New research shows young Americans are dramatically less likely to go to church or to participate in any form of organized religion than their parents and grandparents. Historically, the percentage of Americans who said they had no religious affiliation (pollsters refer to this group as the “nones”) has been very small, hovering between 5 percent and 10 percent. However, the percentage of “nones” has now skyrocketed to between 30 percent and 40 percent among younger Americans.

This trend started in the 1990s and continues through today. It includes people in both Generation X and Y. While these young “nones” may not belong to a church, they are not necessarily atheists. Many of them have spiritual values and opinions but grew up in a time when church membership meant little to their generation. This movement away from organized religion has enormous consequences for American culture and politics for years to come.

What is happening is that these un-churched are letting the media and entertainment industry define what they believe on an issue by issue basis. Even more alarming is that more and more people are opting for a “designer” religion where they form a set of religious beliefs that most comfortably fit them.

Paul told Timothy to be relentless in the proclamation of the Word during the last days and warned of those who would construct a a designer spirituality which builds their own theology around their passions and preferences instead of the Word of God.

For those who are not sure of what they are, there is a website (Beliefnet.com) where you can answer questions on your beliefs and find out which religion you are or are closest to.

But a designer Jesus will never disturb us, never judge us and never cut deep enough in transforming love to redeem us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a designer Jesus who meets my preferences and interests. I want to know the real, living Christ healing and leading me.

I don’t want a savior who emulates me and my preferences, but rather one who says I am to deny myself, take up the cross and follow Him. If I want to know who and what I am spiritually, there is but one source, the Bible, the Holy Word of God.

Question: Who in your circle can you talk to about Christianity and the difference Christ has made in your life?

Much of the world around us today interprets Christianity with insanity. This is especially true in academic communities. The truth is that as Christians, we are not touched in the head, but in the heart.

When a person gives their heart to Jesus, people should notice a difference on the outside just as we have experienced a difference on the inside. I cannot come to Jesus and not change, because it will alter my lifestyle. I am not ready to live until I am ready to die and I am not ready to die until I know Jesus. One goes from hurting to helping people.

When one gets saved, they become a called person to serve the world and a committed person, committed to the story of the life and death of Jesus. Once saved people should not try to limit the power of Jesus, though the world will tell them to do so. We need to quit playing it safe and step out for Jesus without shame or reservation and when we do that, people will notice.

But sadly, people say no to Jesus because they want to keep enjoying their sin or they don’t want scorn from others. They don’t want to sacrifice or perhaps they are satisfied with their own sufficiency or perhaps they think that accepting Jesus will deny them all the things they think bring happiness into their lives.

Lasting and true happiness can be developed only through obedience to God’s Word, by accepting Jesus’ Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour.

Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you have an intimate relationship with Him, you will enjoy true happiness. Religion does not produce true happiness; but relationship with the Savior does. Only the principles and absolutes from the bible will bring us lasting happiness, joy and satisfaction.

You can rest your hope in Christ, and find your assurance in Jesus because of who He is, and what He has done. It is on this foundation that a happy life will flow continually, even through the most difficult trials in life and when you experience this transformation in your soul on the inside, people are bound to notice a difference on the outside as you become a new creation both inwardly and outwardly.

Question: Are you living out your faith in such a way that people are noticing a difference?

Join the conversation with the following discussion questions:

I saw Ali standing on the far side of the crowd: he looked as though he was just stopping for a moment but, before long, I noticed that he was studying the drama intently. I walked over to him and asked him how he was doing and offered to answer any questions that he might have about the dramas. Right away, he started telling me how Allah was the only true god and that Jesus did not die, and how he believed that Christians are all liars trying to bring people away from the truth. He was so aggressive as he was talking to me about his faith that I was unsure how to continue talking to him. I listened carefully, allowing him to share his opinions and beliefs with me. Before long, he calmed down enough that I could tell him that I am not a member of the religion he described and labelled “Christianity.” As I said this, he immediately turned to me and I was able to continue.

I told him that I do not believe in a distant God that judges and condemns. I believe in a God of love, mercy, relationship and compassion. I believe in a God that loves people even when they turn their backs on Him. I believe in a God who I can know personally- one that I can talk to at any point during the day using my own words. I believe in a God that cares about my daily struggles and will speak to me whenever I take the time to listen.

As I told this man about the God that I know, he began to soften his stance physically and intellectually. When I finished describing God, he told me, “That’s the God I want to know. I had no idea that there was a God like that.” We continued talking in a more relaxed way, comparing and contrasting Islam to Christianity in an open way. He was still unsure about the importance of Jesus and how He fits into God and Christianity, so I told him a story about a judge whose former best friend ended up in his court room and was found guilty for several crimes. The judge handed down the stiffest sentence possible then got up, took off his robe so that he was wearing civilian clothing, and paid the bail for his friend. I explained that Jesus did the same thing for us. He came to us in “civilian clothing” to pay for our wrongdoings and make us blameless before God.

The man’s eyes lit up and he told me that he understood. He said, “I’m not ready to become a Christian today, but I think that I will soon. I understand that you have told me the truth and that Islam cannot also be the truth so, from this moment on, I am not a follower of Allah or Mohammad.” I was amazed! God is clearly working in this man’s heart. I’m waiting to see if he will email me so that we can continue this conversation, but in the meantime, I’m praying that a friend will come into Ali’s life and show him just how incredible a relationship with Jesus can be. This night on the streets reminded me that God can bring incredible change in someone’s life through just one conversation.

This is Cameo’s first year in DRIME. Please keep her and the other DRIME Vancouver members in your prayers as they continue to speak to people of many different religions on the streets.

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

“’You acted foolishly,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command’” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

Reflecting on the past two years, I find it so hard to believe that God would chose me to lead such an extraordinary group of women at our church. I was lost in the world, relying on false truths, and struggled to find my identity. I was seeking God, trying to make new friends, trying to get this “God-thing” figured out.  I certainly would not have chosen me to lead this group. But 1 Samuel tells me what I missed! “The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people!”

I know that the only reason this ministry worked was because I relied on Him and followed His lead. I prayed, and as a self-proclaimed kindergartner of Christianity, I was left with one choice: to seek after God’s own heart. I did what I had to do!

We have gone from having two people at a Bible Study to having 18. That’s a 900% increase! That’s God. He’s a true miracle worker.

As I grow more confident in my skills and abilities, I become less reliant on God’s capabilities.
God points this out to me over and over again. I desire to fulfill His purpose for my life, and not my own. I yearn for more of Him and less of me. It takes a conscious effort, an awareness, and much prayer. I pray that my work is not done in vain and my motive for having a ministry that thrives on changed lives remains pure and about Him.

As you become confident, are you forgetting God? Are you becoming proud? Be careful! In the midst of growth, change, and excitement it becomes easy to forget the One who brought you to this place.

Heavenly Father,
Help me to remain humble! Thank you for the work you are doing in my ministry and in my life. Instill in me a deep desire to be obedient and honor you in ALL I do! And Lord, help me to be a leader after your own heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Questions: How can we remain humble and reliant on God’s capabilities? As you become confident in what you do, are you forgetting God?

I remember one of the first times I went to Robson Street with DRIME Vancouver. It was in late August 2011. It was a warm evening with lots of people enjoying perhaps one of the last summer evenings downtown. Because I was new and just coming to ‘feel things out,’ I didn’t perform in any of the DRIME dramas. I was there just to mingle with the passers-by and to observe God work through our team. The beginning of the evening was totally nerve-wracking. It’s hard to muster up enough courage to start what feels like random conversations with random strangers. I really wanted to make the most of this opportunity, so I started a few conversations with people who had stopped to watch the dramas.

After I chatted with a couple people and started to get the hang of things God brought my attention to a particular young man. As I began to talk with Isaac, I found out that he was a 21 year-old student from Saudi Arabia studying English in Vancouver. He was brought up Muslim and tried to stay true to his Islamic practices as much as he remembered during his stay in Vancouver. He was really interested in the dramas because he had never seen anything like it before. I explained to him that we were a Christian group of students and guided him to figure out what the dramas were actually about. He seemed to believe that Islam and Christianity were “basically the same thing,” which was a great chance to take the conversation even further.

We had a fantastic conversation about God’s grace and how in Christianity it’s not what we do that saves us but what Christ did for us. This concept was hard for him grasp. We ended up talking for a long time. It was fantastic because it was just a conversation of curiosity. I would ask him about his religion and then he would ask me about mine. After a while, he told me that he had to go but he really wanted to get together again to continue talking, so we exchanged contact information. He told me that he will hopefully be coming out to the streets again. What was so cool was that a couple of days before I had gone to a Bible study where we talked about the differences between Christianity and other World Religions, including Islam. It was so God-planned that I even knew anything about what Isaac believed, which helped me and gave me confidence in my conversation with him. God is so good, and I am so grateful that he prepared me in advance for this conversation. I look forward to continue talking with Issac, and am praying that one day he will come to a greater understanding of the God who loves him.

Daniel is currently serving as a member on the Vancouver ministry team. This is his first year in DRIME.

Take the next step:
How does the Bible fit into what we crave in life?
Would you like to dig deeper into the Bible? Try our study on John 6.

Back to the Fact, Fiction or Fallacy index page

Please open your Bible and read Isaiah 1:10-20.

How do people know that you are a Christian? Is it because they know that you go to church on Sunday, go to Bible studies, and go on retreats? Is it because you spend most of your time with other believers and avoid tempting environments? Is it because you don’t drink, smoke, or wear immodest clothing?

As Christians, sometimes we are so concerned with pleasing God and appearing holy that we forget God loved us first, in our brokenness. God loves us deeply as we are and desires for us to love Him in gratitude. God wants us to share this love with others.

In Isaiah chapter 1 we see the Israelites doing all of the sacrifices that their religion requires, without a repentant and open heart. They are mindlessly following a cultural tradition. They have forgotten God loved them first and are instead completely concerned with what they thought an obedient follower of God should be doing.

God responds to the Israelites’ “sacrifices” with hate and refuses to look and listen to them (Isaiah 1:14-16.)

God does not ask us to become Christians of our own accord. He offers a flowing, ceaseless river of life that can cleanse us of our worldly habits and teach us how to live in Christ (Isaiah 1:18.) This can only happen when we admit our dependence on God and his Holy Spirit.

God begs us to let Him wash us clean of our faithlessness and, “Learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the orphan, and fight for the rights of widows.” (Isaiah 1:17, NLT)

May the living water of our faith attract thirsty souls to the cleansing water of Jesus Christ. Pray that those with a thirst for God see our actions not as cultural tradition but as true life.

Question: What are some of the misconceptions about Christianity that hinder people from accepting its life-giving power?

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