Colton Dixon Is Challenging Culture With His Message

Colton Dixon, singer-songwriter and American Idol alum, takes on the sensitive subject of people taking offense at any number of things, and leaving the church because of it. A 2021 Gallup poll showed that membership in houses of worship dropped below 50% for the first time in the eight decade trend Gallup has tracked. This trend is led by younger folks, but it is not exclusive to that subset.

During a time when taking offense and being offended is almost a hobby for some, scripture is very clear that we, as Christians, are not to follow this trend; 1 Corinthians 13:15 “Love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not keep a record of wrongs.” Proverbs 19:11 “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook offense.” Proverbs 12:16 “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.” And that’s just a few scriptures that address this truth.

In this Worship Sound Bite, Dixon points out that often, people get offended by something in the church and leave instead of dealing with it. He suggests’s using that experience to grow in faith and character. It’s easy to quit, to leave a situation that is uncomfortable, or challenging; staying put, dealing with the situation using biblical wisdom and truth as a bulwark, creates an opportunity for growth and maturity.

Dixon references the infamous Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This trend in our culture is energized by the spiritual forces of evil; it serves the evil one’s purpose. We as Christians are required to rise, armed with God’s truth, and live a better way. 

Granted, this goes against the flow, and some may feel like they are in a canoe without a paddle fighting to go upstream. In The Walk podcast, Dixon points out that, “It’s crazy faith, but there’s always a reward waiting on the other side of crazy faith.” John 16:33 says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Listen to “Colton Dixon: When Your Dreams Get Put on Hold” on Spreaker.

Transcript

It’s a shame a lot of people are leaving the church right now. I think that it’s easy to be offended. I think that we are in that season right now and so many things have happened in the last couple of years. So many people are offended. I found myself offended as well with various things.

And the Bible actually says to not take things. You know, so it’s it’s challenging. But we know that our fight isn’t against flesh and blood. Right. And who’s in charge is local church people. You know, it’s unfortunate that people see and view God through the lens of Christians sometimes because we don’t have it all figured out. We’re trying.

But that would be my, I guess, my challenge to people before you make that decision to leave. Is it because you’re offended at someone or is it because maybe it’s a hard season if you look at the stories in the Bible? There’s always a hard season right before the The Reaping season, there’s a harvest for the Reaping. And yeah, I think that maybe you can dig a little deeper.

It’s an opportunity for your faith, for a stronger, your relationship with the Lord to go grow stronger before you make that decision to leave. Because I know that God has something amazing to. He also said not to forsake the gathering together of one another. So give it another try. And if it’s a fence, just know that our fight is not with one another.

It’s actually against spirits and rulers of darkness. So just keep that in mind.