Christian Americans: Quit Being Lukewarm!
It is no great revelation to claim that America is drifting further and further from God. In a country where Christian faith once influenced the society, we have become secular across the board, only allowing faith to be proclaimed on Sundays in church or privately within one’s home. Expressions of faith in the public square are frowned upon, ridiculed or persecuted. Faith no longer plays a role in shaping mainstream & popular culture. In short, we have become lukewarm.
As has been seen countless times in the Old Testament, God’s people reap what they sow, and bring destruction upon themselves following periods where faith wavers. Some view this as punishment from God, perhaps, but it is the natural and predictable result of going it alone, ignoring the inner call to seek God in a truthful manner.
Therefore, we have become a country divided in as many ways as we can come up with, race, sexual preference, economic status; the list goes on and on. Anxiety, depression and various forms of mental illness run rampant. As a whole, we are quickly becoming a people with whole segments that cannot function or flourish.
This is not a cultural battle, but a spiritual one. America is in the midst of a war of religions. The soul of the country is at stake. Will biblical teachings hold sway, or will America descend deeper into its worship of various gods: science, power, fame or politics.
The Foundations of the United States of America
The United States as a country was founded on a radical premise. The government should serve the people and not the other way around. It was also configured around The Constitution, a collection of indisputable, defining principles that would serve as the uniting, highest law of the land. This constitution was based on Judeo-Christian values, acknowledging freedoms and rights given by The Creator, not able to be redefined by human beings. They were purposeful not to create a theocracy, thereby allowing for freedom of or from religion, because free will was to be cherished and defended. This itself aligns with God’s embrace of free will as being critical to being created in his image.
By doing so, the people of the United States became a covenantal people, and our nation has enjoyed blessings, prosperity, and protection from our Creator. This, in turn, is conditional that we as a people keep and honor these Judeo-Christian values, and that we live in accordance with our faith, and our constitution.
Society has turned away from God
Just like the Israelites in the Old Testament, when things were going well, we forgot about God. Our success has led to a false reliance upon ourselves. In ignorant bliss, we ignore God – until something goes wrong that we cannot fix. We applaud the freedom aspects of our constitution, while ignoring our responsibility to live properly and in accordance with our God above. We do what we want and scoff at rules or guidelines, crying out, “Don’t tell us what to do!” Comfort is king, Truth is relative, morality be damned. We are indeed becoming a selfish, stiff-necked people.
This is not to say that everyone is like this and that all faith is lost, but such as these have defined the mainstream culture for a while now. Media, education, and entertainment are rich with this false and destructive spirit. Even institutions like law, justice and religious denominations are crumbling in the wake.
We are indeed a lost flock, wandering around while turning further from God. We are free and wealthy compared to the rest of the world, but at the same time anxious, depressed, and dissatisfied. We can’t figure out that the God-shaped void can’t be filled with earthly treasures and temporary pleasures. We lack self-worth, self-respect, and often have no respect for life whatsoever.
Leadership & Government
Our leaders in government by and large are there for their own power and wealth, and not for the good of the people. What remains of the constitution is largely ignored or twisted. We allow and encourage this by electing the same people over and over for decades, as long as through their power they provide some goodies for us. We delight in the “Us vs. Them” constructs because it gives us a false sense of righteousness.
Luckily, not everyone in politics is like this. We must find those who support the Constitution and Christian values and raise them up. We need Christian politicians who are not afraid to let their faith shine and guide, despite the secular outcry. It really does start from the top – we need true faithful leadership, even on a scale as large as a country.
Consider the King of Niveveh’s reaction when Jonah brought God’s warning of impending doom to his city:
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.
Jonah 3:1-9
What would happen today if we had leaders with such humility and repentance, and acknowledgement of the Word of God? Perhaps through such leadership people would follow this example, as they did in the days of Ninevah.
A Message to the Christian Lost Flock
In the meantime, life on this earth is short, and we cannot wait around for such leadership when our own individual salvation is on the line. God desires an intimate relationship with each one of us, and we build the Kingdom of God through our own actions and intents. It grows quickly when it happens in one accord in Christ Jesus.
Consider God’s message to the fledgling Church in Laodicea, Syria:
I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore, I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
Revelation 3:15-19
Being lukewarm in our faith drives God crazy. Riches and earthly contentment can lull us to sleep in letting our relationship with him fade. The Holy Spirit does not dwell within us to do nothing. We must submit to the Spirit and use the gifts and talents that he provides specifically for us. As Christians, we should be on fire with the spirit. Our faith should be evident to those around us just by the way we live our lives. Being too comfortable and fitting in perfectly in this society should be warning signs that we are slipping in our journey with God. The way things are these days, we should be different and awkward in some way. We cannot simply conform to this world; we need to quit being lukewarm.
There is much to do for us Christians. As people who have been baptized and confirmed, we know the Holy Spirit; we are children of God. As it is written in Jerimiah,
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Jerimiah 1:5
Are you unaware that you have been appointed as priest, prophet and king, in the image of the Father and through the salvation of Jesus Christ? Wake from your slumber and get moving with the tasks that God has called you to do! Most Christians no not attend Weekly Services or Mass regularly – they are too tired or busy; it just isn’t important enough. Most Catholics do not attend Mass anymore, thereby declining the invitation to partake in the very nourishment of the Body and Blood of Christ that they profess is True Presence! What could be more important? If only the churches were as full every day as on Christmas and Easter. It’s time to repent and make God the utmost priority in our lives.
If we are tepid about this, or feel unworthy, remember that God’s love is unwavering – he is always more than ready to take us back. He is the Good Shepherd that will search for the one lost sheep and leave the other 99 in the flock. He is the loving Father of the Prodigal son who runs to meet him upon first sight of his return. God’s love is infinite and perfect – we need not be afraid, but humbly grateful.
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isiah 43:1
Conclusion
It is true that we all fall short – we all need a savior. Not one of us can offer up our own righteousness as a key to heaven. Therefore, we all need to return to Christ in one accord across this great country. In doing so, we can reshape this culture and begin to turn things around. The benefits of living a Godly life are peace, joy and prosperity, even in the midst of our trials and problems. This is true on a individual level, as well as for whole societies.
So how do we serve the Lord? There is nothing that we can offer that God doesn’t already have except for our love and obedience, and our relationship with him. But he has also made it clear that to serve him is to serve others. We are to see the face of Jesus in all of those that we encounter, even those that we can’t stand – maybe especially those people. The key is to love others and make our wants and needs secondary. Selfishness is not the way. We need to follow the example set by Jesus in how he lived his life, if we are to claim to be Christians.
So let us double down in our faith and in growing our relationship with God. Let’s get to creating a better future for ourselves and for the United States of America!
