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In a recent church newsletter the senior pastor was asking
for prayer. His sermon the next Sunday was going to document from the Bible why
homosexuality is sin. He was concerned because of the dramatic changes in this country he
had watched occur in his twenty years of ministry. He said that he never would have
dreamed that same-sex marriages would be recognized as widely as they already are. He
further said that he believed the day would soon come when it would no longer be legal to
preach such a message. How could this country of "The Free & The Brave" sink so low that a faithful preacher would be nervous about speaking out against sin? I believe the answer is found in the fact that Christians no longer fear God. Therefore, they have little concern over the subject of sin. Thus, our country continues to spiral in a downward trend because the lifestyle of those in the church is in stark contrast to His plan for the restoration of a nation. II Chronicles 7:14 says "If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then shall I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Therefore, if we want our nation to get back to it's heritage, God's people need to seek Him in deep humility and turn from their wicked ways. Yes, it is the responsibility of the clergy to call the people to repentance. But, in the words of a Godly Bible College Professor, "If the preachers would tell the people what God would have them say, the people would fire them all". Incidentally, he made that statement over 15 years ago. Frankly, I believe he was right. This prevailing attitude which emanates from the pews has caused the clergy to preach, almost exclusively, "Love & Grace" themes in their messages. These subjects though extremely important are by no means the total message of the Bible. Thus, the Christian community is grossly ignorant of the truths of Holy Scripture and has limited interest in God's command to study His written Will for their lives. I believe this situation is so epidemic that the average church attendee has at best, only minimal understanding of what God regards as sin. And, if the people don't know what sin is, how will they know that they need to repent? And, if they don't repent, how will God heal our land? When the country experiences its "9-11s", the church gets all lathered up over the need for prayer. A few even call the country to repentance. But almost no one tells the people of God that they need to repent. And, pity the poor soul that suggests a tragic event might be the judgment of God. Therefore, these massive prayer efforts seem to me to be nearly profitless because God does not respond to the prayers of disobedient people. So it goes as our country sinks lower and lower. The nagging question that haunts my soul is, "What will it take for God's people to finally realize that they need to fall on their faces before Him, confessing and forsaking their sins?" |
