Have We Lost Something?

Have we lost something?  By we, I mean the church...the body of believers in this American culture.  The numbers are shrinking, you know.  We're not seeing people come to the Lord like once did, you know.   I'm sure there are lots of reasons and stuff behind it, but one thing I suspect is that we lost something...

What have we lost?  The call to change.  We say we accept people as they are.  And we do.  And we should.  Because God does.  We say come as you are.  And we ourselves do.  And we ourselves should.   Because that is the call of God.

But that's it?  I mean it goes no further?  We just come into a relationship with Him, and that's it.  We just live, and die, and heaven.  The end?

I don't think so, and I believe that is something we have lost.  God calls us to Him...to be accepted just as we are.  But He DEMANDS that we change.  He DEMANDS sacrifice...of our old lives for His.  And that is hard.  Very hard.  And so we resist.  And we don't change.   And we don't demand change of others...

...and we wonder why the grip of faith is slipping in our land?