the basic message #E720
2/27/10
I would imagine I've lost quite a few readers over the years. Why? The answer is quite simple- I seem to have gravitated to one central theme in the 13 years I've been writing my weekly message. The subject of repentance has become first and foremost on my mind for the past few years- so much so that I find it difficult to write about anything else. Even if I write about current events like the Tiger Woods scandal, repentance is always lurking in my words. If my readership has dwindled, so be it. The mission of the modern American "mega church" is to preach a happy, uplifting message and send the congregation on their way. I could probably have ten times as many readers if I used the Joel Osteen method of speaking to people. But I'm not Joel Osteen, and the job God has given me is anything but pleasant. Unlike many messengers of God, my task convicts me daily of my own shortcomings. When I write about the sometimes extremely difficult task of repentance, I understand all too well what it takes to turn from a sinful life, since I'm working on this every day. Now right about now, some well-meaning person will say, "Well John, that's your problem, you don't have to work to be saved." And to that person, I will use a highly theological term: Baloney. Any Christian who believes a profession of faith is all it takes to be truly saved is sadly mistaken. The Bible is chocked full of stories about people who rebel against God and find out the hard way that God isn't playing around. He is in total and full control, although most people, even many Christians, don't believe that.
Turn on the news today and try to fathom the enormity of human suffering in the world. The situation in Haiti. War. Wildfires and mudslides. Floods, tornados and record snowfall. Does anyone reading this believe that God isn't controlling these situations? Some silly Christians have been brainwashed into believing that anything bad comes from Satan and anything good comes from God. The cosmic "good cop, bad cop" theory won't hold water, folks. I don't know too much about world news, but since I live in America, I have a pretty good idea about the problems of our country. Millions of Americans are without jobs, tens of thousands have lost their homes through foreclosure. Millions have no health insurance, and may not know where their next meal is coming from. Cancer ravages our population. New diseases and maladies seem to pop up regularly. Is God trying to get our attention?
When the recession started a couple of years ago, I told a friend of mine that I'd be willing to sacrifice part of my own bank account if America would repent. Let me explain. When the stock market started to tumble and when our economy began to slide, I realized I would be affected like everyone else. Was I worried? Sure, and I still am, but I made a personal decision that the souls of millions of people were certainly worth more than my own retirement. Think about it- if you were given the choice to comfortably retire at 65 or work the rest of your life, which would you choose? We'd certainly like to retire and enjoy life, right? But if sacrificing my retirement savings would allow millions of people to come to the Lord and be saved, how could I not make that decision? And by the way, if you're too selfish to make the same decision, you might need to re-examine your Salvation.
Just what does American need to repent of, anyway? Plenty. The quickest way to understand where America's priorities are grounded is to turn on the TV. Fox News, for the most part, bashes anything that's not right-wing propaganda. MSNBC, on the other hand, bashes anything that is right-wing based. Quite frankly, I've grown weary of both. I'm sick and tired of the constant sniping and negativity. And you might think you'd get a break when you watch commercials. Who spends the most on Superbowl advertising? In many cases, beer companies. We have literally hundreds, if not thousands of choices in beer types. Make no mistake- there has to be profit in that practice or you wouldn't see it happening. Viagra, and its competitors, have convinced American men that they should be ready for every possible opportunity. Watch the Bounty paper towel commercials and you'll see kids having food fights and generally messing up their homes like little heathens, and then comes a smiling mom cleaning up the mess with Bounty paper towels. Febreeze has convinced us that we don't need to worry about keeping our homes tidy- we just need to spray a little of their product to cover up the stench of unclean living. And last, but not least, the credit card companies routinely remind us that we "deserve" stuff right now- no need to wait until we have the money to buy things. America is the great addict of the world: Alcohol, drugs, easy credit, materialism, sex, and having things tailored to us.
So how does God view America? Some foolish Christians really do believe God loves America. Republicans were up-in-arms after Obama's former pastor was seen preaching the infamous "God-damn America" sermon. If anyone would have gotten past the immediate shock of hearing a pastor utter that line, they might have gained a little understanding as to what Jeremiah Wright was unsuccessfully trying to say. God is quite unhappy with America, and for good reason. God has blessed American for hundreds of years, but instead of us appreciating his generosity and paying God the respect he deserves, we simply hold our hands out for more. When God doesn't deliver, you never hear anyone say, "Well, I'm thankful for the 30 years God blessed me." Nope, it's always, "Woe is me, what am I going to do?" We need to crawl out of our increasing American self-pity and look around the world and see how other people have lived for centuries. Even on our worst days America is still a wonderful place to live. Do you really think anyone ever starves in America?
God have given America a message. He's tired of abortion. He's tired of American materialism. We can call it capitalism all we want, but our selfishness needs to be called what it is- greed. God is tired of our constant pursuit of "freedom". When American freedoms interfere with the instructions God has given us, our freedoms need to be set aside. I was in a Wal-Mart a couple of years ago, and a scummy individual was walking to the parking lot with a T-shirt that said, in large letters, "F--- You". Yes, he has the freedom to wear such filth, but is that freedom appropriate? A congressman has the freedom to stand up and tell the President "You lie!", but is that the kind of country we want to live in? A discouraged American can fly his small plane into an IRS building and kill people and destroy property, but is that the kind of country you want to call home? God is watching our activity, and he's not a happy camper. I long for the Old Testament days where God spoke through prophets and the people actually listened. But God of 2010 remains silent. Or does he? I think God is indeed speaking to us each day, but we fail to hear the message. God desperately wants America to return to him and be obedient. Will we?
We're a nation that's always waiting for an official program before we do anything. What are you doing as an individual American Christian to push our country back towards the Lord? When you return to work Monday morning, you are provided with many, many opportunities to promote real Christian values, not the perverted, contrived "American Conservative" hogwash that so many Americans believe is truly Godly. Let's start with work ethic. I know one "Conservative American" who spends most of his work day sending out anti-Obama email and promoting radical right-wing propaganda. What kind of Christian doesn't do his assigned work? I constantly hear the most foul language in the work place. It used to be men who talked that way, but it's certainly not unusual to hear women use raunchy language. Is that a Christian trait? I've heard two Obama jokes this past week that were truly racist. If anyone is called to be color-blind, it's Christians. If you don't like Obama's policies, fine, but leave the race issue out of it. And when lunch time rolls around, does a Christian man eat at Hooters, which makes no apology for exploiting the sexuality of their servers? What about the Christians who are protesting red-light cameras as "entrapment". If you run red-lights, you need to get tickets. If you speed, you need to get tickets. Just because you are a selfish driver shouldn't put my personal safety in jeopardy. And as long as we're on the subject of selfishness, let's not forget all of our American preoccupations. If you need to be doing chores around the house, put off that golf game until next weekend. If you have children, go out in the yard and play ball with them instead of screaming at a television broadcasting a ball game. If you're behind in your mortgage, maybe it was foolish to put $5000 on a credit card to go see the Saints play in the Superbowl. "Oh, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity". Need I say more?
American needs to repent, but I'm a big boy and I know we won't. We will spend huge amounts of effort to convince ourselves that we are God's chosen people and that no matter what we do, God will simply pat us on the head and say, "Well, Americans will be Americans". By the time you find out I'm right, it may be too late.