I visited a church once and thought I was at a rock concert. A band on the stage was dancing to the beat of drums and electric guitars. I scratched my head and wondered, “Where have we come from?” The church really has come a long way over the years. But it’s not headed in the right direction.

We ask ourselves why the divorce rate in the church is close to that of the world, why our teenagers are leaving in record numbers, and why church discipline and Christian standards have taken a back seat to entertainment. It’s because the church has gone away from Romans 12:1-2. We’ve brought the world into the church.

When Romans 12:2 tells us to renew our minds, it means we need to live in the Word of God and study it daily. We need to go to church to learn what God has to say. These things will help us think God’s thoughts and give us peace.

If we want to see change in our churches, it has to start within us. Give these questions some thought:

• Do you go to church for the entertainment, or for the preaching of God’s Word?
• Does your church conform you to the world, or transform you into the image of Christ?
• What is the basis for your personal, moral standards?
• What role does God’s Word play in your decision-making?

Friends, if we don’t like what we’re seeing in the mirror, it’s not because the mirror is broken. We need to change the image we put in front of it.

What the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations, or more novel methods; but men . . . mighty in prayer. — E.M. Bounds

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

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