Thursday, December 29, 2011
Where have all the Christians gone?...I'm just saying
If it were not for Christians, this nation would never have been a nation. Perhaps not all the Founding Fathers were Christian, but most were honorable men who knew that the laws of the Bible were worthy of governing a nation. I think John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said it best: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is their duty, as well as privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Lexington Pastor Jonas Clarke is quoted as saying, "We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus," which became a battle cry for the patriots. Where are the Christians today?

The Christian church, its pastors and parishioners, stood firm for the abolition of slavery that won the moral high ground and the war between the states. Yes, churches in the Confederacy claimed their Christianity. Generals of the Southern army were Christian, no doubt. But God gave this nation to be free and the principle that no man should own another, that all men are truly created equal, prevailed. The civil rights movement of the 1960s was also a testament to Christian pastors and Christians who knew men should be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Christianity in this nation may not always get it right at first, but eventually it does. Where are the Christians today?

Christians are misled and confused thinking they must prepare the way for Jesus before he can return--the fallacy of Dominionism. Proclamations may make some feel good, but that is not the mandate of the Christian. Jesus said in Luke 19:13, "Occupy till I come." The Apostle Paul charges us in Romans 12:21, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." The mandate of Christianity is simply put by Jesus in Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." As James said, "But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." Where are the Christians today?

In Acts 5:29, Peter and the other apostles said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Our nation, blessed in its freedom, has been an amazing beacon of God's word to the world. Much of the church, however, has become paralyzed with self indulgence and bad doctrine, and self indulgent people who don't know the word are unable to rightly exercise their civic responsibility both to God and to their nation. This vacuum has been exploited by the government redistributing wealth, creating massive debt, and taking away liberties. Due to a lack of discernment, Christians hardly understand the evil beast before them. Excuses are of the self indulgent. Repentance, prayer and action are the hallmark of the called. Who do you really serve this day? I'm just saying...

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson