Whose kingdom is being built?

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Psalm 127:1

America claims to be a religious land. But that religion increasingly seems to be a watered-down, least-common-denominator kind of "good feeling," more than a devotion to seeking Truth. Megachurches dot the landscape, and tens of thousands flock to these campuses each week. But are lives being changed? The evidence seems to say no. Why?

Just as we've commodified everything else in life, we've turned "spirituality" into a consumer item. We shop at Walmart, looking for the lowest price, with the result we sometimes get shoddy goods. Many megachurches are the spiritual equivalent. The preaching is engaging (though often only loosely scriptural), the music seems modern, and one can stay lost in the crowd with no fear of being challenged to align one's life with God's Word.

I don't doubt some large congregations and their effective leadership are the work of God's Spirit -- it wouldn't be the first time. But for too many such churches, a growing obsession with numbers, growth, and ever more "seeker friendly" marketing strategies becomes an acid, eating away at the true purpose of The Church: making disciples. It matters not if one had phenomenal programs, enormous ministries and outreach to the needy, if at the end of the day, the grace of Christ has not been proclaimed. Yes, we are told to clothe and feed the poor, and not to neglect those in need. But what kind of love quenches an earthly thirst only to withhold the Living Water they need even more?

A recent study showed churches allocate an average of less than two percent of offerings to proclaiming the grace of Christ!! I can only imagine how much of that remaining 98 percent goes into building funds, ever-larger staffs, and the organizational trappings of large institutions. Why is this the emphasis? Have we found a modern way to "give to God" that ensures we "get ours back" through me-focused ministry?

Europe is filled with large, beautiful churches... that are empty. Unless we realign our priorities to God's view, the church in America is not far behind.