How the church has become loveless
Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 — “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
Introduction
Beloved, Paul warned the early church that before the return of Christ, there would be a great falling away—a departure from truth, from love, and from the heart of the Gospel. Not a falling away from attendance, not a falling away from religious talk, but from Christ Himself—His compassion, His humility, His identification with the poor and brokenhearted.
And brothers and sisters, I believe we are witnessing that falling away in our own time.
Not because the pews are empty—but because our hearts are.
1. The Church Has Forgotten the Kingdom Message
When Jesus came, He preached not the kingdom of Rome, not the kingdom of Israel restored, but the Kingdom of God. He said in Luke 4:18:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind.”
The church that bears His name should echo His mission. Yet today, the message of Christ has been replaced by the rhetoric of nationalism and political pride.
The Kingdom of God has been traded for the kingdom of America.
We have pulpits echoing talking points instead of the Gospel—preachers defending policies instead of people.
And instead of being the light of the world, many have become the echo of the world’s political idols.
2. The Great Deception: Confusing Patriotism with Godliness
There is nothing wrong with loving one’s country, but when the cross becomes draped in the flag, something sacred is lost. The evangelical church has fallen for a subtle deception—that to be Christian is to be conservative, and that to question political power is to be unfaithful to God.
But Jesus never joined a political party.
He never said, “Blessed are the powerful.”
He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
When the church forgets that truth, it ceases to be the church and becomes a religious wing of political ideology.
Paul said in Philippians 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” Yet many have become more loyal to their nation’s rhetoric than to heaven’s righteousness.
3. The Poor Are Not Our Enemies
One of the clearest signs of this falling away is the hardness of heart toward the poor.
The same voices shouting “Jesus is Lord” often echo words that paint the needy as lazy, undeserving, or “a burden on taxpayers.”
But hear the words of the Lord in Proverbs 14:31:
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”
When did the church forget that Jesus Himself said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you did for Me”?
(Matthew 25:40)
How can we call ourselves pro-life if we despise the lives that are already here—hungry children, struggling mothers, homeless veterans, the working poor doing their best in a broken system?
Christ did not ask whether the hungry deserved food—He just said, “Feed them.”
He didn’t ask whether the sick had insurance—He healed them.
He didn’t ask whether the sinner had a clean record—He forgave them.
The church has fallen when it starts using political language to excuse what the Gospel commands us to do.
4. The True Test of the Church
Jesus said in John 13:35:
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Love—not slogans.
Compassion—not campaign promises.
Service—not speeches.
The test of our faith is not how we vote, but how we love.
Not how loudly we sing, but how deeply we serve.
The early church turned the world upside down without political influence, without tax breaks, without TV networks or social media campaigns. They had one thing: the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ.
We are called back to that power. Back to that compassion. Back to the simplicity of the Gospel that says,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
5. A Call to Repentance and Renewal
The falling away doesn’t have to be final.
There is still time to return—to repent of our idols and rediscover the Gospel of love and justice.
2 Chronicles 7:14 still calls to us:
“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
If the church will repent—not the world, not the politicians, but the church—then healing can begin.
If pastors will return to preaching Christ crucified instead of America glorified, revival can come again.
Conclusion
The falling away is real—but it’s not final.
Christ is still calling His people back to Himself.
Back to humility.
Back to compassion.
Back to truth.
The church must stop echoing the world’s division and start reflecting Christ’s love.
For the measure of our faith is not how well we argue politics, but how faithfully we follow the one who said:
“I was hungry and you gave Me food,
I was thirsty and you gave Me drink,
I was a stranger and you took Me in.”
May we not be found among those who fall away,
but among those who stand firm in love, truth, and mercy—
until the day our Lord returns.
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