I don’t say this from the standpoint of condemnation, but rather from the standpoint of grief. The Gospel as presented in the New Testament is so full of power that it transforms the culture of countries as it transforms individual lives from the inside out.

But what is being presented from far too many pulpits is nothing more than inspirational blabbering. And all this blabbering is completely devoid of power.

The statistics easily back up what I am saying. Only four percent of Americans have a worldview that can be described as Biblical. In the younger generations it is far less.

Only about a third of Americans report going to church at least once a month. Prior to the COVID debacle it was twice this amount. But COVID showed many people how truly irrelevant and powerless their church life was.

Honestly, I don’t blame them in the least for rejecting the counterfeit that they had. It did absolutely nothing for them. But even though they rejected the counterfeit en masse, they haven’t found the genuine to replace it. Why? Because the genuine is so rare.

There are those who speculate that large numbers of people simply switched to attending church online, but the statistics don’t substantiate this. Only five percent of Americans report attending church in an online format regularly.

Watching a counterfeit online does not make it any more genuine. Or palatable to people who are starving to death but unable to find somewhere that serves more than junk food.

A person who has never witnessed a demonstration of the Spirit and of power has NEVER heard the true Gospel. Why? Because the true Gospel can never be powerless.

Most of what comes out of pulpits today is nothing more than persuasive words of human wisdom. And Paul is telling us here that such messages are all counterfeits!

Have any of you ever been the unlucky recipient of a counterfeit $20 bill? Usually it looks very close to the real thing. Until you take it to the bank. And then, you find out that it is worth absolutely nothing!

The messages that people are receiving from church pulpits that are merely persuasive words of human wisdom are worth absolutely nothing. They look and sound close to the real thing. But in reality, they can’t put them in their bank accounts with God. Rather than bringing them life, these messages are killing them.

How can you know for sure that it is a powerless counterfeit?

If you are never seeing a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, then you are not hearing the genuine Gospel!

If your church tells sick people to stay home instead of telling them to come and be healed, then you have never heard the genuine Gospel.

If your church helps you start planning for your funeral because of the doctor’s report that you just got, then you have never heard the genuine Gospel.

If your church encourages you to go see the doctor and get on some medication for your depression or anxiety, then you have never heard the real Gospel.

Power is the litmus test of the genuine article. And when there is no power, you should be running for the door.

The Good News of the Gospel is that the power of God is accessible to YOU and usable by YOU!

There is none of this silliness that says that this bad thing might be something that is sent from God in order to teach you something and get the glory from it. That’s counterfeit drivel!