted. I believe that the Bible teaches the eternal security of the believer. However, I also think that we as believers are far too quick to check off our “converts”. In our desperation to count our salvations and baptisms to justify our work or to make us feel good about our work, I am afraid that we rush people into “making a decision”. Thus, I am afraid, very afraid that many will hear on the Day of Judgment, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” We would do well to heed Matthew 7:21-23.
It is of the utmost importance that we take a good long look at just what conversion (“being saved”) really is. It is truly impossible to “make a decision”, to “make a commitment” to Christ until we have seen at least two things. We must take a good, long, hard look at ourselves, and realize that we are indeed “sinners”, i.e. we have broken the just laws of a holy God. We are deserving of nothing more than eternal death. In fact, God’s justice demands it. The only thing we have a “right” to is hell. It is impossible to “be saved” to be truly converted until we come face-to-face with this harsh reality. Once we have seen that truthful and honest picture of ourselves, then and only then are we ready to see Jesus as Savior and Lord. So often, we as witnessing believers try to avoid this first step or at least hurry through it in such general terms that the unbeliever never realizes they have any need to be saved. They feel good about themselves. I am not advocating that we needlessly hurt people and drive them away, but it is absolutely necessary that the unbeliever sees his predicament. If he does not, he will never be ready to listen when you offer him a Savior. He will not truly understand what is happening.
Once the unbeliever sees a need to be saved, it is necessary for him to see a revelation of Jesus that leads to a decision. Acts 2 and Romans 10 both tell us that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Once the unbeliever sees their predicament and sees the Savior, he will be beyond ready to call on the name the Lord, crying out to be saved. It was common in the Scriptures for an unbeliever to ask believers how to be saved. When was the last time an unbeliever cried out to you, asking how to be saved?
As important as this is for the individual believer, it has tremendous implications for the Church. If the modern church in America were filled with truly converted people, then the church would not be dying a slow death, shriveling away in impotency. The church would cease being viewed as just another civic club, as a country club, or as a meeting hall for friends and family. The church would no longer be viewed as the personal kingdom of the one with the most money and influence who is also willing to exert that influence. The struggle between the true believers who strive to do the work of the kingdom and those who strive to serve their own interests would cease. I suppose that the parable of the wheat and the tares instructs me not to hold my breath.