It’s time for the Church to stand up and speak the truth. In this age of free and easy access to answers to our most inane questions and our deepest philosophical quandary’s, the internet, for all its faults and failings is on the forefront providing the answers. For thousands of years, lay people relied on the learned few to share their knowledge and provide us with the answers to our deepest questions. Then one day a few decades ago, the information that we relied on others to provide became readily available to all of us. Sacred texts were now available, holy texts, literary classics, rare – if ever seen manuscripts and scrolls we now ready to be accessed by anyone anywhere that wanted to see them.
It seemed as though all the answers to every question in the universe could now be found. Every question we could ever think to ask could now be answered. Today I can search and find the answer to anything I want to know. Whether I trust the “answer-er” or not, is a topic for another time.
There are several major internet search engines; Google and Bing are the two largest and most accessed. In 2018, there were 5.6 billion searches per day on Google[1] alone. That’s a bunch of people asking a bunch of questions! So it begs the question, what are they looking for. When it comes to faith, what are the big questions that are in need of an answer? I took a look at the results from my own little blog search results to see some of what folks were asking; the results are clear. This is just a brief list taken from this year’s statistics.
- I didn’t want to give up my sin
- Bitter truths about rapture
- Jesus and the Cross
- What is cherished sin?
- I believe God hates me
- The truth about rapture
- God are you real?
- Am I saved because of Jesus death
Looking For Answers To Life’s Hard Questions
One particular search hurt my heart – “Can God ever forgive me?” Oh my! How I wished I knew who wrote that. How I wished I could reach through the screen and say YES! Yes He can and will forgive you. I want so much to tell them the truth that it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, God wants a relationship with you. He wants you to come to Him, to seek Him, He wants to forgive you.
I have seen a rise in the number of countries that my little blog reaches. People around the globe are searching for the answers to the questions that keep them up at night. Church, the world is wondering and they are asking. People only ask questions when they don’t know the answer and they will keep asking until someone answers. The problem is are they getting the right answer or are they just getting an answer and that satisfies their questions?
Stand Up Church And Speak The Truth
It is time for the Church to stand up and speak the truth. Yes, Teachers, Preachers, Speakers, Writers, need to continue to teach and preach and speak and write, but we the Church need to do the same. We must get over our uncomfortable-ness and speak the truth to whoever asks, and perhaps some that don’t. We know the truth, the truth of the Cross of Jesus, of forgiveness, sin, eternity, Heaven and Hell. The list of truths is long, but for some reason, we keep it to ourselves.
Second Timothy 4:2 AMP admonishes us to be ready in and out of season to preach the truth of God.
“preach the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching.”
The words in this particular translation speak it well. We are admonished to “Preach the Word” – “even when it is not favorable”, whether “convenient or inconvenient”. Therefore, I encourage each of us to not just live the Truth, but share it, step out of your comfort zone and do not be concerned about what folks might think of you or your message. The time is urgent, the questions need answering and we the Church must be ready to give an answer.