Due to a recent conversation that I had, I have come to realize that America’s church today is like the child that you have to hide the vegetables in their food to get them to eat them.

I am becoming more and more amazed, if that is even a strong enough word, at the number of people I talk with that say the bible is just not relevant to them.  Simply put, they say it just doesn’t speak to them; that it is just a bunch of old stories about sheep and goats, and some stories (parables) that have to be deciphered and it still doesn’t mean anything.

My favorite is when people say they read the bible and all they see and get from it are things that they can’t do.  That one really makes me want to laugh out loud and brings me to tears at the same time.  Laugh because I don’t want them to see me cry, but cry because I so desperately want them to know and understand that God’s Word is so much more than what they have perceived.

It used to be that when we would talk to people outside the church about church, we had to become very creative.  You know we have acronyms and crafty ways to share the gospel (F.A.I.T.H, A.B.C’S, the Roman Road, & bracelets with red, black, white, gold).  In other words it was the non-Christians that we had to somehow hide the veggies from.  Now I find that it’s the Christians that I have to be careful with.

The moment I ask what the Father has shown them from the Word, or let’s look at the bible together, or even share a verse or two with them a wall seems to go up.  There seems to be more of a tolerance from the non-Christian than those who say they believe.

What has happened?  Where have we gone wrong?  Where have we allowed the world to creep in, to the point that we now look a lot like the world that we’re only to be apart of? (LOL, there’s your veggies in question form.)

The question I asked was referring to Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What I am seeing in many people, believers, and I do not exclude myself at times is un-nerving.  What is it going to take for us, the church, to wake up?  What is going to have to happen for us to come to the realization that we are not as strong as we think we are?  Unfortunately, we are not a predominate change in the world today, but seen more as weak minded, misguided, antiquated, irrelevant people that do not know who they are or what they really believe or stand for.  It is sad to say but we, the church, in many cases have given ourselves our own black eyes.

So what do we do?  First I say we come to grips with the notion that we are not as strong as we think we are.  Second, ask The Father to forgive us for our smugness, and self-satisfaction.  Then lastly, skip the expense of the trendy cup of coffee to appear up to date, hip, and modern. Find a place that’s quiet and get alone with The Father and eat your veggies.

Let’s truly spend some one on one time with Him, struggle through the tough things that the Word brings out in us, and let’s just see how remarkable of a change there will be.

So go eat your veggies.

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