How does the Church earn the right to be heard in such times?

By exhibiting the character of our God, because, as our culture tells us, character matters.

Ungodly behavior will undermine our testimony for Jesus every time. Scripture gives no disconnect between belief and behavior.

Could the reason the Church looks so much like the culture be that a true belief in God is missing?

Here are the facts:

1) Every man and woman is broken. We come into the world wired for sin. (Romans 3:10)

2) Sin separates us from God. (Isaiah 59:2)

3) There is nothing we can do to bridge that gap. (Psalm 49:7-9)

4) Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and died as a perfect sacrifice for our sin. He traded His perfection for our sin. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

5) God showed His acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. (Romans 6:4)

6) For someone to come into a relationship with God, God must first draw him. (John 6:44)

7) Man is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

8) Grace comes from God. Faith comes from God. They are gifts. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

9) Salvation is God’s work; we simply respond to what He has already done. (Ephesians 2:4)

10) The Holy Spirit lives within us to help us live godly lives. (Galatians 5:16)

And when we consider all He has done, we can’t help but want to live for Him—and that means bringing our behavior in line with His standards.

When the world sees the Church acting like her Lord, it will stand up and take notice. It did once before. Click To Tweet

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2: 42-47 NIV).

Character matters.