Eric Camp

In the last 2 days there have been 2 senseless murders in this nation. One on a train in Charlotte to the young lady from Ukraine, Iryna Zarutska, and today with the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah. My heart is truly broken. However, I am not surprised for several reasons.

This nation has been trending further and further away from God for years, even in “The Church.” While we sit and wonder and are heartbroken over the news we read online and hear on the TV, we have to really begin to take a look in the mirror at why “some” of these things happen. I am not blaming the church, I am blaming the apathy and the complacency that we have allowed to creep in to our lives and into our Church Gatherings (services).

Folks today are more concerned about how many songs the worship team will do, who is singing, how long will the sermon be, and who is the new person sitting next to them than they are actually BEING The Body of Christ and participating in glorifying and honoring Christ. We sit in pews, or chairs, not really caring what goes on unless it directly affects us personally. That is apathy.

Too many times those in the church are looking for someone to rebuke, correct, get offended at or complain to more than they are actually being the change that is needed by loving their neighbor as themselves! Everyone needs encouragement and just to see someone actually cares. All of us do! As a pastor, I hear maybe 1 compliment to every 99 complaint or frustration. (Collective Family: I don’t say this for pity or to encourage you compliment everything, just stating factual numbers).

We watch a youtube video by someone we don’t even know who criticizes and ridicules “The Church” or church leadership or whatever, and then we get offended and mad at people in our own church family because of this voice of a hater whom we don’t even know who is just trying to get likes and views on their channel to make them more money! We are easily persuaded when we aren’t solidly rooted as a Follower of Christ.

The root of pride and ego is running things. In The Church. In the government. In business. Everywhere. Humility is scarce and therefore so is the presence of God. Folks are offended over EVERYTHING. Don’t get an email or a message back in expected time, they just go to another church or gossip to others about it or post some passive aggressive graffiti on social media. It’s a sad day. “The Church” does not look like what Jesus expected or even desires it to look like today. Too much of the worldly culture has overrun Biblical values and humility.

Nathan Sam, a dear friend of mine from Louisiana and former staff member at our church, said that folks want revival and a move of The Spirit of God, but what we need to understand is that Revival will not come without Repentance and without Reverence.

We need Revival in our nation. Evil is increasing at an alarming rate. Christians should be praying for and aiding in being that light Jesus referenced in our homes and in our communities. Revival and a genuine move of God will start when we repent and reverence God in our homes, not just in our Church Gatherings.

In closing, to sum all of this up, we are seeing a decay of culture even more and more and even in “The Church”. We can see a change if we are willing to be the change and grow in our faith beyond the shallowness that so many currently swim in.

The death of Charlie Kirk and Iryna Zarutska is truly heartbreaking because this nation is better than that. We are better. We have to do better. Someone could have helped Iryna after she was stabbed. Someone, I am certain, should have noticed the assassin today in Utah, but just passively looked the way until it was too late. See something. Say something. Better yet, see something, DO something.

We need Jesus more. This nation will only get more of Jesus if “The Church” as a whole pursues him earnestly, Biblically and genuinely.

Please pray for these families. Pray for one another. Love one another more than you love yourself, that in itself is a great start to seeing healing and revival in our land.