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By Rev. Todd Fletcher

 

Here in the South, we have the distinct blessing and privilege of living in what is often referred to as the Bible Belt. Our communities are unashamed about their faith, our landscape is dotted with local churches at nearly every intersection, and we proudly display “In God We Trust” on our courthouses and emergency vehicles. Nearly everyone you talk to, if asked, would tell you they are a Christian. But as a local church Pastor, I can’t help but wonder, where are they now?

I thank God for our Christian heritage and the boldness with which we stand for biblical morality and values in our communities, but I fear we’ve exchanged faith in Christ for mere Christian morality. If you wonder why I say this, I would challenge you to attend a church service in our community on any given Sunday, and I believe you’ll understand. While most claim to be Christians, only a small percentage actually practice the faith they profess and are active in a local church. So where are they now? 

It turns out this situation is not unique to the Bible Belt nor our current cultural moment but has been common throughout all time and in all cultures. We see examples of this in the New Testament, particularly in the book of 1 John, where the Apostle John explains how you can know with confidence if you have eternal life (1 Jn. 5:13).

In doing so, he answers the question posed in the title of this article. Just like today, there were many who professed faith in Christ but had long since abandoned the local church, and the question remained as to whether or not those who had left were truly saved. In 1 John 2:19, he said something that should shake us to the core: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” Wow!

In our culture, we have so individualized our faith that we have convinced ourselves that as long as we prayed a prayer asking Jesus to save us one day and were maybe even baptized, then we’re good to go. We believe that by doing so, we’ve punched our ticket to heaven and no more is expected of us. However, that idea is found nowhere in Scripture. In fact, John is telling us that those who are truly a part of the body of Christ are known by their continued fellowship with the body in the context of the local church. This is a marker of true, saving faith.

Though I’m thankful for our Christian culture, I am heartbroken when I look at the state of local churches throughout our community. If there are so many Christians, where are they now? If you call yourself a follower of Christ but you are counted among those who are no longer in fellowship with the body of Christ in a local church, may this serve as both a warning and a challenge for you to reconnect with the body so that upon Christ’s return He will find you faithful and not have to ask, “where are they now?”