In many ways, Australian society still lives on the capital of its Christian past, and we should thank God for that. But there are also clear signs that secularism is advancing and also that explicitly anti-Christian forces are at work in some quarters. This is not paranoia, it is simply observation. But is this cause for depression or despair? Is it cause for the Christian churches to begin a campaign of denouncing the evil in the midst of our land?

The results of the National Church Life survey has brought good news for no-one really. Australia is expanding, but the churches are finding it difficult to keep pace even with national growth, let alone to make real advances. One of the misguided responses to such statistics is to work out what the declining churches are doing wrong, and what the advancing churches are doing right. The error in this calculation would be to assume
that growth (whether in numbers or, more importantly, in true knowledge of God) comes from some human action. This is only true in a very specific and limited sense.

It is the gospel of Christ that is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1.16-17). It is the word of God that runs across the nations of the world and brings life where there is
death (cf. 2 Thess. 3.1). This is because God is in his word; God makes himself
known in Jesus Christ, and in the preaching of the good news of what God has done in him. Where the word of God is, there is God himself. The parable of the sower shows the sower (God Himself; see Isaiah 55.10-11) sowing the word of God. This word
produces its harvest, for it will always achieve its purpose (Isa. 55.11 again). It is God who causes growth, through his word.

This is where the very specific and limited sense of our human action comes in. There are a variety of ways to respond to God's word, but only one of them achieves a harvest. Australians, along with all people everywhere, must hear the word of God and accept it
(Mark 4.20). This may be a challenge in contemporary secular Australian society. But it is the only thing that will bring health to ourselves, our churches, and our nation. If the word of God is ignored, or distorted, or denied, the death of Australian churches will be
complete. If it is received, honoured and proclaimed, its power for resurrection life will be unleashed. Jesus came to bring life where there was death. The gospel of Jesus will bring the dead to life on the last day. The gospel of Christ begins that process even now.
The time of reformation has begun (see Heb. 9.10).