A Road Rejected
Is it me or is everything good crumbling?
I know my blog posts can be sort of gloomy. That isn’t my intent. But if you are like me and Jesus is everything to you and His Name being reviled (blasphemed) makes you weep…then you’ll understand my motive.
What gets me though is this: Why? There are so many churches. There are so many believers reading Scripture. So many sermons are being preached. Why are things deteriorating so badly and so rapidly?
Yesterday I read about the SCOTUS striking down part of a Texas law that protected women and babies…a massive victory for abortion rights. Today, I read another article about single-gender restrooms being eliminated in National parks so the transgendered can use the one they identify with. This follows a recent decision by the Obama administration to attempt to force public schools to do the same.
Don’t get me wrong. Transgendered folks need the Gospel. So do government officials. So does everyone else! Our job is to preach and live out that Gospel. So there’s that.
But with so many Christians…how can we explain the widespread loss of everything moral and pure? What in the world?
I can only come up with two reasons:
- God’s judgment on our Nation for our National sins
- Our unwillingness to obey His Commands
Maybe both. Maybe the second has caused the first!
I do believe we are under divine wrath at the moment. As a Nation, we talk a good God game, but practically (education, politics, modesty and holiness, family, precepts for the church, etc.) we reject Him. Think about it…
- Christians look and sound like the world, consume the same entertainment, and for the most part, spend our money the same way
- Christians have become quite comfortable disobeying clear precepts as to church order and worship
- Christians, by and large, have given our children to the world to educate/disciple for 100 years
- Christians actually get angry at the mention of sin, judgment, and hell and instead prefer talk of blessings and love, no matter how unlawful the love is
I believe the road to revival is rejected because it winds through hostile territory: Scriptures we don’t like, the call to repentance, and all the reforming of home and church that needs to be done. Satan therefore has an easy path against a weakened church and weakened homes.
I do not think more pragmatic preaching filled with catchy sayings, preacher gimmicks, and talk of breakthrough will produce revival. We've done that for 40 years!
We really need to pray…to get on our knees and cry out in contriteness and humility for boldly breaking God’s Commandments. Then we need a fresh determination to do what “thus saith the LORD.” We need to actually manifest the Gospel…to live like our hearts have been changed by Christ and filled with the Spirit of God. In short, we must be willing to be the “called out ones….” the Church of Jesus Christ that looks and lives differently, even if that results in ridicule.
Now, there have been prayer movements and “repent America” movements. But there is always a stopping short before obedience…especially in the critical areas. For some reason, our weeping leads to….well…nothing really.
We don’t change on a large scale. We don’t really want to. And if there isn't change, did we really repent?
Until we do, things will get worse.
