Raise The Standard of Holiness in us, dear Lord.

The best companies in the World do not sell products, they sell a feeling. For them it is about how the products make their customers feel.

• Apple sells → Innovation, not phones.
• Ferrari sells → Status, not cars.
• Nike sells → Motivation, not shoes.
• Disney sells → Nostalgia, not movies.
• Amazon sells → Convenience, not products.

What does the Church offer to the World?  

The Church should “sell” HOPE — embodied, eternal, defiant hope

The Church must say: “You are loved, you are called, and your life is going somewhere redemptive—because Christ is risen.”

Alternative Candidates and Why They Fall Short:

Let’s look at other possible “emotions” and weigh them.

1. Love — Yes, God is love (1 John 4:8). But “love” has been so culturally diluted, it often sounds abstract or permissive rather than powerful or transformative. Everyone says they offer love. ✨ Hope, however, shows what love does.
2. Peace — Needed, yes. But peace without a hopeful future becomes escapism or stoicism. You don’t escape a desert by merely contemplating its heat, sand, and emptiness — you get out by envisioning a path forward, and choosing a direction.
3. Belonging / Community — Very important for the local church. But this is a means, not the core message. People can find community in gyms or gangs. What makes the Church’s community different? It’s anchored in hope of the Kingdom HERE and NOW and To COME.
4. Forgiveness — Essential, but it’s a gateway emotion. What does forgiveness lead to? A restored future — hope.

Reason would now lead society beyond superstition and that which cannot be empirically proven. New scientific discoveries aided by rapidly developing technologies would create a kind of human-driven heaven on earth. God was not immediately removed from the picture. However, a profound shift had occurred: no longer was faith directed primarily toward God. Instead, Western society faith shifted toward the power and potential of humankind. Such a worldview increasingly marginalized the Christian faith. The Enlightenment would eventually create the possibility for people in the West to live without a belief in God or the supernatural.  Excerpt from: "Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence, and Creating in a Cultural Storm" by Mark Sayers. 

Politicians and business Leaders sell their VISION for the World.  

Jesus’ Vision for the World: The Inbreaking Kingdom of God

Jesus’ vision for the world can be summed up in one revolutionary concept that saturates His entire ministry:

“The Kingdom of God.”

Not merely a future heaven, and definitely not a human utopia built by political or scientific progress — but a divine, present-yet-coming reality where:

• God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10),
• the poor are lifted up (Luke 4:18),
• the proud are brought low (Luke 1:52),
• and the last become first (Matt 20:16).

👑 What Does Jesus Want for the World?

1. Restored Relationship with the Father

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” – John 17:3

Jesus didn’t come to teach morality alone. He came to reunite heaven and earth by reconciling humanity with God — relationally, not just legally.

2. A Community of Radical Love

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35

The church, as His body, was meant to be an outpost of His Kingdom — an alternative society marked by humility, mercy, forgiveness, and generosity.

3.  A Reversal of the Curse

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to proclaim good news to the poor… freedom for the prisoners… recovery of sight for the blind… to set the oppressed free.” – Luke 4:18–19

This is a direct attack on the systems of death, greed, injustice, and brokenness that define fallen human empires.

Jesus came to establish a Kingdom — not of this world, but for this world — a Kingdom ruled not by power or progress, but by love, truth, and sacrificial grace.

THE WORLD IS DESTROYING ITSELF 

Let’s face it: The world is falling apart, not because of a lack of progress — but because of a lack of holiness.

• Mental illness is rising.
• Suicide rates are tragic.
• Prescription drug abuse is epidemic.
• Fertility rates are plummeting — people are not even replacing themselves.
• Divorce, debt, depression, domestic violence — all up.
• Laziness is normalized. Greed is legalized. Lust is monetized.
• Health systems treat symptoms but cure less than half the causes.
• And in many places, the Church is silent, or worse: compromised.

“Time to Raise the Standard: Rekindling Holiness in a Collapsing Culture”

1 Peter 1:15–16 – “But as He who has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

We are watching a civilization collapse under the weight of its sin — yet instead of offering an alternative, many churches have become just another entertainment venue. Just another TED Talk with a cross on the wall. 

🕊️ The Holiness of God: Our Forgotten Center

God is not primarily defined by His usefulness to us. He is defined by His holiness.

• Holiness is His otherness, His purity, His perfection.
• Isaiah fell down when he saw it: “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6:5)
• The angels aren’t singing “Love, love, love” — they sing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

If the Church is the bride of Christ — we should reflect His nature, not flirt with the world.

For hope to be authentic, there must be HOLINESS.  

🔥  Why We Must Raise the Standard Again

1. Because God’s Call Hasn’t Changed

“Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:16

This is not a suggestion. It’s a command.

We’ve lowered the bar to be “relevant,” “approachable,” and “inclusive” — but we’ve made the gate wide and the way broad.

Jesus said “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life.” – Matt 7:14

2. Because the World Needs Light, Not Blending

If we are just as anxious, angry, addicted, and worldly as the people we’re trying to reach — we are no longer salt and light.

We become like salt that’s lost its flavor — good for nothing but to be trampled underfoot.

People are not hungry for another show.

They are starving for substance.

And holiness is not perfection — it’s devotion to God, set apart, filled with His Spirit, walking in integrity.

3. Because Judgment Begins in the House of God

“For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” – 1 Peter 4:17

If we don’t clean house, God will.

If we don’t discipline ourselves, the culture will mock us.

If we don’t confront sin, sin will corrupt the whole body.

4. Because Holiness Builds Resilience

In this post-Christian “Grey Zone” (Mark Sayers), where old moral foundations have collapsed and no new worldview has replaced them, we need holy resilience:

• Holy marriages.
• Holy finances.
• Holy sexuality.
• Holy thought patterns.
• Holy ambitions.

A holy people don’t bend to culture — they bless it by their distinctness.

💡 What Holiness Is — and Isn’t

 Let’s clarify:

✅ Holiness is not legalism or elitism.

✅ Holiness is not old-fashioned moralism.

Holiness is being like Jesus — full of grace and truth.

It means we do not tolerate what God hates — in ourselves or in our communities.

But we also love what God loves: mercy, justice, purity, and humility.

📈 Cast a JESUS' Vision

To every shepherd of God’s people:

Your vision must go beyond church growth. It must go beyond facilities and fog machines. Your vision must be to raise up a holy people who:

• Love righteousness
• Hate sin
• Walk humbly
• Live purely
• And bring transformation into every sphere of society

God’s vision for mankind is clear:

“Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and reflect My image.” Gen 1:28

“Be conformed to the image of My Son.” – Rom 8:29

🛐  Conclusion: Will You Raise the Standard?

Holiness is not an outdated burden.

It’s the Church’s secret power.

We must stop selling fake peace — the kind that says, “You’re fine as you are.”

Instead, we must preach real peace — the kind that comes through repentance, grace, and transformation.

The world is drowning in dysfunction.

Let the Church be a lighthouse of holiness again.