Has Western Christianity Lost Something Along the Way?
- Jul 15
- 4 min read
A Demonstration of the Gospel
Recently, a good friend traveled overseas to a country where ministry is being done, and where salvations and healings were commonplace. I am withholding the name of the country and his name for security reasons. However, he shared with me how one night there were 9,000 people in attendance, and that 1,000 people came forward to receive Christ, along with the healing of a lame woman who, after 30 years, was able to walk.
I did a podcast with Dr. Jay Christianson, where we talked about has the Western Church lost something along the way. That something was found overseas among the 9,000 people who came to hear the Gospel preached. I am convinced something has happened to the way we approach Christianity in the West. Many Churches approach the Gospel as a counseling tool, to help people find solutions to issues their lives are facing. Other Churches love to hear that there is a prosperity component to the Gospel, and their dreams of prosperity are stoked to believe that they too can have a better life. Then there are Churches whose doctrine rules their understanding, and all of Scripture is seen through that narrow lens. God becomes a doctrine, and anyone who does not exactly line up with their views, are seen false believers.
No wonder the playing field for what happens in other countries does not happen here … there are too many people on the field trying to play their game. I believe there is one Gospel, and it has everything in it that the Scriptures teach, and nothing is left out. What gets left out is what we decide should not be there … God wants people to know truth and have that truth demonstrated among them. I have said this many times, but it’s worth repeating. When Jesus taught, He immediately followed His teaching with the demonstration of acts of healing, deliverance, or in other words, signs and wonders. Why do you think His popularity was so widespread? There were many teachers in His day, but it was His demonstration of miracles that brought the people to hear Him.
So, what’s the problem?
As we analyze our own faith and practice, what comes up short? Does God only work miracles in foreign countries? What keeps Him from bringing the supernatural into our Churches and fellowships? Have we become Christians who, like the third man in the Parable of the Talents, bury our gift and then wait out the return of our master? Have we lost our ability to believe for things that seemingly are impossible? Yet, most Church services I attend are good examples of a Ted Talk, but leave their audiences wanting more demonstration of the power of the Gospel. Are we afraid to trust God? Afraid nothing will happen like we expect? What makes us so afraid to trust God for the demonstrations that should be following us, as signs of our faith in Christ?
From my own first-hand experience of this in Africa, we saw people who were hungry and desperate for God. They did not have the medical care, or the resources to pursue anything other than prayer. So, in those types of situations, faith is all they had and they depended on miracles for survival. When I was young and first coming to know Christ, I saw miracle after miracle in my life. God opened doors, I never thought could be opened, and I saw my family members come to faith … which was a miracle all by itself.
What happens to us in time? We become complacent … there isn’t a hunger for God as there once was, and our skepticism grows. Every day, I ask God to change me because I know I have drifted to a place of I am satisfied with what I know about God. Like the Rich Young Ruler, he was satisfied with what he had … he had no desire to sacrifice anything to have more of God. Has the Western Church evolved into a Rich Young Ruler? No more sacrifice is needed? Or, are we the third man in the Parable of the Talents, and hide what God gives to us? In one sense, I think we have lost the ability to answer those two questions … perhaps because we are afraid of the answer.
Final Thought
Obviously, it is easier to ask the questions than it does to find the answers. However, in the final analysis of my writings here, I come back to a simple prayer that might bring us some clarity:
“Lord, change me. Show me, teach me again what is important to you and help me to live in it. Amen!”
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler