December 4, 2009
A NECESSARY ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Much of the Church in America has an attitude problem. Believers in other nations have noticed this and some have recently spoken to me concerning it. Much of this negative attitude stems from the way in which we view our nation and how we perceive things to be changing. In our frustration and fear, we apply God’s dealings with Israel as recorded in Scripture to America in a manner inconsistent with an accurate understanding of both history and the Scriptures.
America is not biblical Israel. Significant differences apply. Israel became a divine monarchy whose king held absolute power. America was founded as a democracy in which ultimate power resides in the people. The only religion God permitted in ancient Israel was Judaism. National government could not be separated from Israel's national faith. By contrast, America’s constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” In other words, unlike biblical Israel, there would be no state religion or church. While Israel was a single people with a religion, a territory and a king all bound up together, America is a secular state within which the church exists independently. Israel was a race of people chosen to deliver the revelation of the living God as recorded in the Scriptures that we regard to be foundational to our faith. Obviously God has poured favor upon America, but we are not the chosen people and the Bible has already been written.
In spite of all this, we seem determined to apply Scriptures to America that clearly applied to biblical Israel in a historical context quite unlike our own. America is not Israel. Neither is America the Church. The United States is not the chosen people. God will not therefore deal with America’s sins in the same way that He dealt with the sins of Israel. For instance, God often allowed Israel’s enemies to prosper despite their idolatry and cruelty until the time came to judge them. Judgment came most often not for their immorality, but for their treatment of God’s people. Pharaoh in Egypt prospered until it was time to deal with him concerning his treatment of God’s people as slaves. Zechariah 1:15 says of Babylon, the agent of His judgment on Israel, "But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.” Until that time, Babylon thrived. Rome prospered in spite of rampant immorality and corruption until the time came to judge the empire for centuries of persecution of Christians, as the Book of Revelation so clearly illustrates.
God will not judge America for its immorality in the same way that He judged Israel for theirs – at least not for some time yet. China, for instance, has murdered many more children through abortion than has America, and yet their economy grows at 9% per annum. Europe, dotted with empty churches, far surpasses America for various forms of immorality, and yet God allows that continent to continue to prosper. Ultimately, like all great empires before it, America will be judged primarily for how it treats God’s people rather than for whether or not its unbelieving population acts like believers. The Church in turn will be judged on the basis of its faithfulness to God or lack thereof because, unlike America, the Church truly is His people.
America once stood as a predominantly Christian nation, but for many decades the landscape has been gradually changing until our current president has stated confidently that America is NOT a Christian nation. Many of us have taken offense at that statement, but there is a difference between historical facts from a day gone by and the reality of the present era. Concerning the spiritual and moral state of America in 2009, Obama told the truth, unpleasant as it may be to hear it.
America has been a democracy, but we are now clearly heading toward some forms of socialism. Personal freedoms, such as the freedom to choose NOT to purchase health insurance, stand in danger of being eroded. Our position as the dominant world power faces serious threats that inspire fear in the hearts of Americans. America's ethnic mix is shifting and many now coming to America do not share the Christian faith. All of this feeds a kind of prophetic/apocalyptic frenzy born of fear and the sense that we believers are losing power and influence in an increasingly non-Christian society. Too often we respond in anger, judgment and fear-mongering. Because we American Christians feel that we’re losing ground we once held, many of us have turned to railing judgments and prophecies of impending doom. Often we call it prophetic and claim to speak such things in the name of the Lord.
All of this, however, resonates a defeatist attitude rather than the victorious Spirit of the Kingdom of God. In the worst of times the apostle John wrote, "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11). We are a people of victory, not defeat.
In Bible times and in the early church God’s people often faced antagonistic governments and lived in the midst of hostile cultures. In these situations our scriptural heroes responded not with bitterness but with blessing, using their spiritual gifts to serve and benefit the cruel, idolatrous pagan kings under whom they served. Daniel used his prophetic gifts to benefit Nebuchadnezzar. As a result he was granted position in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom second only to Nebuchadnezzar himself. Generations prior to Daniel, and even while unjustly imprisoned, Joseph used his gifts to interpret godless Pharaoh’s dream and prescribe a course of action to deliver Egypt from famine. His service to Pharaoh won him position and influence as the most powerful man in Egypt. Even David served his enemy King Saul and refused to kill or dishonor him when given the chance. Or consider the utter absence of any railing against Rome’s evils in the words of Jesus. When baited to do so, He respectfully replied, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).
Here is the prophetic call. Most of us who call ourselves evangelical or charismatic Christians don’t like the direction the country has taken under the current government, but we have mostly ourselves to blame for how things have turned out. Our strident, judgmental, angry and unloving tone alienated the electorate and helped to bring this current government to power. Lovelessness – or the perception of it - lost us credibility in our culture and with it, our voice. We can begin to recover what we have lost by seeking an attitude adjustment, by adopting a blessing stance, by coming out of fear and a sense of loss to stand on the certain knowledge that we are a people of the kingdom of God entrusted with the powers of heaven to be administered in the character of Jesus our Lord.
As a people we must change our tone while those of us in position to do so must ask God how we can serve this “king” as Joseph and Daniel served theirs. If we will do this, we will find ourselves once again sought after for the wisdom only the godly possess. As the current approach to government fails – and it will – we will find ourselves in positions of influence, not as the enemy, but as those with godly answers, full of humility, ready to serve and known for the love our Savior commanded us to demonstrate.
(Prophetic
Moments is an occasional bulletin produced by
Pastor R. Loren Sandford, New
Song Fellowship, Denver, Colorado.)
To view VIDEOS of teaching at
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AUDIO CDs of messages by Pastor R. Loren Sandford, preached at New Song Fellowship, Denver, Colorado can be purchased by clicking HERE.
To view VIDEOS of teaching at
New Song go to our home page by clicking HERE. When
you get there, scroll down to VIDEO AND AUDIO.AUDIO CDs of messages by Pastor R. Loren Sandford, preached at New Song Fellowship, Denver, Colorado can be purchased by clicking HERE.
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