Gallup recently released a study that showed that membership in a church, synagogue, or mosque had fallen below a majority for the first time in the history of our nation! The decline seems to clearly represent an increasing number of folks who are abandoning their faith in God altogether.
The line held relatively steady between 1937 and 1999, beginning at 73% and dropping to 70%. But, since 1999 the decline has increased speed losing an average of one percent each year. In 2020, just 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque.
There is certainly a refining taking place within the American Church. At the end of last year, Thom Rainer suggested that church attendance and giving will be down overall by 20-30%. Furthermore, he said that the new definition of a large church will be 250 (down from 400).
Although a portion of that decline is due to the minimization of formal church membership, the vast majority of it is due to an increasing number of people who no longer have a religious preference. In other words, they have grown indifferent toward religion in general, and therefore they are unlikely to attend anywhere.
I believe much of the decline is the result of pastors who are too busy speaking to those outside the church. In all their attempts to prove their relevance, they fail to equip those actually present within the Church. By catering to the felt needs of the culture, they leave their own congregation vulnerable to the culture’s corrupting influence.
The central point Paul is making in these few verses is that the Philippians need to be on guard against false teachers who might have already come through Philippi or will be soon. He was concerned that they would remain steadfast in their commitment to the gospel.
The Philippians are facing the same threat the Galatians faced. Paul’s letter to the Galatians came after they had already deserted Christ to follow a different gospel. Therefore, he was calling them to return to the grace of the true gospel they had originally received. Clearly, that was not the situation in Philippi, but he is concerned that they preserve the gospel which brings about lasting unity.
It would appear that the Church in America is in a similar predicament. We face the unyielding threat of a hostile world that does the bidding of a defeated and furious foe. In light of that, Paul calls the Christian community to joyfully embrace the task of preserving the true gospel from satanic perversions.
Read https://ref.ly/logosref/Bible.Php3.1-3 (Philippians 3:1-3)
I. Be Glad in the Lord! (1)After sharing the encouraging news of his plans to send Timothy and Epaphroditus, Paul exhorts the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord. This ought to quiet their anxious thoughts about the well being of Epaphroditus, and cheer them with the news of Timothy’s fellowship in the near future.
The question is whether or not Paul’s exhortation to rejoice had anything to do with his warning that follows (https://ref.ly/logosref/Bible.Php3.1b-2 (Phil 3:1b-2)). I believe it does. Our experience of true joy depends upon our grasp of true religion. That is why a commitment to discipleship is so crucial.
On the one hand, Paul wants his readers to know that he is not burdened by the task of discipleship. Even if Paul has to keep repeating himself, his redundant encouragement doesn’t bother him. He knows it is how God preserves their faith against false teachers.
But, he also recognizes the potential for disciples to grow complacent and indifferent toward their training. When exercise loses its joy, we rarely stick with it. You have to love not only the results, but the work it takes to make progress.
When church attendance is little more than a dull requirement, we will soon lose interest entirely. Paul knows that his instruction and warning protects the church from a hostile environment that constantly competes for her affection....
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