Tho'ts On Matters of Faith

I believe our country, that once magnanimous and majestic United States of America, has formally and finally turned her back on her roots, religion, and reason.  I do not mean that everyone in the US has done this - that is obvious.  But the powers that move our nation have done so.  The media, the government, corporations, and the health care industry are presenting a united front and saying in their hearts, "There is no God."  Our children are being raised to believe that religion is for the immature, the softer of heart, or the simple-minded.

 

Our courts do not protect our constitutional rights as Americans to practice our faith in public.  Our communities are not allowed to unite in faith, having no freedom to recognize God.  I believe the ACLU would declare themselves "God" if they could get away with it, and force the rest of us to submit to their folly. 

 

The Southern Baptist Convention (the national meeting of cooperating churches who call themselves Southern Baptists) has revealed that churches are doing all they can to "hold their own" when it comes to leading Americans to a saving knowledge and life commitment to Jesus Christ (evidenced by the number of baptisms).  While the population of America is growing, the number of baptisms is remaining steady each year.  That means, mathematically, that we are losing ground.  More Americans are being born in the world and and fewer being born from Above.  Why is that?

 

I believe it is because the majority of Americans have bought into the lie that religion is just a hobby, not a genuine relationship with the Living God through Jesus Christ.  Hearts have hardened to the gospel.  It's understandable since there seems to be so little difference between those who "go to church" and those who don't.  Their political views may be different (but certainly not always, since there are those who try to justify sin using the Scriptures and those who shun sin based on the Scriptures), but their daily lives are not different: they are still greedy (grabbing for quick cash through the lottery among other things), still sensual (hooked on pornography and practicing all sorts of Biblically prohibited sexual activities), still murderous (killing their unborn by abortion and their elderly by "euthanasia"), and still stingy (as offerings continue to decline per capita across the country).  If this is the response of the religious, why bother?  It can't be true.  Why listen?  And with so many different religions to choose from, who's to say one is the truth? Or is there any truth to begin with?  Ah, how we Christians have muddied the waters, confused the masses, and estranged our fellow countrymen. 

 

The hope for spiritual turn-around in our country rests not just with the more focused spread of the gospel, but rests with more holy, righteous living by those who are sharing the gospel.  We are losing our voice by giving up our faith where it matters most - where the rubber meets the road - our personal lives.  Our actions really do speak louder than words.  What gospel are you living?