Many of us in the Church are confused and bewildered as we watch one spiritual leader after another lose their passion for Christ or toss away their faith altogether. Why has this tragic pattern become so prevalent today? In Eric Ludy’s new video he shares what he believes is the primary reason that many modern Christians fail to go the distance, and how we can begin to set a different pattern in the Church, for such a time as this.

Transcript

Many of today’s Christians have been fading – there are those who are in key leadership positions that have faded and lost zeal, passion for Christ, or lost their belief system altogether – I think it exposes a root system. Jesus talks about the parable of the sower and soil, and you see that there are certain things that are dead giveaways that there was never a healthy root system that did not take hold and dig deep. There were different things that choked it out. In modern Christianity, I would say we’re lacking in understanding of suffering. Very simply put, I think it probably is almost centered on that point alone.

When you grow up in America, you don’t deal with the difficulties that other Christians do. In America, you can just coast your way through for most of it, and you can even become famous. You can write a book, you can have albums, and you can just feel good and get tons of money, and you get a false rendition of Christianity. That’s not how it’s worked throughout the ages. Historically, Christians are always held in contempt. Even the word Christian itself was a slur word when it came out. In other words, it’s never been a popularity thing. It has been a Jesus thing.

As a result, suffering is part and parcel. of the Christian life. “Do not consider it strange, my brethren, when you face trials of many kinds.” And guess what? Modern-day Christians think it’s strange when they face trials. So you’ll see a weak root system tested when the trial comes. When the trial comes and a Christan suddenly turns on God and says, “God, how could You allow this to happen to me,” that Christian was not built properly. He was not built on the Word of God. He was built on a social ideal of Christianity. He picked and chose what he wanted out of Christianity and not what God said. Because God says, “You will face difficulties in this life.” God made it very clear that you’re a sheep among wolves. God made it very clear that this world will not like you because it didn’t like Him. You are a light shining in a dark place. Expect the same treatment that came towards Jesus to come towards you.

God builds the saints that understand this to be solid. So that when suffering comes, we turn to Him. We don’t turn against Him, we turn to Him and get grace, and it makes us stronger. Someone who understands suffering actually becomes stronger through difficulty. Someone who doesn’t understand it falls to pieces during difficulty.

I believe as the heat is being turned up on Christianity, it’s exposing root systems right now. No matter where you’re at right now, if you feel like you have a thin root system, God loves to take root systems and begin to deepen them. He wants you to be solid; so that when winds and rains beat against your house, you’ll stand strong.

If you’d like to take these truths deeper, join us here at Ellerslie for one of our upcoming discipleship programs.

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