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As long as Jesus Christ lives, the religion that bears His name will live. Jesus Himself promised that faith in Him will never die. In Matthew 24:35, He said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" (NKJV).

The early followers of Jesus took that promise to heart, and they let the promise encourage them as they took His teachings to the "uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8, KJV). A band of unknown fishermen were so convinced that Jesus was who He claimed to be that they refused to stop telling others, even when it meant their deaths.

From that motley group of 12 men came the over 2 billion people who currently call themselves Christians (religionfacts.com). Persecution was a driving force for them, and it continues to be a motivator to this day. The fastest growing region for Christianity is the area known as the 10-40 window: the area between 10 and 40 degrees north of the Equator. Interestingly, this area includes the Middle East, India, and China regions normally considered "anti-Christian."

So, the promise of Jesus has come true and continues to come true. Christianity has overcome countless obstacles and will continue to spread. As long as there are people on earth who hold to the words of Jesus of Nazareth, Christianity will prevail. That is certain.

What is not certain is how well Christianity will prevail. While many people claim a connection to Christianity, church attendance is declining. While even non-believers have a certain respect for Jesus' position on love and service, most people equate the word "Christian" with "hypocrite." While Christianity may be spreading in certain areas of the world, in other areas, such as Europe and the United States, the Christian church is losing its influence.

As with most things, the future of Christianity is what we as Christians make it. If we continue on our present course, the name of Jesus will diminish in our culture even as it grows in others. Yet, hope is not lost. One thing the church of America needs to realize is that the message of Jesus never changes, but the method of sharing Jesus must change.

The current generation of US citizens is made up of people who were not raised in church. Ask any teenager to tell you about Noah and the ark, and he probably can't. At best, he will make some connection to the movie Evan Almighty.

Not only does this generation have no Biblical knowledge, they also have a sense of entitlement whereby someone must earn the right to share with

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