“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”(Matthew 6:24,NIV)
The church, established by God on this earth, has an existential mission: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard it. It is the God-ordained means to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ and to accomplish His purpose for humanity. The church is also the place where the Holy Spirit works—to sanctify God’s people, discipline them, and mature them until they reach the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13; 5:17).
Everyone who belongs to Jesus must remember that we are inseparably united with Christ, the head of the church. Jesus prayed for our unity and promised that the gates of Hades would not overcome the church (Matthew 16:18).
However, today’s church is increasingly compromised by secularism, adopting the culture and standards of the world. Surveys and polls reveal not only the rise of secularism and irreligion but also a steady decline in public trust in religious institutions. Mainline Protestant churches, in particular, have absorbed too many secular ideas to meaningfully resist the tide.
A century ago, mainstream Christianity in the U.S. overly conformed to Western secular culture—and that hasn’t changed. Rather than resisting secularism, it paved the way for it and ultimately became a casualty of the very movement it enabled. In some cases, it has even morphed into a prosperity gospel that portrays God as a tool for personal success and selfish desires.
“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way (2 Thessalonians 2:3,NIV)”
You must not place your hope and faith in intellectual professors or be swayed by empty arguments from unbelievers online. The Church must not be discouraged by arrogant claims from secularists and scientists who promise to solve human hunger and eliminate the need for God. Do not be surprised at the fiery trials you encounter on the path of faith (1 Peter 4:12). All leaders and believers in the Church must cling to the truth and display the glory of Christ by overcoming the world through faith.
》Prayer Points
1. The Church, established by God, is called to proclaim the gospel to sinners and fulfill the Great Commission. Let us repent for how the Church has abandoned this calling, compromised with the world through lust, immorality, and comfort, and become tainted by secularism. Let us pray for the Church to be restored as a glorious witness that believes in the truth and overcomes the world.
》Scripture Prayer
1 John 4:1–6(NIV) 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Galatians 3:1–6(NIV) 1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. If Jesus Christ had not come in human form, God’s justice could not have been fulfilled in taking on human sin and defeating Satan. Let us pray for discernment to recognize deceiving spirits that lead people to doubt that Jesus is both God and fully incarnate. Let us also pray for protection against the philosophies and ideologies of false teachers who distort the perfect gospel as if it were lacking.
2. The Church that belongs to God overcomes Satan, sin, and the world through Jesus Christ, its head. It is the holy temple where the Holy Spirit dwells. If greed, lust, and falsehood are reigning within the Church, it is in a state of crisis. Let us pray that the Spirit of Truth will come upon the churches of Korea and the nations, open our eyes to the crucified Christ, and restore holiness.
3. In Jesus’ day, the Jews refused to submit to God’s righteousness, relying instead on their own efforts and religious traditions. Let us honestly examine whether today’s churches are similarly ignoring the Word of God and operating through rituals, tradition, and organizational structure rather than the gospel. Let us pray that the Church will return to the gospel of grace that leads to God’s righteousness by faith and faithfully fulfill its role as a channel of salvation.
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