State of Apostasy — E.A. Johnston

Pastoral Success Measured by Souls, Not Church Size

I remember, years ago, I helped plan a church with a fellow pastor. This man wanted to have a church with 4 ,000 members. That was the numerical measurement of his success as a pastor. That was the goal he worked for.

And as we began to start this church, I remember vividly, a man came down front at the end of the service, inquiring what he must do to be saved, and he wanted to speak with the pastor. I asked him to wait while I hurriedly ran down the hall and found the pastor in a side room chatting with a friend, and I told him there was a man asking to see him who was seeking salvation.

The pastor seemed indifferent and brushed me off with the words, you go talk to him. I replied, but pastor, he only wants to talk to you. But this pastor refused to come out. He refused to go and talk to this man about his salvation.

So the man went away discouraged and upset. You see, here was a pastor who wanted to have a big church of 4 ,000 members, but he could care less about a person's soul. Well, I parted company with that man, and looking back on that experience, I see now it's a prototype of the modern church today, for your typical pastor is more interested in growing his church numerically than he is about being true to a person's soul.

The Biblical Warning of Apostasy and Sound Doctrine

I know that's a sad fact, friends, but it's true, because we are living in a time where the church is in a state of apostasy. And that's the title of my message today, friends. State of apostasy. And my text can be found in 2 Timothy and chapter 4.

You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 3 to 4. And let me read us this eye-opening passage of scripture, for it talks about the times in which we live. Hear now is the word of God, and may God's spirit be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers. Let me pause here, friends. Your typical pastor today is brought to a church by a pastor search committee that is comprised of deacons who are predominantly rich businessmen.

Nowhere in my Bible does it state that a pastor is chosen to be a shepherd by a pastor church committee. Listen, only the spirit of God can call a God-called man to be pastor of a church. It's God that does it, not some influential businessman looking for a man to further their own agenda.

Now let me continue with our text. Have an itch in ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. I will stop there. Now that's where we are today, friends.

Worldliness, Immorality, and the Neglect of Repentance

We're living in and experiencing this day of apostasy in the church as we live in these last days. In fact, this is the very reason why the church in North America and in Europe is in a dead state of apostasy.

It's a fulfilling of scripture, for these are indeed the end times in which we live, for all of society is spinning out of control. The youth of the land are predominantly atheist and live like pagans, and the churches lie in a spiritual death grip of worldliness and immorality.

Subjects like holiness are a taboo subject, so is repentance. I don't care what church you walk into this Sunday morning, friend, you will be hard-pressed to find a preacher calling the congregation to repent of their sins.

Very few will be warning them about the fires and dangers of hell, but rather he'll preach a nice message that will probably be biblically sound, and he may preach an exalted view of God, and the sermon may be sound, but there will be no call to repentance, because we lie in a spiritual slumber.

But my Bible says, God calls all men everywhere to repent, well if that's so, then why are so many pastors disobedient to that text? It's because we live in a day when the church is in a state of apostasy.

Consumer Christianity and the Call to Repentance

Why, I could start a church today, friends, if I had enough financial backing behind me, I'd start it in a strip mall, and make it an all-inclusive, friendly place, where no one is judged, and where no one is ever challenged spiritually, but come as you are, and you can stay as you are, and still go to a happy place called heaven, and have some fine fellowship while we're here on this thing called a life, and then I'd hire a top-notch rock band for worship time, and put in strobe lights, and coffee bars, and lounge chairs, and preach entertaining messages that made you laugh, and feel good about yourself, to such a degree that I'd have people crawling all over their backs to get in there again next Sunday, but if I did that, I wouldn't be true to your soul.

False Teachers Who Merchandise Souls

But that's what's going on today, in this time of apostasy, the apostle Peter talks about the apostasy of our day, in 2 Peter 2 .1, preaching damnable heresies, even denying the Lord, and in verse 3, through their covetous hearts, they make merchandise of the souls of men, you tell me friend, if that does not describe the typical church today, like my former friend, who wanted a church of 4 ,000, but could care less about one soul, that's where we are today, and unless almighty God sends a national revival, we will keep on waxing worse and worse, until Christ comes again, and the church is blind to her own spiritual condition, and refuses to do the one thing needed, and that is to repent, heaven help us all, let us pray.