Great post, Kayla! I won't respond to people who really don't understand the numbers about missionaries. The US, for example, has 10 times the population of Canada. So all things being equal, if we sent out the equivalent number of missionaries, it would be 10 times less. (So no, we would never make the top 10, unless real revival hit, like the Moravian missionaries, who sent out 1 in 10 of all their people, if I remember correctly.) Of course, there was that 100 year, 24/7 prayer meeting they had - probably that influenced that tremendous missionary movement among such a small group of people. . . .
And then you missed my whole point to Organicbeast, who has been tooting the Canadian horn making statements implying that Canadians were WAY better than US Citizens; therefore my whole point was that CANADIANS have their problems and shortcomings too.
I recounted the top ten countries sending out missionaries, and all ten are listed in the article that I posted and Canada is not one of them. By posting that article, I was emphasizing to Organicbeast that even Canadian Christians are far from perfect, in fact they could not do better than the Country that came in 10th. Using your population percentages, you would have to admit that also means we have 10 times the trouble makers, 10 times the news Cameras and Reporters to blow the story out of proportion, and 10 times the hot spots ready to erupt in violence. No Canada certainly has their share of problems too:
[video=youtube;y8lB9ThlZLg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8lB9ThlZLg[/video]
So where lies the blame in both countries? My opinion, one of the main causes is watered down, meatless sermons, over the last six decades, which allowed liberalism to Creep into the Church, where a "love only" false gospel took over. Most Pastors are now either self deceived or just too scared of loosing members to teach what the Bible actually says about HELL, Respect for Authority, and GOD's will applied to lifestyles, to the point that Political Correctness supersedes teaching the WORD OF GOD. We are now reaping what we have not SOWN.
Verses like these are being taught in fewer and fewer Churches:
Matthew 13:47-50 (NKJV)
[SUP]47 [/SUP] "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,
[SUP]48 [/SUP] which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
[SUP]49 [/SUP] So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,
[SUP]50 [/SUP] and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 25:41-46 (ESV)
[SUP]41 [/SUP] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
[SUP]42 [/SUP] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
[SUP]43 [/SUP] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
[SUP]44 [/SUP] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
[SUP]45 [/SUP] Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
[SUP]46 [/SUP] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Romans 13:1-8 (RSV)
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1 [/SUP]
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
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2 [/SUP]
Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
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3 [/SUP] For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
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4 [/SUP] for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer.
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5 [/SUP] Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
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6 [/SUP] For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
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7 [/SUP] Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
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8 [/SUP] Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
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2 [/SUP] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
John 3:36 (ESV)
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36 [/SUP] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (HCSB)
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9 [/SUP] Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,
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10 [/SUP] no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (HCSB)
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9 [/SUP] Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,
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10 [/SUP] no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.
James 4:4 (ESV)
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4 [/SUP] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Now that is just the tip of iceberg of what most Churches of today refrain from teaching, in the interest of Political Correctness, maintaining a healthy Collection Plate, and becoming like the world to gain new members. Then we sit back and wonder why the younger generations are so rebellious against authority, and do not take the WORD of GOD seriously.
I am convinced we are reaping the product of what we have not been teaching.