Has the Christian community given up?

     Yes.  For the most part anyway.  No for some of the remnant.  The Christian community has come to the place where they seem to be placated by the "lesser of two evils" type mentality.  We are far from alone in this predicament.  People have been settling for less than for time eternal.  Whenever we settle for less, less is what we get.  Then we get used to the new "less than" and come to believe that this is the best we can get.  Until we settle for yet another "less than" move downward.  It's similar to the frog in a pot of cold water story.  The heat turned on warms up the frog but the frog doesn't know to get out of the water and is boiled alive without so much as a fight.  So here we are, the Christian church, being boiled in water and no one seems to be noticing that we are in danger of being killed off.  Call it what you will but don't deny it's not happening.  The legalization by our government of sin makes it almost impossible to swim against the current of public outcry.  Think not?  Think you stand firm on your faith and for the Gospel?  Why isn't your and my world changing? 
     It's been estimated that when the Israelites left Egypt they numbered 2.5 million.  That's a lot of people even in that day.  Many years later of disobedience, rebellion and denial of God they went into Babylonian captivity numbering 80,000.  The belief in God diminished to the point of bringing in other manmade gods to appease the people.  The leadership of the Israelites did this!  The people let them!  Yet, not much is different today.  Without a vision, the people perish.  That's what the Bible says.  Vision of what?  Well, we can talk about having a nice new shiny red bicycle all we want, show people pictures of it, even talk about how we love riding bicycles; but if we don't have the bicycle we are just pretending, self deceived, and a dreamer.  You can go to a church were the pastor, staff and members talk about God, show you the Bible (and even give you one for free), pray and worship but there is no presence of God there.  Having the trappings of being a Christian is way different than being a Christian. 
     Jesus refers to the true follower as "my little flock."  "Little", as in few.  Though many claim to know him, many are pretenders, opportunists and even anti-Christ.  It used to be a serious charge to label a pastor or any Christian a heretic.  A heretic was someone who preached something other than what the Bible taught.  Kind of like the prosperity gospel preachers of today.  Maybe like those who are so accommodating that no one really knows boundaries for behavior.  Why aren't the gifts of the Holy Spirit evidenced today in most of the churches and Christian communities of the world?  Because they are maybe part of the world instead of separated from the world.  It's more costly, in many minds, to be offensive to people than to be offensive to God.  So, the choices are made just which gods are going to be worshipped.  Robert Schuller preached in the Crystal Cathedral for many years.  He never once mentioned sin because, "people know that they sin.  We don't need to remind them."  Religious groups claiming to be conservative choose to obey man rather than God on a regular and ongoing basis. 
     Has the Christian community given up?  Have you "settled" for what is offered by man rather than demanding what has been offered by God?  Yes, so many of the Christian community have given up in order to please others, themselves and to hide behind the new "normal".  The Bible hasn't changed.  Mankind has.  The Bible is as true for today as it was when the Holy Spirit gave ink to the pens held by those who loved God. Mankind's version or interpretation of the Bible is far short of what was written.  The Old and New Testaments are full of the prophecies of the end times.  This "giving up" by the Christian community was prophesied by the prophets of old and new testaments alike.  That has not changed either.  Things will get worse and worse.  Things will only be better when Christians stand up for what is central...Jesus.  Nothing but Jesus.  Have you given up?  Do you settle for the status quo?  Do you believe there should be a higher standard?  The choice is always ours.  So are the ramifications.