Fighting The Wrong Battle

Some of us have been fighting the wrong battle.

We have been trying to turn America around when we should have been working on turning the church around.

We have been trying to turn America around without turning the church around first. America is off track because the church is off track.

Christianity as a whole in America (which I will refer to as "the church") is off track and has allowed America to fall. The church has drifted away from it's Biblical foundation and therefore America is off of it's Biblical foundation as well. The church has allowed the culture to influence it instead of it influencing the culture.

The church has gotten too involved in worldly pursuits. It has been more concerned with jobs, money, things and activities than the things of God. It has been too busy with our worldly pursuits to be involved in Bible study, prayer, worship, visitation, witnessing or ministry.

The church used to be the center of the community. The church was the place to go if you needed help but years ago the church ceded that job to the government.

Sunday used to be the day for church. Businesses were closed on Sunday because Christians didn't work or shop on Sunday. On Wednesday, businesses would close early for church on Wednesday night. Little league sports were not played on Sunday or Wednesday. But little by little businesses found that if they stayed open Christians would come.

The church used to go out and visit people in the community. They would visit people who were new in the community, people who didn't attend church, the sick, the elderly and those who had not been to church in a while. The church no longer does this and therefore has lost major influence in the community.

The church used to spend time in sincere Bible study. Now you show up on Sunday morning listen to a preacher tell you what the Bible says and then go out to eat, without ever studying to find out if what you have been told is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Preachers used to preach the whole truth. That included preaching on sin and hell and if they stepped on someone's toes, so be it. In fact to some degree they enjoyed stepping on toes. Not because they were mean but just the opposite, they loved people and would rather step on their toes than for one to be lost. Preachers today only preach the feel-good topics. They are afraid of stepping on toes. Too many of them are more concerned with their livelihood than the lost going to hell. The Christian leaders of today and for decades now have allowed their members to slack off without calling them out on it. The leaders used to encourage the members to be doing God's work and if necessary chastising them if they didn't do what they should.

Wednesday night used to be devoted to prayer it was an hour or hours of sincere prayer. Prayer is a tool and a weapon that the church has voluntarily laid down and walked away from.

The church used to be concerned about sin. Christians used to work at living a godly and holy life. Today if you try to call out sin you are shouted down, not by unbelievers but by "Christians" who call you legalistic. We have gotten away from the biblical standards and now sin is an ambiguous word with virtually no definition. Now you can call yourself a Christian and live almost any lifestyle that you choose. At least you can according to many "churches" but not according to the whole Bible.

America was founded by Christians and started on a biblical foundation but the church has allowed a minority to take prayer out of schools, legalize the murder of unborn children, remove the 10 Commandments from government buildings, remove crosses and remove nativities. The church has allowed the godless to teach our children that God didn't create the world it just happened, teach them about sex, that sex is good at any age, they have taught our children not to try to have any sexual restraint and now they are teaching them homosexuality. Anything Christian is despised and rejected in the school systems but now it's okay for them to teach our children Islam.

So what happened to the church?

We "freed" ourselves. We told ourselves that we are "free from the law" and we essentially freed ourselves from all biblical foundation and responsibility. If there is any hope left in America we must get the church back on its biblical foundation. As Jesus said to the church of Ephesus "remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works: or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent."

It is time, or way past time for the church to repent!

It is time for the church to get back to being the church!

It is time for the church to get back to being the truth the way and the light!

Let's get back to believing the whole Bible and stop trying to find excuses for disobeying God.

Let's separate ourselves from the world. Stop spending our time and our money pursuing bigger houses, newer vehicles etc. etc. etc. and start doing what God has called us to do.

Let's stop watching ungodly sinful things on TV and in the movies and start spending time in God's word.

Let's stop building our personal kingdoms and start building God's kingdom – the only kingdom that matters.

Let's stop worrying over worldly things and start grieving over spiritual things.

Let's stop spending hours entertaining ourselves in front of a video screen and start spending hours in prayer talking with God about things that really matter.

Let's sacrifice our wants for others' needs.

Let's get so close to God that we are compelled to tell others instead of being afraid to tell others.

Let's be so in awe and admiration of God that we just can't help but worship Him.

Let us be so full of the Holy Spirit that we can do all of these things, and even more than we can imagine, by His power!