REVELATION
CHAPTER 3:14-22, “Letter To
By
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
In our last
study, we looked at Jesus’ letter
written to the church in
1.1.1. We saw that this church most
likely represents the missionary-minded church from about the 1730’s until
about 1900, or so
1.1.2. Like the persecuted church
in
1.1.3. We saw that this was a
church that was in a period of revival for Jesus had opened a door for ministry
for them which no one could close
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at the last of the seven letters
to the churches dictated by Jesus to the apostle John, that to the church in
1.2.1.
1.2.2.
1.2.3. Jesus appeals to individuals
to be genuinely converted, but does not appeal to the church directly
2.
VS 3:14 - “14 “And to the angel of the church in
2.1.
The city of
2.2.
This church is symbolic historically of the church from around 1900 until
the present. It is an apostate church which shall have its lampstand removed by Christ
and left behind when He comes to rapture His church up in the clouds to
be with Him.
2.3.
The word ‘Laodicea’ is a combination of two words “rule”
and “people”, which would seem to come together to mean “rule of the
people.” The fingerprint of the Holy Spirit then is
seen in this name because what
characterizes this church in Laodicea is that Christ was not heading the
church, in fact we see Him knocking outside wanting to be let in, but
rather the people themselves are having their way in the church and it is truly an apostate church which is
really being given its final ultimatum by Christ in this epistle. This
typifies many churches in our day:
2.3.1. I know of many churches
today who, for instance, do not pray before their leadership meetings
or committee meetings. They do this
because they are the ones who are leading the church, not the Lord Jesus whom
scripture calls the head of the body of Christ.
Their various meetings then consist of each of the people expressing
their own personal opinions about what they would like to see the church do.
2.3.2. I know of churches that have
let people, even those in the highest leadership, continue to serve and
fellowship even though there were many gross sins and attitudes that the person
was opening allowing in his life.
2.3.3. For many churches what God’s
word says about matters is irrelevant.
2.4.
The city of
2.5.
Likewise, it appears
that the church doubted the authority
of God’s Word and as its neighbor the church at Collosae, it had looked to and
depended upon the philosophies of man (Col. 2:8).
2.5.1. There are many churches today who are looking to
secular philosophies for wisdom in running the church, including those
from: psychology, business marketing
techniques, etc.
2.6.
Since the church was full of itself and of the world, it had no room nor
desire for the Lord. This church is condemned by Christ as being “lukewarm”.
2.7.
There are two
churches to whom nothing good is stated
by Christ,
2.8.
It appears from Col. 4:15-17 that Archippus was the pastor of the church at
2.9.
As with the
previous church, what Christ reveals
about Himself at the beginning of the epistle is not represented by John’s
vision of Christ in chapter 1:
2.9.1. He is the Amen.
2.9.1.1.Whatever He says, He is going
to do.
Christ is the One who is declaring what shall come to pass as if to say,
“so be it,” or, “Amen”.
2.9.1.2.These words of judgment that Christ gives to this church should be taken with the utmost solemnity,
for they shall come to pass.
2.9.2. He is the Faithful and True Witness.
2.9.2.1.Christ Himself has and will
always be faithful as a genuine witness of the things of God.
2.9.2.2.Jesus has told us nothing
but the truth, and every word of what He has said shall come to
pass just as He has said.
2.9.2.3.Jesus does know their works,
that they are lukewarm, and His judgment
is right and true, therefore His Word concerning them shall come to pass.
2.9.3. He is the Beginning of the Creation of God.
2.9.3.1.It is not that Christ is a
creation Himself, rather that He Himself existed before all creation, and in
fact He Himself is the creator of all things
(see John 1:3; Col. 1:16).
2.9.3.2.The ability to create cannot
be delegated by God to any creature,
therefore Christ must Himself be God the Son, the second person of the
Trinity.
2.9.3.3.The One who is giving the
church at
3.
VS 3:15-16 - “15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor
hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and
neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” - Jesus tells the Laodicean church that He
knows their deeds and that they are lukewarm towards the Lord
3.1.
Christ tells the
church that because of His omniscience,
He knows their ‘deeds’.
3.2.
Christ says that
He knows that in their zeal for Him
that they are ‘neither cold nor hot’, but rather ‘lukewarm’.
3.2.1. Christ would actually prefer
that a person be either ‘cold’ or ‘hot’ rather than to be in this ‘lukewarm’ state,
for He promises to ‘spit’ out of His mouth ‘lukewarm’
believers.
3.2.2. If a person is ‘cold’
spiritually and not claiming any
commitment or faith in Christ, then he
will be able, with God’s help, to open his blind eyes so that He can see his
real condition. However, the person who is ‘lukewarm’
has just enough of the real thing not to see or desire anything further.
3.2.3. For a person who is ‘lukewarm’ towards the
Lord, it is as if he has been given a vaccination against the real thing, he has just enough religion to keep him from
falling all the way into the world, and just enough of the world to keep him
from commitment and service to Christ.
3.2.4. To be ‘lukewarm’ for Christ means to be sitting
on the fence with one foot in heaven
and the other in the world.
3.3.
The Greek word ‘zestos’ used in this verse for ‘hot’ means
“fervent” or “boiling”. It is the case, that people tend to like to drink hot drinks or cold drinks, however
there do not appear to be any lukewarm drinks which people tend to like to
drink yet is lukewarm. A drink that should be hot is distasteful
when lukewarm as is one that was meant to be cold. Just
like a distasteful lukewarm drink, Christ says that what is most distasteful of
all is a ‘lukewarm’ Christian.
3.4.
ILLUSTRATION: If you were to go to a doctor in order to have him
diagnose why you are presently very ill, and then he were to tell you that you
have a serious illness which kills a large number of people who contract it,
however then he lackadaisically tells you not to worry for he isn’t really too
concerned about diseases since after all everyone has to die sometime, you
would probably be very troubled, plus be angry at this doctor, wouldn’t
you? That is similar to the way that
some people who claim to be a Christian or have a relationship with God, but
are ‘lukewarm’, act in relation to Him and their walk and calling from
Him. This attitude of complacency which
is very common among those who call themselves Christians is very destructive
to the church and the work that Christ wants to do on the earth.
3.5.
Those who are ‘lukewarm’ in their zeal for Christ ought to examine
themselves as to whether or not they are really saved or not.
3.5.1. How could one who claims to be a believer and yet is ‘lukewarm’
really have genuine faith in Christ? If he really believed in the realities of a
heaven and a hell, how could he go mindlessly on his way?
3.5.2. How could a person claim to
have a genuine faith in Christ for salvation,
saying that he has trusted in Christ as his Lord and Savior, yet he does not commit his way to the Lord
but continues in his sin, doesn’t look daily to the Lord, doesn’t read his Bible, doesn’t pray about his decisions he
makes, and doesn’t seek to be obedient
to the truth in God’s Word?
3.5.2.1.It is kind of like
the illustration of the man who
is told that his house is on fire, yet he goes home and goes to sleep in his bed. If he really believed what he says he
professes, then would he not try as hard as he could to escape the flames in
his house?
3.6.
If we who claim to be Christians are not really too concerned with God or
the church, and we are satisfied to have just a nominal commitment there, we
ourselves are in danger of having Christ spew us out of His mouth!
4.
VS 3:17 - “17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become
wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched
and miserable and poor and blind and naked,” - Jesus says
that the church in Laodicea thinks of themselves as being rich, wealthy, and in
need of nothing, yet that is not how they are at all
4.1.
The “lukewarm” person is also a person who is blinded and does not
see themselves as they actually are.
4.1.1. They often
think that they are OK and that the fact that they have had a salvation experience
alone shall be enough to get them into heaven.
They become so full of the world
that they become content with living for the lusts of the flesh.
4.1.2. Christ says that this church
thinks that they are ‘rich’ and that they have become ‘wealthy’ (I previously mentioned the affluence in the city),
and that they are in ‘need of nothing’, however if they were to see things from God’s perspective, they would see that
they are blind to the fact that they are ‘wretched and miserable and poor
and blind and naked’.
Spiritually speaking they are
absolutely bankrupt. When it
comes to the things that are eternal and of real value, they have absolutely
nothing.
4.2.
There are many churches and supposed Christians in this same ‘lukewarm’
state in our day. They exist
in external form only.
4.2.1. The liberal
churches in our day do not
believe in any of the fundamental Christian doctrines concerning how
someone may come to Christ for salvation, and yet they still call themselves a Christian church.
4.2.2. Many churches in our day do
not stand up for the truth of the word of God, or preach a saving gospel, and they do not accomplish anything apart from
worldly or social causes.
4.2.3. The “Ecumenical Movement”
in our day is a fulfillment of these words.
4.2.3.1.In this movement, the truth of the essential doctrines of the word of God
essential for a person to believe to be saved are set aside for the sake
of unity.
4.2.3.2.When I pastured in
4.2.3.3.In cities all across the
nation, clergy associations have members who are cult leaders, occult
representatives, confessed witches, pagan representatives, etc. These groups meet together, pray together,
and the emphasis for unity is upon
tolerance and not judging others instead of taking a stand upon the truth.
4.2.3.3.1.True unity in Christ has be
to be based around the essential truths necessary for a person to believe in
order to be saved by Christ. We can agree to disagree about the rest and still work
together and side by side as Christians in unity.
4.2.4. The “seeker friendly”
church movement is an example of this I believe also.
4.2.4.1.In these churches, the
emphasis is upon getting as many people in the door as you can and growing the church as large as it can be. To do
this, of course you use the most
successful marketing techniques to promote the church, you have to be very careful to preach a very
short and watered down message loosely based upon the scriptures, not mention threatening words like sin or
repentence, coin the terms of
the faith using words that people already accept and believe such as from the
field of psychology (talk about having good self-esteem instead of
repenting of your sin and being accepted by God through the blood of Christ,
for instance), and have as your goal to
be to have everyone feel good and like they have had a genuine religious
experience when they leave.
4.2.5. Churches of this type can
also consist of those who exist to champion such causes as environmentalism,
homosexual rights, feminism, various political causes, etc.
4.2.5.1.Consisting primarily of those who do not have a
genuine personal relationship with Christ, these groups will merge the church
with other causes than that which the Lord has called her to, and the result is
always that which does not please the Lord.
4.2.6. Many in the church today are
looking for a huge revival before the Lord returns, but the New Testament
reveals that an apostasy, much like that described of the church in
4.2.6.1.2 Thess. 2:1-3, “1 Now we
request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
our gathering together to Him,2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your
composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from
us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.3 Let no one in any way
deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man
of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.”
4.2.6.2.1 Tim. 4:1-5, “1 But the
Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith,
paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,2 by means of the
hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,3 men
who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created
to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.4 For
everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is
received with gratitude;5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and
prayer.”
4.2.6.3.2 Tim. 3:1-3, “1 But
realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.2 For men will be
lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to
parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips,
without self-control, brutal, haters of good.”
4.2.6.4.2 Tim. 4:3-4, “3 For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have
their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance
to their own desires;4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will
turn aside to myths.”
4.3.
The Laodicean church era lost the motivational forces of the
Philadelphian church of the resurgence of
the teaching concerning the imminent
return of Christ, premillennial
eschatology, and missionary
outreach (to be always reaching out with the gospel to win the lost to
Christ).
4.3.1. Those in these churches don’t realize that until a
person is genuinely converted his life is truly not going to change, no matter
what social programs are implemented.
4.4.
We Christians need to realize what a sad thing it is when we allow our
pride to blind us to reality.
4.4.1. A man’s pride makes him think that he is rich and
wealthy and doing well, when in fact he is a “miserable wretch” in God’s
sight.
4.4.2. A man’s pride can make him think that he is so right
before God that He is actually sitting on the throne with Christ as king and
judge, when in actuality he is spiritually poor, blind, and naked.
4.4.3. Oh, how we ought to see what a horrible foe of our
very soul and life our pride is! How we
ought to loathe our pride. How we ought
to vow to never let it pop up its ugly head.
5.
VS 3:18 - “18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire,
that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and
that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint
your eyes, that you may see.” - Jesus advises and admonishes
the church to buy from Him gold refined by fire, white garments, and eye salve
to anoint her eyes
5.1.
Christ gives
His advice to the church at
5.2.
The works that will receive a reward according to 1 Cor. 3 are those which are described as “silver” and “gold”. However, the works which will be burnt up on
the day of judgment are described as “wood, hay and stubble”.
5.3.
Not only are
works which are acceptable to God described as being ‘gold,’ but in the scriptures ‘gold’ is also
descriptive of the holiness of God.
This would then indicate that Christ is encouraging the Laodiceans to
commit their lives to living in holiness to the Lord.
5.4.
However, here Christ says that it is more than just ‘gold’ which He advises the Laodiceans to buy from Him, but it is high quality and very valuable gold
that has had its impurities burned out of it by fire. These kind of works and holiness before God
will make a person become ‘rich’ with the real wealth that will last for
eternity.
5.5.
Likewise, Christ advises the Laodiceans to buy from Him ‘white
garments’ which are symbolic of purity. Christ tells them that they ought to clothe themselves with these ‘white
garments’, which means that they ought to be clothed with “purity” and holiness in order to cover their nakedness.
5.5.1. The righteousness of Christ
is imputed to the person who comes to
faith Christ, and thus they are clothed and covered with Christ’s
righteousness.
5.6.
The city of
6.
VS 3:19 - “19 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be
zealous therefore, and repent.” - Jesus tells the Laodiceans that
those whom He loves He will reprove and discipline, and then He admonishes them
to repent
6.1.
Even to this church which is apostate, Christ
tells them that it is because of His love for them that He has given them this
‘discipline’ of reproof.
6.2.
Jesus tells the Laodiceans not to continue to be “lukewarm”, but
instead to become ‘zealous’ in their love and commitment to Him, and to
‘repent’ of their sins.
6.2.1. The people of this church needed to commit themselves totally to His lordship, surrendering
all that they have to Him. Up until now they have been living and going about in the
church actually as if there were no God at all. Claiming to have a relationship with Christ,
they have been doing all the things
that the world does in their life.
7.
VS 3:20 - “20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with
him, and he with Me.” - Jesus tells the people within
the Laodicean church that He is standing at the door of their life knocking to
be let in
7.1.
It is a tragic reality that Christ finds Himself now outside of this
church knocking trying to be let in.
7.2.
This is really an appeal to individuals in the church to let Him come
into their heart though since the church as a whole is without
hope. Jesus says that, ‘if anyone’ will but open that ‘door’, He will ‘come in to him’
and they will fellowship together as when dining over a meal.
7.3.
He will not force Himself upon any person, for He is a gentleman and will only come in to a life when
asked. A person has to open that door to
the Lord, He will not break it down and force His way in. In other words, there is only a door knob on one side of this door!
7.4.
For those who do not know Christ, this is a picture that they ought to
see. Christ is outside of their life,
knocking and wanting to get in, however
they must take the step of asking Him to come in. So many people have some sort of a faith in
God, however they have not asked Christ to come in to their lives and be their
personal Lord and Savior. He is outside
each non-Christian’s life knocking and just waiting to be let in.
7.5.
We in the church need to also be conscious that we also must ask the Lord
to come and walk among us and lead us, and be the object of our worship. He will not
force His way upon us either, we must surrender to Him and ask Him to come and
to be with us.
8.
VS 3:21 - “21 ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down
with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His
throne.” - Jesus makes the promise to the overcomer that
he will sit down with Him on His throne
8.1.
The promise in this verse is applicable to all believers in Christ. If you will be an overcomer, not
falling to living in the ways of the world and the devil, but rather faithfully live for and follow Him, that He
will ‘grant’ that you will ‘sit down’ with Him upon His throne,
just as He was an overcomer and now sits upon His Father’s throne.
8.2.
Christ is not
sitting on His own throne now, He is
sitting on His Father’s throne. The promise for the overcomer then is to sit
with Christ upon His throne which He is to receive, ruling and reigning over
the nations with Him in His millennial kingdom.
9.
VS 3:22 - “22 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.’”” - Jesus calls out to all who have an ear to
hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches
9.1.
For the last
time, each Christian is told to ‘hear what the Spirit says to the churches’,
for the message to each individual and
each church is a message to all.
9.2.
Here is an
overview of what we can learn from the seven messages to the seven churches:
9.3.
9.3.1. We must never
lose that zealous espousal type of first love toward Christ.
9.4.
9.4.1. We must not be
fearful of the fiery persecution and trials which might come our way.
9.5.
9.5.1. We must not be
one who compromises with this world and allow false teachers to go unchecked in
the church.
9.6.
Thyatira.
9.6.1. We must not
let idolatry exist among us and compromise the truth with paganism, but we must
stick with the simple truths in Christ.
9.7.
9.7.1. We cannot let
mere dead external religion devoid of life and the Holy Spirit, though
orthodox, be what we are content with.
9.8.
9.8.1. We can be in tune with the
Lord walking obediently, and then He will place before us an open door of
effective ministry.
9.9.
9.9.1. We must never
be content to be lukewarm in our zeal for the Lord, but we must be fervent in
our zeal for Him.
9.10. In review:
9.10.1.Each of the churches existed in the apostle John’s day
with the problems and circumstances described in the letters.
9.10.2.Likewise, each of the churches was a representative
church, that is, they contained problems and situations that churches from all
eras can have, and thus we Christians from all eras need to learn from each of
the letters.
9.10.3.Plus, the churches seem to also represent specific
eras in church history, beginning in the apostolic era until the time of
Christ’s Second Coming.
9.10.3.1.The last three or four of the churches exist in some
form in our world today and will continue until the time of Christ’s
return.
9.11. To view the graphic showing the contents of all of the letters to the
churches in their proper historical perspective, click
here and remain patient as the graphic is large and requires a some time to
load.
10.
A recent
study by Barna shows the tragic decline in the church in the past ten
years:
Filed under: Big Foot Is Real — Okie Preacher
@ 8:55 am
December 13, 2010
Change usually happens slowly in
the Church. But a review of the past year’s research conducted by the Barna
Group provides a time-lapse portrayal of how the religious environment in the
Analyzing insights drawn from more
than 5,000 non-proprietary interviews conducted over the past 11 months, George
Barna indicated that the following patterns were evident in the survey
findings.
1. The Christian Church
is becoming less theologically literate.
What used to be basic,
universally-known truths about Christianity are now unknown mysteries to a
large and growing share of Americans–especially young adults. For instance,
Barna Group studies in 2010 showed that while most people regard Easter as a
religious holiday, only a minority of adults associate Easter with the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Other examples include the finding that few
adults believe that their faith is meant to be the focal point of their life or
to be integrated into every aspect of their existence. Further, a growing
majority believe the Holy Spirit is a symbol of God’s presence or power, but
not a living entity. As the two younger generations (Busters and Mosaics)
ascend to numerical and positional supremacy in churches across the nation, the
data suggest that biblical literacy is likely to decline significantly. The
theological free-for-all that is encroaching in Protestant churches nationwide
suggests the coming decade will be a time of unparalleled theological diversity
and inconsistency.
2. Christians are
becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
Despite technological
advances that make communications instant and far-reaching, Christians are
becoming more spiritually isolated from non-Christians than was true a decade
ago. Examples of this tendency include the fact that less than one-third of
born again Christians planned to invite anyone to join them at a church event
during the Easter season; teenagers are less inclined to discuss Christianity
with their friends than was true in the past; most of the people who become
Christians these days do so in response to a personal crisis or the fear of
death (particularly among older Americans); and most Americans are unimpressed
with the contributions Christians and churches have made to society over the past
few years. As young adults have children, the prospect of them seeking a
Christian church is diminishing–especially given the absence of faith talk in
their conversations with the people they most trust. With atheists becoming
more strategic in championing their godless worldview, as well as the increased
religious plurality driven by education and immigration, the increasing
reticence of Christians to engage in faith-oriented conversations assumes
heightened significance.
3. Growing numbers of
people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of
learning pragmatic solutions for life.
When asked what matters
most, teenagers prioritize education, career development, friendships, and
travel. Faith is significant to them, but it takes a back seat to life
accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to
achieve their dreams. Among adults the areas of growing importance are
lifestyle comfort, success, and personal achievements. Those dimensions have
risen at the expense of investment in both faith and family. The turbo-charged
pace of society leaves people with little time for reflection. The deeper
thinking that occurs typically relates to economic concerns or relational
pressures. Spiritual practices like contemplation, solitude, silence, and
simplicity are rare. (It is ironic that more than four out of five adults claim
to live a simple life.) Practical to a fault, Americans consider survival in
the present to be much more significant than eternal security and spiritual
possibilities. Because we continue to separate our spirituality from other
dimensions of life through compartmentalization, a relatively superficial
approach to faith has become a central means of optimizing our life experience.
4. Among Christians,
interest in participating in community action is escalating.
Largely driven by the
passion and energy of young adults, Christians are more open to and more
involved in community service activities than has been true in the recent past.
While we remain more self-indulgent than self-sacrificing, the expanded focus
on justice and service has struck a chord with many. However, despite the
increased emphasis, churches run the risk of watching congregants’ engagement
wane unless they embrace a strong spiritual basis for such service. Simply
doing good works because it’s the socially esteemed choice of the moment will
not produce much staying power.
To facilitate service as a
long-term way of living and to provide people with the intrinsic joy of
blessing others, churches have a window of opportunity to support such action
with biblical perspective. And the more that churches and believers can be
recognized as people doing good deeds out of genuine love and compassion, the
more appealing the Christian life will be to those who are on the sidelines
watching. Showing that community action as a viable alternative to government
programs is another means of introducing the value of the Christian faith in
society.
5. The postmodern
insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.
Our biblical illiteracy
and lack of spiritual confidence has caused Americans to avoid making
discerning choices for fear of being labeled judgmental. The result is a Church
that has become tolerant of a vast array of morally and spiritually dubious
behaviors and philosophies. This increased leniency is made possible by the
very limited accountability that occurs within the body of Christ. There are
fewer and fewer issues that Christians believe churches should be dogmatic
about. The idea of love has been redefined to mean the absence of conflict and
confrontation, as if there are no moral absolutes that are worth fighting for.
That may not be surprising in a Church in which a minority believes there are
moral absolutes dictated by the scriptures.
The challenge today is for
Christian leaders to achieve the delicate balance between representing truth
and acting in love. The challenge for every Christian in the
6. The influence of
Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.
Christianity has arguably
added more value to American culture than any other religion, philosophy,
ideology or community. Yet, contemporary Americans are hard pressed to identify
any specific value added. Partly due to the nature of today’s media, they have
no problem identifying the faults of the churches and Christian people.
In a period of history where
image is reality, and life-changing decisions are made on the basis of such
images, the Christian Church is in desperate need of a more positive and
accessible image. The primary obstacle is not the substance of the principles
on which Christianity is based, and therefore the solution is not solely
providing an increase in preaching or public relations. The most influential
aspect of Christianity in
With the likelihood of an
accelerating pace of life and increasingly incomplete cues being given to the
population, Christian leaders would do well to revisit their criteria for
“success” and the measures used to assess it. In a society in which choice is
king, there are no absolutes, every individual is a free agent, we are taught
to be self-reliant and independent, and Christianity is no longer the
automatic, default faith of young adults, new ways of relating to Americans and
exposing the heart and soul of the Christian faith are required.
About the Research
This summary is based upon a series of national research studies conducted in
the Barna
Poll by the Barna Group throughout 2010. Each study was conducted via
telephone interviews with a random sample of adults selected from across the
continental
Mosaics are individuals born
between 1984 and 2002. Baby Busters are individuals born between 1965 and
1983.
Barna Group (which includes its
research division, the Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan,
for-profit organization that conducts primary research, produces media
resources pertaining to spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy
spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries.
Located in
