Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ”
Romans 1:14 “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both
to the wise, and to the unwise.”
Last presidential elections which showed support for GLBT and abortion, the recent rejection for a pastor
Louie Giglio’s participation in an
inauguration because he had talked against gay rights movements 20 years ago,
latest designation of Hagel as defense
secretary in spite of his pro Iran and anti Israel agenda, government forcing
business owners to pay for health insurance that covers voluntary abortions,
etc. All these issues present a gloomy spiritual future for the nation of
America as they evidence a shift towards liberalism and sin both in the
political and religious arena.
How did this happen? Can America
trace its footsteps back? Well, in the first place I believe these events are a
consequence of the things which have been slowly occupying more and more ground
within people’s hearts. It’s been a long non stopping process which could have
been stopped only by the church of Christ. By that I don’t mean the political religious
protestant lobby in DC; I mean the magnificent bride of Christ, just as He sees
her from heaven, I mean the redeemed, new born and sanctified, community of
people who worship God daily in spirit and truth.
It has a lot to do with prayer life,
sanctity of family and matrimony, financial integrity including tithes &
offerings and passion for the lost. I believe all these important qualities have
been greatly weakened over the last 50 years in America. Yet, I know there is a
huge remnant holding on to the truth with all its strength, working hard to
keep Christian values alive against a flood of sin.
However, I believe there are some
issues that have to be solved if we want America to be back on the track for
blessing. Things I sometimes denounced when I was a Missionary to America, when
the Lord had spoken to me about the coming hardships in American Economy, back
then it was 1999 and Clinton’s administration enjoyed the best economy ever in the
history of the US, I remember the message from God I delivered in Kansas: “ If
God needs to hit your economy so you can look upwards instead of focusing on
your material wealth, He will, because, He is more interested in your eternal
salvation than your earthly satisfaction”.
The strain on American economy came
short time later, and the destruction of the twin towers was just a symbol of
what was ahead, two wars that ended raising oil prices and putting more money
on America’s enemies’ pockets, and a crisis that has placed the Nation on the
edge of a fiscal pit. Meanwhile the Americans don’t seem to be seeking help in
God but have tried to find rest in strategies that have failed in the rest of
the world, just look at the Venezuelan example, following the path of socialism
lost the freedoms it had been so proud about.
One hint to understand the situation
is that America’s social composition has changed, as I said when I started,
immigrants, women, GLBT and other racial minorities have control over votes,
they have become a majority when put together. But, how did the greatest Christian
nation from where most protestant missionaries were sent all over the world
failed to evangelize its own citizens? Where are all the internal urban
missions standing at today?
Well, I believe there is still a
fundamental misunderstanding in very many American Christians today: They
confuse their own culture with Christianity. Somehow main stream historical
denominations of Christianity are engulfed within a culture, which they defined
as western, civilized and Christian. But, the truth is that suburban American way
of life has mostly succeeded in placing the message of the gospel inside some
sort of cultural cocoon, where it feels safe from a hostile environment but that
makes it unable to have an effect on the outer world.
Some newer denominations have been
able to remove their shell at least partially and are succeeding in approaching
traditionally liberal environments; such is the case with Baptists and
Pentecostals in New England, where historical denominations of protestant
churches are almost nonexistent. But, Why? Is it because nontraditional
denominations have leaned their values towards political correctness? No,
actually they can be very confrontational in terms of Bible values. It’s
because they can get rid of the cultural issue. They are not attached to a
single type of worship, language, music, buildings, clothing, etc.
If Christians in America really want
their country back into serving God, they need to abandon their comfort zone
and sacrifice mainstream culture for the sake of saving the lost that live
among them. That might represent a tremendous sacrifice, very necessary when
the Nation is in great peril. That might represent the need to advance
intercultural church attendance, the necessity of Christians becoming real defenders
of those who have less, of those who feel discriminated against. It’s time to
take that role back from the liberals whose only purpose is to gain power.
Christians in America have to become
real missionaries to their own Nation, but they need to do it now.
I pray this word may move some
towards that goal, I pray we may seek within our hearts what C.S. Lewis
described as “Mere Christianity”, I pray Christians in the US learn to use the
spiritual tools they have instead of their cultural Americanism in order to
assimilate those who have been left out, so the situation won’t come on them as
a tidal wave, so Christ salvation may become relevant to all the nations and
peoples and tribes living in the US, while all those who worship Jesus put
their culture and pride aside in order to be together and fight together against
what really is destroying American core values, which is neither the left wing
of politics, nor the gays, nor the blacks, nor the Latinos.
Let’s overcome our self contentment
and fight against satan.
