Summer time is a patriotic time. On Memorial Day we celebrate the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country and we celebrate our nation’s birth on the 4th of July. It is truly great to be an American.
I am a patriot. I love the United States of America. I thank God that I was born in this country. I am thankful for the men and women that gave their lives to defend our freedom. As of late, I have a problem. I can’t recognize the country that I love. It is as if someone was able to take the country I love and replace it with one I don’t recognize. Our country is plagued with civil unrest, racial tension and the current sexual revolution. As a Pastor, I have to ask myself what can I and my church do to reclaim the country we love. There are no easy answers, but the suggestions below are a good place to start:
1. Pray
This should be the starting place for every American believer. We have access to the power of God through prayer. In Ephesians, chapter 1, Paul is praying for the Ephesian believers when he writes,
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21
Pray often, specific, and passionate prayers to the only One that brings lasting change and revival to our great country.
2. Get Ready and Stay Informed
In all likeliness it is going to get worse before it gets better. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Paul describes the terrible time in the last days:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
These verses, though written long ago, describe the days we are living in. This is no time for “Casual Christianity.” It is time for the Church of Jesus to be ready and informed to be change agents in our society. One place I turn to keep informed about current events is a daily podcast entitled, The Briefing, by Dr. Albert Mohler. Dr. Mohler informs the listener about current news issues from a Christian worldview. He is insightful and does an amazing service to the Christian community by helping Christian leaders and believers interpret the times we live. Try it out at www.albertmohler.com
3. Take a Stand and Speak the Truth in Love
This is not time for believers in Jesus Christ to be silent. Some of the problems we see in our culture today are caused by the church being silent too long. Once we understand what is happening in our culture we must know the truth contained in the Word of God and speak up for what is right. Read how Jesus prayed for His disciples and for us.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:15-19
In Ephesian 4:15, Paul writes about the attitude we should have as we stand for that which is true:
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Taking a stand for the truth and communicating that truth in a loving manner is a power tool in the hand of our Heavenly Father. While we may not recognize the land that we love, we can be part of the solution. God is not done with the United States of America. We are still “One Nation under God.”
This article by Sean Vickers originally appeared in The Dalhart Texan.