Has Apathy Taken Root In Your Life?

The following is a synopsis of an article by the two writers.

Since 2005, Americans calling themselves "religious" dropped by almost 18 percent, while those claiming to be "atheist" rose from 1 percent to 5 percent. Why?  One commentator observed, "the young are leaving conservative churches because they disagree with traditional views on homosexuality." He even calls this event a "widespread falling away," pointing out that many leaving "organized Christianity" are choosing to remain "spiritual" but to do it on their own time and in their own location.

"If God expects nothing of you but to be nice and to be happy, why roll out of bed on Sunday morning, even for the most progressive of liturgies?" About 17 percent of Americans are of the "stay-at-home" persuasion. Among 18-29 year-olds the number is 30 percent! In recent years, conservative evangelicals have been labeled judgmental, anti-homosexual, hypocritical, and out of touch. Many believe church attendance will continue to decline unless churches "change" enough to stay popular.

God's people should never purposefully give offense (1 Corinthians 10:32). But Jesus Christ taught that His message and His Church would not be popular (Matthew 10:22; John 15:18). God expects His Church to teach the Truth regardless of its popularity. This Truth, when believed and practiced, will finally set humanity free (John 8:32). -BBC Magazine , August 21, 2012, Rod Dreher and David Ellis Dickerson

Apathy is not so much a physical issue, nor is it merely a symptom of boredom, as it is a problem within our spirit. It is a collapse of the will to vigorously press forward under the burdens of contrary forces and constant repetition of tasks until we either no longer care about activities or their outcomes, or we mechanically go through the motions in a state of sleepwalking where we perform the tasks necessary but are not really consciously involved as we ought to be. What can easily be a danger in the workplace has become a subtle poison in the work of the Lord and the life of the local Church.

Consider, if you will, the pastor who has conceded the vigor of the ministry for a state of apathy. He preaches a good textual sermon, but his heart is not in it. He has done all the homework, all the academic preparation, as he has always done before for many years, but his passion for the Word has grown stale and his empathy towards the people has become paternal and more distant than before.

Other duties and roles have encroached on his time sufficiently that preaching is no longer the priority or the pleasure it once was, and his own high standards for what he preaches have been surrendered for a pragmatism of lesser expectations. He demands less of himself as do his people.

This lapse in spirit is mirrored in the congregations that suffer the same malaise. There are those for whom attending church is only a duty to be performed. It matters less what songs are sung. It matters somewhat what the Pastor preaches, so long as he doesn’t preach too long or probe too deeply. They have reached a comfort level where attending Sunday morning is enough to ease the conscience but not so much as to disturb the heart.

Their fellowship with others tends more towards their social calendar than with any strangers who appear in the services. Their social network is growing more around interests shared outside of the church than those within. Apathy even touches those who have faithfully served in our churches over the years.

Much has been written about overcoming the problems of apathy, and there are several Scripture passages that relate to the problem and its symptoms. For example, we should recognize that attitudes, like a critical spirit, indulging in gossip or slander, becoming a divider of God’s people, are all soundly condemned in God’s Word; but do we realize that these are also some of the ways apathy can rear its ugly head in a local church? The focus of apathetic people is centered upon themselves. Their observations about what other people do, fail to do or might/might not be doing are all about how the words and actions of others affect them.

Apathy has no time for the tender heart of a selfless servant. Instead you will find a stony heart that is waiting to be served by others. They will gladly sit in impatient judgment of everyone but themselves. Such people can undermine the work of the Lord in any church because they have moved from being the problem-solvers and solution-finders to becoming part of the problem and expecting everyone else to find the solution. There is this myopic sense of having done so much for so long, presumably without receiving anything back in return, that it is now someone else’s problem.

The uncommitted are no longer just the strangers and visitors. They are a growing number of core people who have decided they’ve done enough. Sadly, people like this fail to realize how far they have slipped spiritually. They have lost sight of their Savior and the fact that their own purpose in life must center about Him and not themselves.

The battlefronts to overcome apathy are many, but they are not unknown. We can begin with a culture that is making its people ever more passive. The “cradle-to-grave” promises of government have cultivated this passive mindset now for many years. There is also the cult of laziness that has grown along with the passivity.

But these are still symptoms, effects, and not the real causes. Speaking of believers and our churches, apathy takes root where we are unwilling to grow spiritually. Being committed to a ministry, whether by our service, time, talent, resources has become passé despite the clear teaching of Scripture. The real root of this, however, is our regard for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures warn us against lukewarmness and press us to encourage one another in our faith and in the work of the Lord. God’s Word honestly notes the problems of physical and mental weariness that significantly contribute to apathy, and laziness is soundly condemned. But more than many of these weaknesses, the lapse of memory, especially about spiritual things, has brought many to a “care less” state of mind.

-Special thanks to Dr. Charles L. Dear 

Scripture: Revelation 3:16; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Revelation 3:2; Ephesians 6:10-12; Romans 12:11; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 4:20-25  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I not confuse my life with rebellion, but through thy guidance find peace. Help me through the perplexities that may keep me from the quietness of to-day. Keep me in sight of the great plan of life, that I may grow steadfastly toward thee. Amen.

May God bless you always,

Sunny