Check this out:
“Among non-Christians ages 16-29-atheists, agnostics, those undecided about their faith, and individuals affiliated with other faiths- more than four out of every five have gone to a Christian church at some time in their life (82%). Most of these attended for at least three months. And two-thirds of non-Christians (65%) said they have had conversations in the last year with a Christian friend and their faith views. More than half (53%) said they have been specifically approached in the past few years about becoming a Christian.
Most teenagers in America enter adulthood considering themselves to be Christians and saying they have made a personal commitment to Christ. But within a decade, most of these young people will have left the church and will have placed emotional connection to Christianity on the shelf. For most of them, their faith was merely skin deep. This leads to the sobering finding that the vast majority of people outside the church in this country, particularly among young generations, are actually de-churched individuals.”
Quite a sobering finding, but even more sobering….
“Most Americans, including two-thirds of all adult Mosaics and Busters (ages 18-41, and 65%), tell us that they have made a commitment to Jesus Christ at some point in their life.”
65%.
Ages 18-41
Made a commitment to Christ.
It implies that 65% of them actually sat down, and looked at the facts, read the gospels, listened to sermons, maybe participated in a bible study, and then eventually they committed themselves to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
Then the world came crashing in. Reality started to set. Encountered probably some ridicule for being a believer in Christ and then with each comment and each doubtful experience, Jesus, the Christ whom they professed to believe and follow gets closer and closer….
and closer.
To the shelf.
A very sad notion, but all the same its reality of believing in something. Having faith in Jesus is a crazy notion. According to the world and so its hard. When or if anybody becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ there is this thought…
A part me thinks that a reason that some of that percentage does not stay the same is that we as human beings are well aware of our faults and think we cannot do it. It’s too hard. I need to fix myself before I accept Christ because Christ is perfect and I’m not and I cant come to Him and say I’ll follow Him as his disciple when I’m not fixed.
“There’s no such thing as perfect people.
There’s no such thing as a perfect life.
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God.”
God doesn’t want perfect people, because he didnt create them. He created us in such a way that is not perfect but that is so beautiful. Come to God just how you are.