I’m sitting here with my coffee, the steam rising in the morning light, but my heart is heavy. It feels like an emergency. You know that feeling when you see a house on fire and you’re the only one with a bucket? That’s where I am today. We’re watching the pillars of the "celebrity Christian" world crumble, and it’s not just a news story—it’s a symptom of a deep, spiritual rot.
The news hit the wires like a hurricane: Joshua Harris, the man who shaped an entire generation’s view of romance with I Kissed Dating Goodbye, has officially announced he is no longer a Christian. He’s "deconstructing," as the world likes to call it. But if we look at the Word, there’s a much older, much more sobering term for it: falling away.
This is the pain point for so many of us. We see leaders we trusted, people who wrote the "formulas" for how to live a holy life, walking away into the sunset of agnosticism or secularism. It leaves you wondering: Was any of it real? If the guy who wrote the book can’t make it work, what hope do I have?
The agitation grows when you realize that our modern church culture is often just an empty shell. We’ve traded the presence of God for "seeker-sensitive" models and polished performances. We’ve built a temple, but as Jesus said, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (Matthew 23:38 KJV). We keep going back to that empty temple, performing the same old sacrifices, wondering why there’s no fire.
The solution isn't another formula. It isn't a better "dating' system or a more robust systematic theology. The solution is a direct, supernatural, spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus. When you actually know Him—not just about Him—the world loses its grip. Today, I want to talk about why these formulas fail and how you can ensure your house is built on the Rock of Revelation.
I remember walking down a busy street recently, just trying to share the light of Christ with whoever would listen. I stopped a young man and asked him about his faith. He looked at me, almost puzzled, and said, "Oh, I’m a Christian. I go to that big church on the corner."
It broke my heart. I see this all the time. People think going to a building makes them a Christian, the same way standing in a garage makes you a car. They’ve learned the rules, they’ve learned the "Christianese" language, and they’ve followed the regulations. But where is the life? Where is the Spirit?
Joshua Harris was the poster child for this "rule-based" Christianity. He was the lead pastor of a massive church. He was an author. He was a "success" by every evangelical metric. But in his own words, he lived in a world of formulas. Formulas for marriage. Formulas for theology. Formulas for parenting. He lived in fear of choosing the wrong formula or failing to live up to the one he had.
When you live by formulas, you are a "hireling." Now, that might sound harsh, but think about it. A hireling serves for the benefit—the income, the book deals, the social standing—but they have no genuine love for the Shepherd. When the wolves come, or when the cultural tide shifts, the hireling flees.
Paul warned us about this in Romans. He said:
For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:18 KJV)
We are seeing a "celebrity culture" in the church that rewards "fair speeches" but ignores the power of the Holy Ghost. This isn't just about Joshua Harris. It’s about the worship leaders who become strippers and the evangelists who turn agnostic. It’s a "Great Falling Away," and it’s happening because we’ve stopped teaching people to take up their cross and follow the Spirit.
I’ve written about this in my books, especially in OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY. In that book, I talk about how I had to move past the "intellectual assent" of religion into the actual, tangible presence of God. If your faith is just a set of ideas, it will eventually be challenged by a "better" set of ideas or a stronger set of feelings. But if your faith is grounded in a supernatural encounter with the living God, no argument from the world can shake you.
We are told today that doctrine "divides" and that we should prioritize "feelings" over truth. But true doctrine does divide. It divides the light from the darkness. It divides the sheep from the goats. The problem isn't "robust theology"—it’s theology that has no Spirit in it. It’s "dead letters."
The Bible tells us exactly what would happen. In Acts, Paul didn't mince words:
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:29-30 KJV)
Joshua Harris is now "affirming" things he once called sin. He’s apologizing to the LGBTQ community for teaching biblical standards. He’s saying he feels "alive and awake" in his apostasy. This is the "perverse things" Paul warned about. It’s a tragedy, but it’s a biblical one.
Personal Reflections
Sometimes I feel like I’m yelling in a closet. I spend my days at ConradRocks.net trying to scream from the rooftops that Jesus is alive and He wants to talk to you! He wants to heal you! He wants to deliver you from the demons that keep you awake at night—the kind of spiritual warfare I cover in Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave.
I look at these leaders falling, and I have to check my own heart. Jesus corrected me long ago: it’s not about how much I know about Him, it’s about whether He knows me.
There’s a terrifying passage in Matthew that we need to take seriously:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV)
Notice they were doing "wonderful works." They were using the name of Jesus. They had the right vocabulary. But they lacked the intimacy.
I’ve missed it before. I’ve focused on the "how-to" and the "formulas" of ministry instead of just sitting at His feet. But Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He’s the one who holds us up. If you are struggling today, if you see these leaders falling and you feel your own heart wavering, look at Jesus. Not the "Jesus" of the seeker-sensitive movement, but the biblical Jesus who speaks to His sheep.
Biblical References
The Word of God is the only thing that stands when the winds of doctrine blow. We see this trend of "deconstruction," but the Bible calls it something else. It calls it serving the "belly" or being a "worker of iniquity."
When Jesus spoke about His sheep, He said:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27 KJV)
If you aren't hearing His voice, if your relationship is just a one-way street of you reciting prayers to a ceiling, you are at risk. You need that "Holy Ghost" oversight that Paul mentioned in Acts 20.
And look at the signs of a true believer. Jesus didn't say the sign of a believer is a best-selling book on dating. He said:
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18 KJV)
This is the supernatural life! This is what keeps you from falling away. Once you’ve tasted the heavenly gift and seen the power of the world to come, why would you ever go back to the husks of the world? It’s like becoming "addicted" to the Spirit. You realize that everything else is just a shadow.
Key Takeaways
- Formulas are not Faith: You can follow every "biblical" rule for dating, parenting, and finances and still not know Jesus.
- The "Hireling" Trap: Beware of leaders (and your own heart) who serve for income, influence, or "celebrity" rather than for the Shepherd.
- Supernatural Grounding: A spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus includes the operation of the supernatural. This is your anchor.
- The Sheep Know the Voice: Intimacy with Christ is the only thing that prevents "deconstruction." If He knows you, He will keep you.
- Watch the Wolves: Apostasy is biblical. Don’t be shaken when "celebrities" fall; they are often the "grievous wolves" or "hirelings" the Bible warned us about.
Conclusion and Call to Action
The house is on fire, but you don’t have to burn with it. Joshua Harris’s story is a tragedy, but it’s also a wake-up call. It’s time to stop playing "church" and start seeking the face of God. We need to move past the empty temples and the man-made religions that dwell in buildings made with hands.
God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. Don't let your faith rest in the wisdom of men or the "formulas" of a popular book. Let it rest in the power of God.
If this message has touched you, I want to hear from you. Have you felt the "desolation" of empty religion? Are you ready to dig deeper? Leave a comment below, or better yet, share this post with someone who is currently "deconstructing" their faith. Let’s lead them back to the real Jesus.
Be sure to follow me at ConradRocks.net for more Rocks of Revelation.
Action Items
- Audit Your "Formulas": Take an honest look at your spiritual life this week. Are you following a set of rules, or are you following a Person? Write down three areas where you’ve relied on a formula instead of seeking the Spirit's guidance.
- Seek the Voice: Spend 15 minutes each morning in silence, asking Jesus to speak to you directly through His Word and His Spirit. Record what you hear in a journal.
- Study the Signs: Read Mark 16 and Acts 2. Ask God to manifest the "signs of a believer" in your life. If you’ve never laid hands on the sick or seen a supernatural deliverance, ask Him to open those doors for you.
- Check Your Canon: If you’re feeling spiritually dry, go back to the basics of supernatural warfare and relationship.
- Pray for the Fallen: Pray for Joshua Harris and others like him. Not that they would return to a formula, but that they would have a "Damascus Road" encounter with the Jesus they never actually knew.
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