Decline of Christianity

Why does Christianity seem to be failing?

Questions plague our mind:
Why follow Christ?
Why be a part of a community to then be burned by that community?
Where is God?

My life is full of pain - hurt - disappointment
What good is Christ?
What good is God?
What good is the Church?

YET - say we get rid of all such things
Where does your pain go?
Where does your hurt go?
Where do you go?

The reality of such experiences does NOT become nullified when God and the Church are embraced.
No - on the contrary
The reality of "God with us” becomes more real than any other experience in our life

Christ is NOT some abstract - lofty idea.
But a Person to be interacted with
AND - from such an encounter - we participate in the redemptive work He set forth in the world.

The pain may not go away
The hurt may linger

YET - we do NOT avoid such things - nor say they do not exist
BUT - when Christ’s reality becomes our reality - something transformative takes place

That - as we travel through such hardships:
we find a deep joy in the midst of sorrow
we find deep peace in the midst of chaos
we find a deep love that Christ shows toward us that we then show to others