WILL JESUS FIND FAITH

 

*WILL JESUS FIND FAITH?*

*In times of crisis more people turn to God, yet usually for only a short time. Will we break the pattern?*

Jesus posed a startling question to His disciples in *Luke 18:8: "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"*

Faith in God is diminishing day by day, year by year. Statisticians and researchers have produced many reports showing the decline of faith in America and the Western world.

When a crisis strikes our world - be it a war, a terrorist attack or a health pandemic - we often see short-lived return to faith. More prayers go up to God for a short while. Recent Pew research polling has found that most people are praying more during the coronavirus outbreak than before.

But the pattern we've seen before is that as a great crisis is resolved and fades, life goes back to normal. Churches are mostly empty again. What are people thinking, and does it matter?

Why should we be concerned about what society at large believes? As long as we do what's right, how does the world's rejection of God affect us? Of course we sorrow over what we see, and there is a danger of wrong ideas rubbing off on us if we're not careful. But there's more.

It's been proven that faith in the God of the Bible has a huge, positive impact on society. This is not something that can be accomplished by atheists or religious "nones", as many list their affiliation. *A culture based on Judeo-Christian principles, as shown by decades of research, develops the most stable, law-abiding and prosperous model for a society or nation*

If a nation strays from this religious basis, what can we expect? Economic upheaval. Failings in governance and justice. Unhappiness. Drug epidemics. Violent crimes. Family breakdown. These are the results of a nation distancing itself from God and His way of life. We see it happening right now, all around us.

In Luke 17:5, *"the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'"* They obviously saw the works Jesus did and heard the high standard of His teaching - realizing they needed more faith!

Amazing, as the end of this age draws closer, people tend to exercise less faith. They don't seek it as they once did. Perhaps technology plays a role in this. Perhaps there are too many distractions that compete with faith in God. It's not until we are faced with a life-altering situation - like the Covid-19 pandemic and financial disruption, which can mean loss of livelihood for many and actual loss of life for some - that we look up for greater answers and seek God more.

Society needs *increased faith in God* - but sadly it is headed in exactly the opposite direction. We must resist this pull, praying for God to *increase our faith* so we don't succumb to the spirit of the world.

Here are some key reasons why faith in God has diminished.

1. *Today we have more solutions to our previously unsolvable problems*

There have been medical advances to handle our ever-growing number of ailments. More medical care is available and extended to more people. With recent epidemics, doctors and scientists have been relatively quick in finding and implementing treatments to help alleviate the severity of the problems.

But it's not only medical advances that are seemingly solving our problems. Many people believe that, given enough time, scientists will solve all of humanity's problems. They do not put their faith in living God's way or following the admonitions of Jesus Christ, but instead solely trust in science.

Of course we should consider that with new diseases there can be significant lag until solutions are found. There may be some that come with such severity and suddenness that society is overwhelmed and too far gone before needed treatment exists. And some problems will never be solved this way. Medical science was clearly not prepared for the novel coronavirus. It's certainly not prepared for every eventuality. God, however, is.

2. *We have more wealth and various social systems, so people are not without help of some form*

Social welfare and various forms of government assistance have for some time been given to more than 50 percent of the U.S. population. Other countries have an even higher percentage. And now assistance has shot through the roof with the recent stimulus. Yet for a long time before, more and more people have been putting their trust and faith in government at the expense of faith in God!

Interestingly, social scientists will tell you that once more than half of the population becomes dependant on the government, there is no turning back. Wouldn't it be great if more than half of the population put its reliance on Almighty God instead?

Again, human governments the world over were woefully unprepared even in physical terms for Covid-19 - leading to greater suffering and troubles. And the full eventual results of government policy in dealing with the matter are yet to be seen but could be dire. Man can't effectively predict the future. But God can!

3. *We have more knowledge now and more means of finding solutions*

Since the advent of modern technology, there is always a new way of doing things, of understanding things, which will somehow supposedly make your life better. Of course, this becomes the goal - to make your life better, not to live a more godly life.

Yet when you dig a little deeper, you will find that things are not better. Despite technology and more solutions, more wealth in some countries, more government assistance and more knowledge, people are actually not any happier. And many feel only "the few" are benefitting from all this advancement. But really that's not by much - and not in the ways that ultimately count.

*Faith misplaced*

Again, Jesus asked if He would find faith on the earth when He returned. Well, there is widespread faith - but it is sorely misplaced. People trust in the wrong things. Jesus was talking about true, rightly placed faith in God. And on a worldwide scale, the answer to Jesus' question, then, will for the most part be "no".

A prophecy of the end time, right before Jesus Christ returns to the earth, shows that humanity as a whole will not have faith in God. They will refuse to follow the teachings of Jesus even in the face of cataclysmic events that take millions of lives. Revelation 9:20-21

When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith - the right kind of faith - on the earth? Not a whole lot. Despite the pain and suffering, prior to Jesus' return humanity will not return to faith in our Creator. Mankind as a whole will not repent.

*Will you be the exception?*

The exception will be the people of God, His faithful servants led by Jesus Christ, being prepared for Jesus' return to lead and teach true Christianity throughout the world.

Let's heed the warning given to you and me. Don't be one of those who abandon faith in God! 

We must remain faithful! We must not let the world sear our conscience. When Jesus Christ returns, *He must find faith in us*

We are called to the way of properly placed faith - of heartfelt trust in the Creator God of the Bible who made us. Truly seek Him and obedience to Him in a world growing more faithless and more hopeless every day.

Don't give in to the spirit of the world. The danger of that will grow when the current crisis passes and all returns to a certain state of normality. Turn to God now in hard times, and hold on to Him when things calm down. Don't let down in times of relative ease. And don't put undue trust in the world around you to solve its problems. It ultimately won't. Look to God for that - to the very end.

*Will Jesus find such faith when He comes?*

Yes. Where?

I pray He will find it in you!

*Copyright 2020*

*The Ecumenican Church Nigeria*

Author

Peter Eddington