The following was my July 4th post:
Looking at the church in America as a whole, and relative to the accuracy and consistency of the preaching of the gospel from its pulpits, or lack thereof, the power that the church has and therefore its restraining power against evil will be evident. If this be the case, that the restraining power is the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then America will collapse in direct correlation to that weakened gospel message that has been the staple preached to the people. Consequently, as we have seen, evil flourishes in America....evidenced in the chaos in our streets, in our government, and in our lives.
Our response to what we have observed in America over the past few decades....rampant Marxism in government....the attempted and succeeding destruction of the family....violence and hedonism everywhere....and total abject chaos in media and our educational system....has been to fight evil through politics which can only plug leaks in the dam that is about to break.
Making matters even worse, previous to the November 8th election we were more than concerned and humbled to a certain degree, but the election 'victory' diminished that concern and basically eliminated any humility we may have had...actually replacing it with a certain profane arrogance. In other words, although we temporarily halted the Marxist assault on our economy and the Communist purge of our values, we remain powerless to change our course and thus our condition is essentially worse!
The name of Jesus is spoken in the pulpits of America literally every week but it has become just a name. The glory has departed from the American pulpit and sanctuary, replaced by a watered-down easy-believism that attempts to comfort and entertain. Growth is the goal and that demands no discomfort whatsoever. Doctrine....which is just another word for truth....has become synonymous with discord and division. With no doctrine there is no truth and therefore no power...which means that the increasing evils in our society demonstrate the true growth accomplished by the church growth movement.
My hope all along has been that we would humble ourselves before our God before His judgments upon America reach their apex. Without a faithful pulpit that will not happen. Lord's Day after Lord's Day passes with no discernible awakening in our pulpits. This will change. With God's mercy it will be soon.....but if we get what we deserve it will be after the fact of judgment.
Others may dismiss what I write here but if you have read this far then you still have concern. A winnowing is ahead. The overall church is in such disarray and has departed so drastically from the very Word of God that a winnowing must come that will be difficult for even the strongest and most faithful. Does God hear prayer? You and I both know the answer to that. Pray for Him to be with us through this winnowing....pray for faithful and strong pastors....maybe God will yet restore some of that restraining force that brought us to another Independence Day.
Note: After posting this a thought came to mind about a novelty song that surprisingly made its way to #1 on the American Pop charts in December 1966. The song was Winchester Cathedral. Since the writer and producer had an accidental #1 hit, they figured they better have a group associated with it so The New Vaudeville Band was created. The lyrics are interesting even as they pertain to this post.....I changed them just a little bit...and the title of my version would be....Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
God left town.
You could have done something
But you didn't try
You didn't do nothing
You let Him walk by.
.
Looking at the church in America as a whole, and relative to the accuracy and consistency of the preaching of the gospel from its pulpits, or lack thereof, the power that the church has and therefore its restraining power against evil will be evident. If this be the case, that the restraining power is the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then America will collapse in direct correlation to that weakened gospel message that has been the staple preached to the people. Consequently, as we have seen, evil flourishes in America....evidenced in the chaos in our streets, in our government, and in our lives.
Our response to what we have observed in America over the past few decades....rampant Marxism in government....the attempted and succeeding destruction of the family....violence and hedonism everywhere....and total abject chaos in media and our educational system....has been to fight evil through politics which can only plug leaks in the dam that is about to break.
Making matters even worse, previous to the November 8th election we were more than concerned and humbled to a certain degree, but the election 'victory' diminished that concern and basically eliminated any humility we may have had...actually replacing it with a certain profane arrogance. In other words, although we temporarily halted the Marxist assault on our economy and the Communist purge of our values, we remain powerless to change our course and thus our condition is essentially worse!
The name of Jesus is spoken in the pulpits of America literally every week but it has become just a name. The glory has departed from the American pulpit and sanctuary, replaced by a watered-down easy-believism that attempts to comfort and entertain. Growth is the goal and that demands no discomfort whatsoever. Doctrine....which is just another word for truth....has become synonymous with discord and division. With no doctrine there is no truth and therefore no power...which means that the increasing evils in our society demonstrate the true growth accomplished by the church growth movement.
My hope all along has been that we would humble ourselves before our God before His judgments upon America reach their apex. Without a faithful pulpit that will not happen. Lord's Day after Lord's Day passes with no discernible awakening in our pulpits. This will change. With God's mercy it will be soon.....but if we get what we deserve it will be after the fact of judgment.
Others may dismiss what I write here but if you have read this far then you still have concern. A winnowing is ahead. The overall church is in such disarray and has departed so drastically from the very Word of God that a winnowing must come that will be difficult for even the strongest and most faithful. Does God hear prayer? You and I both know the answer to that. Pray for Him to be with us through this winnowing....pray for faithful and strong pastors....maybe God will yet restore some of that restraining force that brought us to another Independence Day.
Note: After posting this a thought came to mind about a novelty song that surprisingly made its way to #1 on the American Pop charts in December 1966. The song was Winchester Cathedral. Since the writer and producer had an accidental #1 hit, they figured they better have a group associated with it so The New Vaudeville Band was created. The lyrics are interesting even as they pertain to this post.....I changed them just a little bit...and the title of my version would be....Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
God left town.
You could have done something
But you didn't try
You didn't do nothing
You let Him walk by.
.
