THE GOSPEL IS PERSONAL (3 OF 4)
by Craig Smith
Scripture: John 4:1-18
This content is part of a series.
Title: The Gospel is Personal (3 of 4)
Series: What Matters Most
Scripture: John 4:1-18
Author: Craig Smith
I. Where Are We Headed?
The American church has a problem. Actually, we've got a lot of problems, but there's one in particular
that I think has the potential to destroy the church in America, if we don't do something about it. And
it's not the liberal left or Critical Race Theory or the Woke movement or any of those things. The
problem I'm talking about is the fact that people perceive the church as an institution...and we don't
trust institutions anymore.
We used to. We used to trust institutions, but pretty much across the board, trust in institutions is at
an all time low:
- According to Gallup polls, in 1979, 53% of Americans trusted the institution of public schools.
Now that number is down to 28%
- In 1979, 74% of Americans trusted the institution of health care. Now that number is down to
38%
- In 1979, 34% of Americans trusted our congress. Now that number is down to 7%
- And in 1979, 65% of Americans trusted organized religion. Now that number is down to 31%
That's a 52% decline. Now there are a lot of different reasons for that, but there's only one solution to
it. And this is a problem we have to solve, because, I believe that the church is the hope of the world.
Because God loves the world, he gave it his Son and because God wants the world to know that he
loves it, he give it his church. So the fact that the world doesn't trust the church anymore is a very
serious problem. Fortunately, it's a problem that has a solution. And it's not a new idea. In fact, it's one of the five truths that have always been foundational to the Christian faith. And I'll just go ahead and tell it to you right now: The Gospel is personal.
Let me show you want I mean. Why don't you go ahead and grab your bible and start making your way to John 3:36. Now, while you're making your way there:
- [recap last three weeks]
...
Series: What Matters Most
Scripture: John 4:1-18
Author: Craig Smith
I. Where Are We Headed?
The American church has a problem. Actually, we've got a lot of problems, but there's one in particular
that I think has the potential to destroy the church in America, if we don't do something about it. And
it's not the liberal left or Critical Race Theory or the Woke movement or any of those things. The
problem I'm talking about is the fact that people perceive the church as an institution...and we don't
trust institutions anymore.
We used to. We used to trust institutions, but pretty much across the board, trust in institutions is at
an all time low:
- According to Gallup polls, in 1979, 53% of Americans trusted the institution of public schools.
Now that number is down to 28%
- In 1979, 74% of Americans trusted the institution of health care. Now that number is down to
38%
- In 1979, 34% of Americans trusted our congress. Now that number is down to 7%
- And in 1979, 65% of Americans trusted organized religion. Now that number is down to 31%
That's a 52% decline. Now there are a lot of different reasons for that, but there's only one solution to
it. And this is a problem we have to solve, because, I believe that the church is the hope of the world.
Because God loves the world, he gave it his Son and because God wants the world to know that he
loves it, he give it his church. So the fact that the world doesn't trust the church anymore is a very
serious problem. Fortunately, it's a problem that has a solution. And it's not a new idea. In fact, it's one of the five truths that have always been foundational to the Christian faith. And I'll just go ahead and tell it to you right now: The Gospel is personal.
Let me show you want I mean. Why don't you go ahead and grab your bible and start making your way to John 3:36. Now, while you're making your way there:
- [recap last three weeks]
...
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