... Christianity ...

... Is It Alive In America? ...

Christianity… What is it? How is it defined in the dictionary?
The Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary says; “the religion of those who accept Jesus Christ as God incarnate, are guided by the Holy Spirit, and participate in the fellowship of the Christian Church ~ the state of being a Christian”.

How is it that America… a country, which was founded by our Forefathers, upon the Word of God have strayed so far from our Creator? Founded upon the word of God you ask? Let’s see…

The Declaration of Independence

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

How is it that America… with a population of over 275 million people living within its boundaries… where 86% of its current population claims to be Christian can find itself in a position, which should bring shame to any Christian…
What kind of lights are we bringing into the world of darkness?

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. (NIV)

In the 1960’s the court ruled that state-composed prayers and Bible reading in public schools violated the Constitution. American adults Christians could no longer pray in public schools because it violated whose constitutional rights? Let’s look at the Constitution:

Amendment I:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceable to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Through the years efforts to reverse these rulings have been unsuccessful, but recently the Court has been less vigilant in scrutinizing government aid to religion; for example, it has upheld a community’s right to place religious displays on public property. How can we possibly be letting our light shine into a world of darkness?
What I sincerely think most Americans believe in, I submit is not God or Church or Torah but rather the burgeoning American Society. In simpler terms, we put our trust in ever-greater affluence: once deprived, we gained sufficiency, once degraded by unceasing want, we came to the self-respect of a steady, decent income.
For us the Exodus or Resurrection was the liberation from a slum flat to clean rooms, then to a decent neighborhood, a garden apartment perhaps, or on to a home in the suburbs, even a second home. This process, repeated on many levels, promised not only satisfaction, but in its own way, salvation.

How is it that we, who are claiming Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior have placed idols before our God?

Ephesians 5:3-5 “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”. (NIV)

Our science is value-free, our economics interested in profit, our politics concerned with power, our arts dominated by questions of technique, our lifestyle devoted to strategies of escape and indulgence”.
All you really need to do is to look into the Word of the Living God and see for yourself the similarities between Israel (then) and America (now). Remember that when the Bible refers to Israel it is used to describe a nation.

Psalm 73:1-12 “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagues by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge”? This is what the wicked are like – always carefree, they increase in wealth”. (NIV)

It’s quite obvious that we as a nation have turned our backs on God much like the nation of Israel did. Like Israel… we know what we must do as a nation… The choice is ours… God goes on to tell Israel what the consequences of their actions were going to be…

Psalm 81:88-16 “Hear, O my People, and I will warn you – if you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign God among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you”. (NIV)

The first issue we need to address is… Who is our God? Are our morals and values that we as a nation place so highly those of God or man? What exactly is our number one concern? Just take a moment and think about where your number one concern rests… What are our priorities? Are they on our lives or are they on Our God?

Have we really lost sight of what it means to be a Christian?

1 Peter 2: 21,22 “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth”. (NIV)

We find within the scriptures where God has said many, many times that if we would just turn back to Him then He can and would bless our nation. Yes I believe that we’ve lost sight of what it truly means to be a Christian. Have we forgotten the Son of God who stretched out His arms upon that tree… bled for each and everyone to wash away our sins?
Have we forgotten that the Son of the Living God, Jesus Christ defeated death and Satan on that third morning? Have we truly forgot the price that was paid for us by a man who willingly gave His life for us… for our redemption… for our eternal souls?

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “Though I am free and belong to no man. I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became the weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings”. (NIV)

Have we forgotten the commitment we each made to our Father in Heaven… the day that we invited Jesus Christ into our hearts and our lives? Have we forgotten that whip that tore the flesh of our Lord from His back so we could receive our healings? Have we forgotten the Son of God was spat upon, as a sign of disgrace… yet never uttering a single word?
Have we forgotten that the Son of the Living God could have simply called down thousands of angels… instead of giving up His life? Ever stop to think that they didn’t kill Jesus Christ… but rather He gave up His spirit to the Father? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wasn’t a quitter… Our Creator… Our God… Jehovah… has never stopped wanting a relationship with us or loving us … So why have we?

Jude: 3 “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints”. (NIV)

Do you remember what it means to be a Christian?

Are we not supposed to reflect Jesus Christ in our daily lifestyle?

Romans 15:5 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (NIV)

How can we as a nation demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to others if we don’t let the light shine through us? How can we say that we love our fellow man as commanded by Jesus Christ… when we have people within our own country who are homeless… starving… jobless… and lost?
How can we be reflecting Jesus Christ in our lifestyles when we tell our children they can’t talk about God… when we removed God and prayers from our public schools? How can we be reflecting Jesus in our lifestyles when our courts are making the pledge of allegiance unconstitutional because we use the words: one nation under God… as described by our founding fathers?

John 7:8 “Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him”. (NIV)

How can we be reflecting Jesus Christ in our lifestyles when we as a nation, and I remind you a nation that’s 86% Christian, have turned our backs on God? We’ve made it illegal to pray in public schools… to display the Ten Commandments in our courthouses… is this reflecting Jesus Christ? We teach the theory of Evolution…

We as a nation condone the use of alcohol (encourage it through advertisements)… We have place our priorities on accumulation of wealth… the accumulation of possessions… Even placed our work over our families… Yet we are demonstrating and reflecting Jesus Christ in our lifestyles?

How can we demonstrate the love of God when we take great pride in pursuing others with the threat of violence? How can we tell a nation that God loves them as we send our bombers over to destroy what God created?

1 Corinthians 10: 1-13 “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed though the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank from the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert”. “Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written; “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry”. We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did – and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did – and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did – and were killed by the destroying angel”. “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it”. (NIV)

Let me leave you today with just one final scripture…

Matthew 5:3-10 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. (NIV)

May the Lord have Mercy upon us… Forgive us Father, for we know not what we do…

Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven”. (NIV)