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- #027: The Crisis Defined: Why 57% of Christians are Leaving God
#027: The Crisis Defined: Why 57% of Christians are Leaving God
91% say murder matters, but only half value the Sabbath. We unpack the self-serving selection of commandments.
Ravi Patel & Chriss Mogaka
October 26, 2025
📱 TL;DR
We worship God on Saturday, live in Babylon Sunday-Friday, and accept convenience marks daily. The three angels' messages expose the Sunday-Saturday gap killing modern faith. Don't leave God in the pews when you leave church.
Welcome, Family
"We cannot treat God's Word as a buffet."
The idea that we can pick and choose the convenient parts of Christianity is a foundational lie killing modern faith.
While the data shows 57% of believers are leaving the pews, the truth of the crisis is far more disturbing: 91% of us uphold "don't murder," yet only 47% consider keeping the Sabbath holy to be important.
This self-serving selection of commandments—ignoring the God who gave them for the sake of convenience—is precisely what the three angels’ messages were sent to expose.
These warnings are not disparate doctrines; they are a unified, urgent call to reject the part-time Christianity that leaves God and His whole Word waiting at the church door.
🍞 This Week's Bread
⏳ The Sign: Why 57% never attend but 91% think murder is wrong
đź“– The Word: The three angels' call to 24/7 faith, not Sunday performance
🌍 The Witness: Golden calf—Israel's three-part failure at Sinai
🔥 The Work: Three diagnostic questions for Sunday vs. weekday faith
🙏 Prayer Corner: Repenting for leaving God in the pews
🆕 First time here? - Come As You Are is your weekly dose of community, Scripture, and real talk that cuts through religious noise to find authentic faith.
⏳ The Sign
(Note: We Observe The Biblical Sabbath which is Saturday) Photo Credit: YouGov
But commandments that disrupt our lifestyle?
Only 47% think keeping the Sabbath holy matters. Among non-religious Americans, just 7% see the point.
We'll obey commandments that make society function but reject commandments that demand worship submission.
This is exactly what the first angel warns against in the Book of Revelation
We've reduced Christianity to convenient moralism: Keep commandments that benefit us, ignore commandments that cost us, attend church when convenient, leave God in the pews when service ends.
Meanwhile, weekly attendance dropped from 42% in 2003 to 30% in 2023. We're not leaving because we hate God—we never learned to fear Him.
The three angels converge:
First angel: Fear God, obey commandments (all of them, not just convenient ones)
Second angel: Babylon has fallen—come out of her worldly system
Third angel: Don't worship the beast or receive his mark
All three say the same thing: Don't leave God in the pews.
đź“– The Word
Three angels. Three messages. One call: Stop going through the motions.
FIRST ANGEL: Don't Just Perform—Obey
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
Not Sabbath service performance. But Sunday-Friday faithfulness.
Not pick convenient commandments. But submit to all Ten Commandments.
The first angel calls us back to obedience, back to the Ten Commandments, back to God.
SECOND ANGEL: Don't Live in Babylon Sunday-Friday
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Babylon's wine = false doctrines, worldly philosophies, cultural compromises.
You can't worship God on Saturday and live in Babylon Sunday-Friday. Come out of Babylon means stop compartmentalizing your faith. God demands your whole week, not just Sabbath morning.
THIRD ANGEL: Don't Accept Convenient Marks
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
Every time you prioritize convenience over conviction, you're training yourself to accept the mark.
Every horoscope checked. Every worldly compromise justified. Every commandment ignored because it's inconvenient. You're not preparing to refuse the mark—you're preparing to accept it.
All three angels converge:
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus"
Patience = endurance without compromise
Saints = those who don't leave God in the pews
Keep commandments = all of them, not just convenient ones
Faith of Jesus = 24/7 surrender, not Sabbath performance
🌍 The Witness
Photo Credit: MomentByMoment Blog
Exodus 32-34: The Golden Calf Incident
Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Forty days later, Israel got impatient.
"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us."
Notice the three-part failure—one for each angel's message:
FIRST ANGEL FAILURE: Impatience with God's Timing
Israel couldn't wait 40 days. They wanted worship on their terms, their timeline, their convenience.
Sound familiar? 57% never attend church. 47% don't think Sabbath matters. We'll worship God when it's convenient, not when He commands.
SECOND ANGEL FAILURE: Creating Their Own Worship System
"And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol."
They didn't abandon worship—they created Babylon. Religion on their terms. Faith without obedience.
We do the same: Attend church (check), ignore commandments (check), live in Babylon Sunday-Friday (check).
THIRD ANGEL FAILURE: Aaron's Compromise
Aaron collected their gold and made the calf.
"And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings... And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it."
Aaron accepted their "mark" of compliance. He took what they offered (gold/convenience) and built what they wanted (comfort religion).
We accept biometric marks. Worldly compromises. Sabbath-only Christianity.
Moses came down with commandments. Israel was worshiping idols. The gap between what God demanded and what Israel delivered = the Sunday-Saturday gap.
🔥 The Work
Photo Credit: Say It Ain’t SEO
Three diagnostic questions:
1. Do I fear God or just attend church?
Fearing God means:
Obeying commandments that cost you something
Worshiping when it's inconvenient
Surrendering seven days, not just Saturday
Attending church means:
Going through motions without heart change
Performing Saturday, compromising Sunday-Friday
Which one describes you?
2. Have I come out of Babylon or just visited church?
Coming out of Babylon means:
Your entertainment honors God
Your music directs worship toward Him
Your calendar reflects His priorities
Visiting church means:
Saturday attendance with Monday worldliness
Christian label with Babylon lifestyle
Where are you living?
3. Am I refusing marks or accepting convenience?
Refusing marks means:
Choosing conviction over comfort
Preparing now for tests later
Accepting convenience means:
Justifying small compromises daily
Training yourself to accept whatever's easiest
What are you training for?
🙏 PRAYER CORNER
Interceding for:
Believers going through Sunday motions
Those living in Babylon Sunday-Friday
Hearts trained to accept convenient compromises
A generation that's lost the fear of God
Churches where God is left in the pews
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
đź“… What's Next
🎯 100 Days of Love in Action Challenge
Now - Dec 31st
One intentional act of kindness every day
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Sunday, October 26th (1-6 PM EST)
Piedmont Park
Get ready to play in the annual event where all young adults are welcome for snacks, prayers, fun, and competitive fellowship!
Virtual Prayer Meeting
Wednesday, October 29th (8-9 PM ET)
[đź”— Join Live]
Virtual Bible Study
Friday, October 31st (8-10 PM ET)
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đź“Ł Take Action:
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Forward this to someone leaving God in the pews
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✝️ Final Word
Israel at Sinai shows us three failures:
First angel failure: Impatience with God (wanted worship on their terms)
Second angel failure: Created Babylon (religion without obedience)
Third angel failure: Aaron's compromise (accepted convenient marks)
The three angels expose the gap between Sabbath profession and Monday practice.
First angel says: Fear God—but we pick convenient commandments.
Second angel says: Leave Babylon—but we live there Sunday-Friday.
Third angel says: Refuse the mark—but we accept convenience daily.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The lamp only works if you follow it. Seven days. Not just Saturday.
You can't:
Fear God without obeying His commandments
Leave Babylon while living there six days
Refuse the mark while accepting compromises
Don't leave God in the pews when you leave church.
Sabbath worship without Monday obedience = golden calf religion.
Church attendance without commandment keeping = Babylon with a Christian label.
Convenient faith without costly commitment = training to accept the mark.
The three angels call you to 24/7 faith:
Fear Him every day. Leave Babylon completely. Refuse every convenient compromise.
Stop going through the motions. Stop treating God's Word as a buffet. Stop leaving Him in the pews.
The hour of judgment has come. Babylon has fallen. The mark is coming.
Don't get caught with Saturday faith in a seven-day test.
In His Love,
- Mogaka Events Ministry
P.S. If you think 47% caring about Sabbath is just a statistic, remember: It reveals how we've trained ourselves to ignore commandments that cost us something. The mark won't be hard to refuse—we'll accept it because we've been accepting convenient compromises all along.
Come As You Are is a Spirit-led devotional for young adults hungry for God's presence. Written by Ravi Patel and Chriss Mogaka.