The Anxiety Driven Church
Oh my, the church of Jesus Christ, the standard bearer for the God of all redemption, is again ringing her hands in anxiety and trepidation. What could it be this time? Has Satan unleashed his massive hordes to attack us? Surely not the Lord God Himself, we’ve long since lost any fear of Him. Well then, what are we supposed to worried about this time?
Whisper in the streets and keep your voice very low, we should not want people to hear what causes us consternation. Have no fear, though, we aren’t upset enough to open the church doors for prayer on Tuesdays or Fridays or even early on Sundays. But you can hear the anxious ripples as this thing has shaken us and even made us a little belligerent. The state of Colorado has passed a law that forbids churches from preaching against homosexuality except within the closed doors of its sanctuaries.
The world must look upon us as the biggest whiners and so reactionary to everything the government does, as if that should have any effect or impact about how we obey our Lord. This law doesn’t forbid the preaching of the gospel in open air meetings, and so it has no impact of evangelism. But let us be clear, unless Jesus comes those laws are coming as well. And so we are faced with a choice, if we feel this new law infringes on what we are called to do then we must disobey it and be thrown in jail. That is what so many thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters did in the face of persecution, they did not have writing campaigns and whine on the radio and television and in the pulpit.
This is what we have become, a squawking bunch of Sunday morning building visitors that have both so little spiritual power and so little real compassion for sinners that we must deceive ourselves by political activism. And instead of enduring hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, we recoil and reject the slightest bit of so called persecution. How dare they restrict and persecute us, when all the while our God may be attempting to wake us up spiritually not politically. The secular, fallen government passes a law and we are suddenly moved into action, or at least complaining.
Our God is not restricted by any human laws and we should not be concerned, in fact, we should rejoice that we are at least a tiny bit persecuted in the midst of modern day Babylon. They haven’t come barging into our sanctuaries because they rightly have no fear about what goes on there. And this new law isn’t because the church is spreading their doctrine all over the city, this law is a result of gay activism groups and a correct reading of America’s pluralistic constitution. And let’s face it, how many churches are actively preaching against homosexuality in the streets and how will that restrict anyone? You can still teach what you will in church, you can still teach your children what you choose, and the gospel can be and should preached to every creature without ever mentioning homosexuality.
So what we have is a façade, an attempt by the church to get all offended and claim some sort of right to speak publicly against what is now a part of American society. If we didn’t want the gay community we should have spread the gospel decades ago with prayer and power, but instead of seeing the plank in our own eye we take comfort in political cause Christianity. Hey folks, abortion is still legal and I do not see either the streets filled with protesters except on a “right to life” Sunday and I further do not see the churches filled with weeping kneelers crying out to God in repentance and brokenness. These political issues are nothing more than convenient camouflage that keeps our spiritual nakedness from being exposed. Oh yea, we organize National Day of Prayers as if it were the Day of Atonement in which all our sins and backsliding can be expunged.
What do we care what the government says or passes as laws, if it is against our Biblical mandates and commands we should fearlessly and in humility do as did Daniel. Let us throw open the windows and seek the face of God until he rains down righteousness upon us, and should they forbid us even that, then throw us to the lions with songs of praise on our lips. We disgrace the memory of the martyrs by our bewailing of the government and its laws, let us keep our eyes upon the Author and the Finisher of our faith, He will take care of us, and not through political leverage. Many think that men like me who have forsaken the political system are what is wrong with the nation, when I believe it is the very opposite.
The church has too long been lured by the wicked sirens of political activism and the false notion that somehow democracy is God’s tool of morality or redemption. I believe the current dalliance with politics has suffocated the spiritual life of the church. We build great debt ridden edifices that serve as meeting places and most are built with all the necessary rooms of church business. Sunday school rooms, offices, restrooms, lobbies, fellowship halls, teen rooms, activity places, music rooms, but how many have built large rooms that are separated specifically and exclusively for prayer? Rooms that have no chit chat, rooms that take no offerings, rooms with no special music, rooms with no recreation, rooms with no meeting tables, rooms with no telephones, rooms with no announcements, rooms that when entered, the presence of God Himself is tangible due to grown men and women, children and the aged, and the pastor and his staff chronically on their faces before the Living God is sacred petition and praise.
Where are those rooms I ask you? We are concerned about what the government does in their legislative rooms and yet we have been negligent about the most important room of all, the prayer closet. We bow to the power of petitions and letters but we only give lip service to prayer. Political activism raises interest and sometimes donations, but in truth it raises no interest from the Almighty. He is interested in seeing His church follow hard after Him and pursue His voice and His correction more than the affairs of this life. He desires to see His people weeping before the altar while they place themselves upon that same altar. The Lord seeks after a people who are so consumed with Him that our children cannot help but be drawn to Holy Spirit as He works in and through their parents.
Oh people, let us release the cares of this world and all the carnal ebbs and flows of a fallen people attempting to create their own heaven, and let us repent and return to the Lord our God in prayer and fasting. How long will we halt between two opinions, and how long will it take before we realize the political machinations of man are a revolving door of redundant futility and are even an obstruction to the gospel preaching church. Let us embrace persecution and let it propel us into greater seasons of prayerful seeking of God’s face. We have not become so different and so dangerous to the government that we need fear jail, no, we have a long way before the devil considers us a threat to him. We seek the face of God and His eternal legislation, and we have been commissioned to seek the souls for which Jesus bled and died. The new law restricts condemning homosexuals but it does not restrict us from presenting to them the glory of the everlasting gospel. I beg you, please, do not let the world see us as battling for our right to condemn, let them see us as bring a light into a world of darkness that needs redemption not condemnation.
Oh my, the church of Jesus Christ, the standard bearer for the God of all redemption, is again ringing her hands in anxiety and trepidation. What could it be this time? Has Satan unleashed his massive hordes to attack us? Surely not the Lord God Himself, we’ve long since lost any fear of Him. Well then, what are we supposed to worried about this time?
Whisper in the streets and keep your voice very low, we should not want people to hear what causes us consternation. Have no fear, though, we aren’t upset enough to open the church doors for prayer on Tuesdays or Fridays or even early on Sundays. But you can hear the anxious ripples as this thing has shaken us and even made us a little belligerent. The state of Colorado has passed a law that forbids churches from preaching against homosexuality except within the closed doors of its sanctuaries.
The world must look upon us as the biggest whiners and so reactionary to everything the government does, as if that should have any effect or impact about how we obey our Lord. This law doesn’t forbid the preaching of the gospel in open air meetings, and so it has no impact of evangelism. But let us be clear, unless Jesus comes those laws are coming as well. And so we are faced with a choice, if we feel this new law infringes on what we are called to do then we must disobey it and be thrown in jail. That is what so many thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters did in the face of persecution, they did not have writing campaigns and whine on the radio and television and in the pulpit.
This is what we have become, a squawking bunch of Sunday morning building visitors that have both so little spiritual power and so little real compassion for sinners that we must deceive ourselves by political activism. And instead of enduring hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, we recoil and reject the slightest bit of so called persecution. How dare they restrict and persecute us, when all the while our God may be attempting to wake us up spiritually not politically. The secular, fallen government passes a law and we are suddenly moved into action, or at least complaining.
Our God is not restricted by any human laws and we should not be concerned, in fact, we should rejoice that we are at least a tiny bit persecuted in the midst of modern day Babylon. They haven’t come barging into our sanctuaries because they rightly have no fear about what goes on there. And this new law isn’t because the church is spreading their doctrine all over the city, this law is a result of gay activism groups and a correct reading of America’s pluralistic constitution. And let’s face it, how many churches are actively preaching against homosexuality in the streets and how will that restrict anyone? You can still teach what you will in church, you can still teach your children what you choose, and the gospel can be and should preached to every creature without ever mentioning homosexuality.
So what we have is a façade, an attempt by the church to get all offended and claim some sort of right to speak publicly against what is now a part of American society. If we didn’t want the gay community we should have spread the gospel decades ago with prayer and power, but instead of seeing the plank in our own eye we take comfort in political cause Christianity. Hey folks, abortion is still legal and I do not see either the streets filled with protesters except on a “right to life” Sunday and I further do not see the churches filled with weeping kneelers crying out to God in repentance and brokenness. These political issues are nothing more than convenient camouflage that keeps our spiritual nakedness from being exposed. Oh yea, we organize National Day of Prayers as if it were the Day of Atonement in which all our sins and backsliding can be expunged.
What do we care what the government says or passes as laws, if it is against our Biblical mandates and commands we should fearlessly and in humility do as did Daniel. Let us throw open the windows and seek the face of God until he rains down righteousness upon us, and should they forbid us even that, then throw us to the lions with songs of praise on our lips. We disgrace the memory of the martyrs by our bewailing of the government and its laws, let us keep our eyes upon the Author and the Finisher of our faith, He will take care of us, and not through political leverage. Many think that men like me who have forsaken the political system are what is wrong with the nation, when I believe it is the very opposite.
The church has too long been lured by the wicked sirens of political activism and the false notion that somehow democracy is God’s tool of morality or redemption. I believe the current dalliance with politics has suffocated the spiritual life of the church. We build great debt ridden edifices that serve as meeting places and most are built with all the necessary rooms of church business. Sunday school rooms, offices, restrooms, lobbies, fellowship halls, teen rooms, activity places, music rooms, but how many have built large rooms that are separated specifically and exclusively for prayer? Rooms that have no chit chat, rooms that take no offerings, rooms with no special music, rooms with no recreation, rooms with no meeting tables, rooms with no telephones, rooms with no announcements, rooms that when entered, the presence of God Himself is tangible due to grown men and women, children and the aged, and the pastor and his staff chronically on their faces before the Living God is sacred petition and praise.
Where are those rooms I ask you? We are concerned about what the government does in their legislative rooms and yet we have been negligent about the most important room of all, the prayer closet. We bow to the power of petitions and letters but we only give lip service to prayer. Political activism raises interest and sometimes donations, but in truth it raises no interest from the Almighty. He is interested in seeing His church follow hard after Him and pursue His voice and His correction more than the affairs of this life. He desires to see His people weeping before the altar while they place themselves upon that same altar. The Lord seeks after a people who are so consumed with Him that our children cannot help but be drawn to Holy Spirit as He works in and through their parents.
Oh people, let us release the cares of this world and all the carnal ebbs and flows of a fallen people attempting to create their own heaven, and let us repent and return to the Lord our God in prayer and fasting. How long will we halt between two opinions, and how long will it take before we realize the political machinations of man are a revolving door of redundant futility and are even an obstruction to the gospel preaching church. Let us embrace persecution and let it propel us into greater seasons of prayerful seeking of God’s face. We have not become so different and so dangerous to the government that we need fear jail, no, we have a long way before the devil considers us a threat to him. We seek the face of God and His eternal legislation, and we have been commissioned to seek the souls for which Jesus bled and died. The new law restricts condemning homosexuals but it does not restrict us from presenting to them the glory of the everlasting gospel. I beg you, please, do not let the world see us as battling for our right to condemn, let them see us as bring a light into a world of darkness that needs redemption not condemnation.
I believe with all my heart that Jesus would have eaten with the gay community and that His love and compassion would have won many over. So should it be with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.