I met a retired preacher recently, and we were chatting about how Europe worshipped God in the past.
I was excited to find someone who was part of the vibrant congregation of ardent worshippers of those good old days.
Out of curiosity, I wanted to hear his thoughts on the gradual decline of the church and personal faith over the last couple of decades.
After our initial chat, I went back to read almost everything my new friend had written on Christianity and Church decline.
He told stories of how churches used to be packed back in the 50s and 60s. He talked about how great Evangelists of those days filled sports arena. He narrated with nostalgia how yearning hearts used to pile into venues to worship God.
As I read those stories, I imagine venues like Wembley in London or Croke Park of modern Dublin packed with worshippers and God lovers.
Ashes of a dying flame
The landscape of European cities is dotted with relics of a rich religious history. Huge cathedrals and billion dollars’ worth of church real estates are the only visible evidence of what was once a move of God.
Some of them have been turned into public spaces and private properties, and the trend would continue for a while.
But I wonder where it all went wrong. How did Europe become so indifferent to the same faith they once preached around the world?
How did Europe go from pews packed with eager worshippers to a spiritually neutral society?
The unchangeable God
Nature, logic, and Scriptures all attest to the fact that God does not expire. God is timeless and eternal in nature. The God of 1950 is still God today. This is an undeniable fact.
So, how do we explain the spiritual coldness and indifference that characterize modern life?
We can also ask the same question when men worship God when they are needy and lowly but turn their backs on God when they rise in status and start enjoying life's comfort.
What's true for nations and continents is true for individuals.
For the most part, societies have been changing for good. But changed societies have also created other gods that have occupied the hearts of men, taking the place of the unchangeable creator.
New gods
Men have become god to themselves, along with other gods like money, power, fame, beauty, lust, knowledge, and lately, public opinion. Together, these new gods have seized control of the hearts of men.
With so much going on, many have lost sight of eternity and become cold and careless about their eternal destinies.
They become indifferent to God and would not retain God in their knowledge.
Empty hearts
It is fair to say that it is not just church buildings or the pews therein that are empty. The hearts of men have become empty of the knowledge of God. There is a scarcity of personal knowledge of God.
This, my friends, is the real problem.
We should stop worrying about empty pews and start praying for hearts that are devoid of God. We should stop debating whether people should go back to church or not.
We should rather concern ourselves with how people can go back to God and know God as their Maker and Father.
Back to the basics
Men cannot come to God unless they believe. And they cannot believe in a God they do not know.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom.10:10, NKJV).
Do you believe?
The society is in a faith crisis. Therefore, worship is relegated and God is a distant figure.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him
(Hebrews 11:6, NKJV).
When hearts are filled again with the knowledge of the glory of God, then and only then will faith be restored, paving the way for genuine worship and devotion to God.
Final word
No one can stop societies from changing. Change is inevitable and desirable. Our lives as humans would also change in time. But in all these, God is a constant factor: the unchangeable changer.
God does not rise and fall with human civilisation or diminish in majesty and glory as men become richer, more comfortable, and societies become more sophisticated.
It does not matter what year, or decade, or century you are reading this, you can be certain of this truth:
God was, God is, and God will continue to be God.
Know this my friends, we all have a lifetime opportunity to be on God's side in this generation.
Don't waste it!