The Measure of Faith

God has given us the resources in order to facilitate and promote spiritual growth.  We have a relationship with Christ, and we have the truth of His Word and the power of the Spirit.  In John 15, Jesus teaches:

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

And, Jesus desires for us to strive, in His strength, to maximize our fruitfulness, saying, in verse 8:
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

I believe God wants us to develop the mindset of being great fruit-bearers for the Kingdom.  He doesn't teach that we should do just enough to get by, to barely get into the Kingdom and then rest on our laurels.  He wants us to to draw closer to Him, to grow, and to bring Him glory.  We have the potential for actions to more closely resemble those of Jesus Himself.   It all begins through our relationship with Christ, and then learning to abide in Him.

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One of my favorite parables is the parable of the sower, which we find in Mark 4 - in it, Jesus talks about the planting of the seed, which He teaches is God's Word.  There are four types of soil - the seed by the wayside, the stony ground, the thorny, and the good.  He said:
15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

In the U.S., religious practice is still strong, even though there have been changes over time; that's based on new Gallup information of ongoing research, summarized on its website.

79% of those surveyed say they identify with a religion, with 21% indicating they either did not have a formal religious identity or did not respond.  Almost 49% of those identifying with a religion were Protestant, with another 23% Catholic.  The summary indicates there has been a 6-point swing in the data since 2008, with so-called "nones" up 6%.  Those identifying as Christians are down 6% during that time frame.

That 21% figure for lack of religious identity is certainly up from the late 1940's and 50's, when only 2 to 3 percent claimed no religious affiliation.

Also, 56% of those surveyed claim church membership, with only 36% self-reporting that they attended church within the week prior to the survey.

Still, over half of Americans - 53% - say religion is important in their lives.  This is down from 70% in 1965, but figures have hovered in the 50's and lower 60's, with regard to percentage, for roughly the past four decades.

72% of Americans surveyed perceive, though, that religion is losing its influence in society.

Regarding the connection between religion and political affiliation, 51% of Republicans are self-described as "highly religious," compared to 33% of independents and 33% of Democrats.  20% of Republicans are not religious, in contrast with 37% of independents and 37% of Democrats.

The "Bottom Line," according to the summary, is this:

Gallup data in 2016 show a leveling off in downward trends in church attendance, the importance of religion and the perception that religion is losing influence in society. This may be a short-term phenomenon or an indication of a more lasting pattern. Demographics in a broad sense could predict an uptick in religiosity if the same historical patterns continue to hold. Large numbers of baby boomers and millennials are entering the age ranges in which religiosity has traditionally been higher. But these patterns may change, and it will take years of data collection to determine if formal religiosity will continue to decrease or level off.

My bottom line?  Well, here are a few thoughts for you to consider:

Just over half of respondents say religion is important in their lives, but about four-fifths identify with a religion.  So, there is a clear indication that people claim a religious faith, but don't necessarily practice it - witness the just over one-third of people overall who actually go to church.  That's an over 40-point difference.   We have to make sure that if we claim the name of Jesus that we are actually devoted to living like He would prescribe.

I am encouraged, though, by the number of religious people indicated by this Gallup research.  It shows that the seeds of faith have been planted; but...I fear that the seeds have been corrupted, as well, because people, in the name of a particular faith, hold to beliefs that actually contradict the teachings of Scripture.  We can be challenged to back up our positions on attitudes and actions with God's Word.

I think of that parable of the sower and how the principles of Scripture can be planted in a person's heart, but there are factors that contribute to the seed not growing.  We have to nurture the seed - the Word, to practice our deeply-held faith principles, and to certify that we are making choices that contribute to the seed bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.