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WHY ARE OUR YOUTHS LEAVING THE CHURCH?

By: Rev. Evaristus Abu Sometime ago, I met a guy who tried to use the scriptures to argue with me that fornication is not a sin. This guy belongs to what I may call a new generation church, a church where there is no law about dress code, a church where girls do not cover their hair and are free to come to church as though they were coming for a party. This is a church that has succeeded in winning to itself a lot of the youth across the campus in the university such as Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists and other Pentecostals. He told me he only attends Catholic Church when he is at home since everyone in his family is Catholic but as soon as he gets to school, he will never go near a Catholic church. You wonder why many youths are leaving the Church? It is not because we are failing in our duty to preach the truth; rather it is because many are tired of hearing the truth! We live in a world today that is gradually being swept off by the corruption of the flesh a world where lust, fornication, immorality, adultery, masturbation and the likes are all becoming the order of the day especially amongst Christians. If you are ever privileged to discuss with most of our youth today, you will discover that the gospel they now preach is that your body is your headache, do whatever you like with it. Beware Of False Doctrines According to him, sex is only a sin when it is done without the both parties consenting to it, meaning that as long as there is consent, then it is simply an expression of love and with such doctrines like this, this young man along with throngs of other university youths have come to see the church as an exciting place to be. Gone are the days when Christians regarded themselves as people in the world but not of the world (John 15:19) now the reverse is the case. I was not surprised when he told me that the Pastor of this church is a fellow student, now because he is a pastor, his flock consider it a religious duty on their part to help him cheat to pass his examinations. And what do they get in return, the excitement and entertainment they enjoy Sunday after Sunday in the name of preaching. As I reflected on this, I recalled the words of St. Paul which have finally come to pass in our day: For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Have you ever taken out time to listen to what your fellow Christians are being fed with? Have you not noticed what these men of God do in the guise of preaching? Rather than teach, correct and admonish, all you hear is prayer and unending blessings and the continued choruses of Amen and Alleluia In fact the whole sermon is coloured with stories and examples of what God has done for people in the past and the assurance that they too stand to

gain from such great acts of Gods intervention; promises of wealth, promotions, healing, breakthroughs, success, victories over enemies. In all honesty, sermons of this nature are not really sermons but well prepared speeches to make their listeners feel good about themselves and motivated to give. These are speeches which as St. Paul puts it, tailored to suit their own desires, the desires of preacher as well as the desires of the congregation. Indeed, it is not surprising that after a typical sermon nowadays, you see the congregation jumping up and down in excitement, you see them bubbling with smiles, brimming with hope and feeling on top of the world. Of course, it is not a crime when people actually feel good after a sermon but the motive behind such sermons. Once upon a time, people had to walk out of Jesus while he was preaching but that did not bother him one bit because he knew he was telling them the truth. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" John 6:60-67 Are preachers today bold enough to tell their congregation the truth? My dear people of God, do we go to Church simply to feel good or to really hear God speak to us? A young lady once told me that the reason she left the Catholic Church was because she never really heard anyone preach well. Then I wondered what could be the criteria of a good sermon; one that leaves you feeling sorry for your sins and a desire to repent or one that leaves you feeling on top of the world? How come, despite the multiplicity of Churches today, Christians are still very much deep in corruption and immorality? Do Not Be Deceived Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow, if you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Galatians 6:7-8 Truth they say is bitter and even though everyone knows the truth, nobody really wants to hear it. Christians of today would rather wish to hear of Gods promises of favour and blessing than to be told of Gods condemnation for sin. I know of a Pastor who went about preaching that as long as we are Christians, it is impossible for us to sin anymore! Christians today read the bible in such a selective fashion paying attention to only those verses that particularly address their needs. Hence, the evil spirit of promiscuity and all sorts of sexual sins have infiltrated the hearts of Christians and no one seems to be saying anything about it. No wonder Jesus himself said, Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21 We may claim to be Christians but unless our lives are truly Christ-like, then we are simply deceiving ourselves. Being a Christian does not only end at being at the receiving end of Gods blessings, it is an entire life of loving God and pursuing the very things that please

him. Let us not be like the people who came searching for Jesus simply because they were hungry and Jesus could see through their hypocrisy. Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life. John 6:26-27 Beware Of False Prophets Dear friends, let us not be deceived, it is not everyone who carries a Bible to preach that is a genuine man of God. Even the devil knew how to quote the scriptures to tempt Jesus. Nowadays, I must confess, business centers are opening up here and there in the name of Churches. These fake preachers do not really care about the salvation of the people but are simply concerned about their own sustenance, that of their wives and that of their children. So in other to get money from you, they would tell you all you want to hear. St. Peter minces no words when he said: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them-- bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. 2 Peter 2:1-3 Dear friends, do not get carried away by their deceptive words. As much as it is Gods desire to bless us as his children, as much as he is merciful to forgive us when we sin, this should not give us a license to living loosed lives. As St Peter continues: For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodlythen the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed. 2 Peter 2:4-12 In Conclusion, There is the saying that people do not value what they have until they lose it. A lot of Catholic youths today do not value their rich heritage, not to mention even defending the faith. Hence you hear them say, I have seen the light but I wander if this light they claim to see is not darkness in disguise. To round up, I leave you with Jesus words "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.Matthew 7:15-16

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