Broken Cistern Christianity.

     "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water."
                                Jeremiah 2:13 NASB

     There is nothing new under the sun, as the preacher says in Ecclesiastes 1:9. The word of the Lord to His wayward people in the days of Jeremiah, is still applicable to modern "Christianity" today.
     Indeed, we have seen denominations, and churches, forsake the Lord, the fountain of living waters, in our day as well. How has this been done?
    
     1. We have forsaken the message of repentance.
     In much of our modern evangelistic efforts, we hold to an easy believism that allows "converts" to remain in their sin. The modern message leaves out the vital need for heartfelt repentance from sin. We say "come just as you are", but we do not stress the fact that we cannot remain just as we are if we have truly come to Christ for the salvation of our souls. We are leaving generations of professing Christians still dead in their sins, because the need for repentance has been cut out of much of our preaching.
     Yet Jesus stressed the need for repentance (Matt 4:17; Luke 13:3), as did His forerunner, John the Baptist (Matt 3:1-2). It was the message of the Apostles and the early Church (Acts 2:38, 3:19, 17:30-31, 26:20, 2 Cor 7:9-10, James 4:6-10). The scriptures close with the letters to the seven Churches where the Lord Jesus once again stresses the need for repentance (Rev 2:5, 16, 21-22, 3:3, 19).
     Repentance, the turning from our sin (giving it up), and turning to God in submission to Him, is key to our salvation. There can be no salvation without it, for if we desire to be forgiven, but still choose to remain in our sin, we are doing nothing but presuming upon the grace of God. He will not be mocked, we will reap what we sow (Gal 6:7-8).

     2. We have rejected true biblical faith, for mere head knowledge.
     The modern evangelical message is "Only believe." It is true that it is by faith that we enter into a saving relationship with Christ Jesus, but faith goes beyond mere assent to biblical facts about Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted as righteousness (Romans 4:3)." James shows us the other side of faith however. We see that Abraham believed God with a faith that acted upon that belief. Abraham's faith was working with his works, and this was the fulfillment of the scriptures where we are told that Abraham was declared righteous on account of his faith (James 2:21-23).
     James tells us that true biblical faith, that is, true saving faith, will show itself by action. Faith without works is useless (James 2:20), and it is also dead faith (James 2:26). We are told that the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). They have a lot of knowledge of Jesus stored in their minds, possibly much more knowledge than many supposed Christians claim to have, but that information is useless to them, as it is for those who do not act upon their faith in obedience to Christ. True faith, the only kind that God will honor, is an active obedient faith, expressing itself in love (Gal 5:6).

     3. We have forsaken the Lordship of Christ.
     Jesus asks "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say (Luke 6:46)?" Today we teach that one does not need to call Jesus Lord, or do what He says. We believe that He can be our Savior, but He does not have to be our Lord. What does Jesus say about this however? He tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). Jesus calls us to lose all for His sake and the sake of the gospel (Mark 8:34-38). He calls us to give Him our complete allegiance, even renouncing all that we have (Luke 14:26-33). If we love our lives, we will lose them, but if we lose them for Him we will keep them unto life eternal (John 12:24-26). Will we follow Him all the way or not? It is a selfish gospel that offers forgiveness, but still allows one to retain full control of his or her life. To love anyone, or anything more than Jesus amounts to idolatry.

     4. We are without law.
     Modern day Christianity has failed to teach the importance of the moral law of God. We claim that we are now under grace, and the law is irrelevant (Romans 6:15; Eph 2:15). We do not agree with Jesus when He says He did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). We have neglected the fact that the law is established by faith (Romans 3:31), and under the new covenant, it is written upon the hearts of those who have been born again through Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 10:16-17). The law is now fulfilled in us as we live and walk in the Spirit of God (Romans 8:2-4). We obey it's precepts from an inward principle. The Holy Spirit has changed us so that the true child of God will want to obey, from the heart.
     So many modern teachers claim that the law has been done away with, and it is not important whether we keep it or not. The words of John tell us differently however. He tells us that sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Jesus condemns those who practice lawlessness (Matt 7:23), as He came to take away sin, not to promote it (1 John 3:5-8).

     5. What about Holiness?
     The bible tells us that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). The Apostle Paul calls us to come out from this wicked world and be separate. We are given the promise that God will be a father to us, and we will become His children (2 Cor 6:14-18). As we see, holiness is a way of life. It is a separation that is lived out in our daily conduct (1 Peter 1:14-17). Once again, this is downplayed, as God "sees" us as holy, no matter how we live. We are taught that somehow the Father cannot see our sin and moral filth, even though we are not truly separated from this evil world. Paul tells us that to reject holiness is to reject God (1 Thess 4:8). It is interesting to note that 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 deals with sexual purity, something that has been largely rejected by the modern seeker Churches of today.
     Once again, without holiness, that is, to come out of this world, and to be separated unto God, you will not see God. To refuse to be holy, is to reject God.

     6. We do not love Christ.
     The Apostle Paul closes his epistle to the Corinthian Church with the warning that anyone who does not love Christ is to be accursed (1 Cor 16:22). No professing believer would say that they do not love Christ. In fact, most, if not all, would claim to love Him, even with all their heart. But how does Jesus define our love for Him? What is the standard He uses? After all, if He desires, even demands our love, does He not have the right to define what that love is, and how it is shown?
     Once again, our love is shown by our deeds, in the same way our faith is made evident. Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we will do what He says. To disobey Him is to not love Him (John 14:21-24). Plain and simple words from God Himself, that define for us what love is. How many of us can say that we truly love Jesus if we use this as our standard? Love is not about emotions, and feeling good during worship. Lip service means nothing if the heart is far from God (Mark 7:6-8). Once again, where we have put away God's commands, and chosen to live in lawlessness, we have no love (Matt 24:12).
    
     The modern Church has rejected God in many ways, and chosen to serve a different Jesus than the one revealed to us in the word of God. Instead of coming to the fountain of living waters, we have become content to hew out for ourselves cisterns that cannot hold water.
      Imagine the inhabitants of a great city which lay under siege. As their water supply began to run out, they rush to open their cisterns, that should contain an ample supply of water. Imagine their shock and horror as they remove the coverings only to discover that all of their water leaked out over time! Now imagine you are standing before Jesus Christ on the day of judgment. Will your religion save you on that day?

     1. We have dug out a cistern of selfishness.
     The modern gospel has become a gospel of selfishness that appeals to our fleshly natures. It is not a matter of dying to ourselves, so that we may live for God. Instead, we hold to a gospel that makes God our servant. He lives to please us, and make us happy. This however is  not the gospel presented to us in the word of God. Once again, Jesus tells us to renounce all that we have, if we will be His disciples (Luke 14:33). It is the crucified life that Jesus desires for us (Gal 6:14), a life that is not about us, but Him.

     2. We worship at the cistern of modern culture.
     The modern Church has to a great degree allowed the culture of the day to define Christian faith and practice. Never mind that the scriptures define for us the standards that God has for His Church. We have determined that God's word is old, antiquated, no longer relevant for today's society.
     We can see this in the "sexual revolution" that has permeated the Church. Things that have been prohibited by the word of God for thousands of years, are now deemed acceptable. We tolerate all kinds of sin in so called believers. We affirm people in their sin, and do all we can to promote their sinful lifestyles.
     The Apostle Paul confronted this same thing in Corinth. He rebuked the church for their tolerance of gross sexual immorality within their midst, even calling them arrogant (1 Cor 5:1-2). God's word warns us that immoral individuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived by this empty cistern. (Ephesians 5:5-6).
     The gospel of the kingdom should be transforming the culture, instead of adapting to it. Our modern seeker sensitive mentality makes people feel good, and promotes Christianity as this non judgmental, tolerant fellowship, but in our efforts to cater to everyone, we have lost the power that only the true gospel contains.

     3. Programs with no power.
     In the beginnings of Christianity, a few uneducated disciples turned the world upside down for Christ. With no money, and no eloquence, these individuals went out filled with the Holy Ghost, and spread the gospel throughout the world.
     Now we rely on expensive programs to entertain people into the kingdom. These programs require manpower to carry out, and leave a wake of burned out volunteers disillusioned, when they fail to produce lasting converts. We seem to be more interested in Church growth numerically, rather than seeing the Church grow spiritually.
     Throughout the book of Acts, and the Epistles, we read how the early Christians went in the power of the Holy Spirit, and accomplished great things. Miracles, healings, devils cast out, and thousands of souls saved, are what they saw as a normal part of their Christian lives. The Bible tells us that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God (Zech 4:6). Why do we insist upon exchanging the Holy Spirit for a program?

     4. Grace has become a license to sin.
     For many, the modern view of grace means that we can live as we please, as God has covered our sin, by His grace. It is true that the forgiveness of our sin is due to God's grace. We, as rebels against God, deserve nothing but death. God's grace goes beyond our comprehension. Why would God forgive us? Why would He send Jesus to die in our place?
     However, many individuals believe that they can go on in sin because they are not under law, but grace. This is the exact opposite of what Paul states in Romans 6:14-15. Most Bible teachers would not come out and tell people to go ahead and sin because grace will cover it, but the way that grace is presented by many pastors and teachers today, leaves one with a false sense of security. They say that nothing we do can affect our salvation. No degree of sin can separate a believer from God. This teaching ignores many passages of scripture that warn us of sin, and its deadly consequences. Many "sinning saints" have little or no conviction of the sin in their lives, because they have ignored the voice of the Spirit of God, speaking to them through their consciences. They instead have been affirmed in their sin by this dangerous stretching of the truth of grace.
     God's grace actually teaches us to turn from sin, and to live godly lives (Titus 2:11-14). God, in His grace, has given us everything needful for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:2-4). This aspect of grace is seldom taught anymore, but it is grace nonetheless.

     5. A form of godliness, but without power.
     Many modern evangelicals today fit this category. They hold to a form of godliness, but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). Paul warns of the day when the Church will be filled with selfish individuals.
    
   For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money. boastful. arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB).

     This is what we see filling so many so called Churches today. The sanctuaries are filled, the worship is thrilling, the message makes everyone feel good. It looks like a pretty good Church. Everyone is coming and raving about all of the cool things going on. The self help groups, the Christian counselors with all of their "Christian psychology", the life coaches, and so on, all seem to make modern Church so attractive and so godly. Where is the life giving power of God in all of this? Why do we not see sinners saved and transformed? Why do the people coming continue to live in the sins that they have always lived in? Why do people struggle and fall and struggle some more, without any change in their lives? This is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not the gospel that set the prisoners free in the early days of Christianity. Lives were changed, sin was eradicated from lives, people were willing to follow Jesus all the way to the death if necessary, but not today in our soft modern Churches.
      Too many have believed in a form of godliness that lacks the power to change lives. This is not the Christianity of the Bible. It is an empty cistern that will be sure to disappoint many on the final day when we all stand before the one who sits upon the throne.

     I do not write this in a spirit of fault finding. It is not my desire to hunt out all of the problems found in the Church, and then write about them. I desire to see change. I long for revival. I long for God to come down in His glory, and flood a dry and weary land with His presence. I long to see souls saved, delivered from sin, and serving Christ. I desire to see the miracles that we read about in the Bible. I desire to see God manifest Himself in power and glory once again in our land.
     There are many who like myself, grieve over the lukewarm condition that we see permeating Christianity today. Let us call a solemn assembly, proclaim a fast. Like Daniel, let us cry out to God in repentance and tears for the renewal of the Church in our day. We need revival. The lukewarm, compromising Christianity that prevails today, must be cast away in humble repentance, and we must return to the Christianity that Jesus died to give us. It is said that if you desire revival, draw a circle, get into it, and cry out to God for revival to begin with you. It is time to seek the Lord, on behalf of the Church, that she might once again rise up in the power of the Holy Ghost, and glorify the name of Jesus, as in former times.