The Gospel has taken a pounding in recent years from those rightly indignant at the excesses and abuses of some Christian leaders over past decades. Decline, though, just means a bigger mission field and a larger target to hit with a message needed more than ever before.
We can remind ourselves this Easter, too, that flawed messengers don’t invalidate the message.
Faith is attested by archaeological proof of the Bible, by prophecies fulfilled in Christ hundreds of years after being written and circulated, by the positive observations of hostile witnesses in the first century, by the willing deaths of early Christians, and by the transformed lives of many today. Christianity cannot be verified beyond all doubt, but it can be verified beyond reasonable doubt.
This Easter, Christians Australia-wide have an opportunity to live out their faith with pride. Maybe fewer people are Christians today than ever before, but a great many are Christians still. This Winter, the number of monthly churchgoers will still well exceed the attendances at AFL, NRL, A League, and Super Rugby games combined. This reminds us we can still confidently honour Jesus.
After all, people are still coming to faith, worshipping weekly, and proving themselves inquisitive. Recent research shows that four in ten are open to spiritual conversations, a number rising to 50% for younger Australians, and 38% of Aussies are open to being invited to church, 73% by a close contact!
When society rejects religion in the workplace, Christians still connect outside of hours and continue to pray for their colleagues more fervently. When sceptics laugh at the notion of a miraculous Creator, Christians offer a living God more plausible than a causeless universe. When people intimidate with caustic questions or disparaging remarks, Christians respond with dignity and love.
This Easter, we once again proclaim Jesus who is alive. He died to repair our broken relationship with God by taking the punishment for sin (no matter how small) upon himself. His resurrection broke sin’s hold and triumphed over death. Through this, we come back to God, and he grants us access to eternal life. That brings hope, healing, restoration, and grace. More people need him than ever before, so the messsage is therefore also needed more than ever before. Jesus has not been tried and found wanting, even if forms of religion or some of its representatives have been.
Surely, the Good News about Christ is worth celebrating this Easter, but it is also worth proclaiming with conviction and passion by those who have already embraced it and therefore know of its transforming power.
RobNyhuis.com 
Thanks Ps Rob for this timeless wisdom
I attended South Eastern Christian Centre (now Reveal) in the early 90’s. I remember when Frank Houston was guest speaker. As you know he later turned out to be a homosexual pedophile. I always wondered why, if The Holy Spirit was truly causing people to speak in tongues and allowing others to translate it, why didn’t God tell us of his true nature? Why were you selling us a pedophile as God’s spokesman, prophet and miracle worker? Because the pentecostal church doesn’t really worship God but Satan is the answer. Being ‘slain in the spirit’, talking gibberish and performing fake miracles are not from God and neither are you.
Thanks Sky. Frank’s visit was well before my time and also before anyone knew of his crimes, but no-one wishes to defend his appalling actions, and he would surely not have been invited if there was any awareness of such wrongdoing. I’d be happy to follow up any negative incident you may be aware of from back then, even though I am no longer there. Unfortunately, no-one can ensure the perfect operation of spiritual gifts or direct God as to what he should reveal about any of us. Similarly, I might sometimes pray for people who are then healed or positively impacted in some way, but that certainly isn’t always the case and I can’t promise it will be. Where God is truly at work in a church, even in a Pentecostal one, genuine leaders will serve so as to help people while maintaining humility and love. There is no place for self-serving, egotistical, or abusive people in the leadership of any church. People matter too much.
Thanks Rob, it’s just a bit of an upsetting and confusing memory. I recently watched the Youtube video Hellsong and it bought memories of his visit back.