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My family and I spent Thanksgiving with my mother in Columbia, SC. It was only my second visit to her new home in West Columbia. My prior visit was for my younger brother’s funeral in September 2005. On this visit, I realized the significance of where my mother’s home was located. A quarter of a mile away stands a church building where significant spiritual moments occurred in my life.
This building once housed a small Baptist congregation that had a major impact on my life as a new Christian. Consider these spiritual markers in my life that took place in this building.
Fall 1984 – a small group of Christians begin praying for young freshman engineering student from the University of South Carolina. They began to pray for my salvation even though they had never met me.
October 1985 – I was baptized in a make-shift baptismal tank. It was made of plywood and plastic and was located behind the building. It was a cool October morning when I was baptized.
Winter 1985-86 – I sensed the Spirit of God beginning to call me to the gospel ministry. It occurred during a morning worship service.
Spring 1989 – Preached my first sermon here during an adult Sunday school class. The text was 1 Corinthians 12:7-10.
July 1993 – The church ordained me to the gospel ministry and formally sets Lori and me apart to serve the Lord.
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 1 Timothy 4:14-15 ( NKJV )
Here are some great quotes concerning vision from Jerry Falwell:
“Do not try to implement God’s vision. God is always right on time. There are no panic buttons near the throne. The Holy Trinity has never gone into emergency session. Everything is under control and going according to plan.”
“Vision never allows you the luxury of discouragement.”
[Note: I have really wrestled with whether or not I should write a post about the election. But in light of some things that I am hearing among God's people, I thought that I needed to share some ramblings from the West Branch.]
“NERO BECOMES EMPEROR!!! Followers of the Way React.” It is interesting that there is no evidence that such headlines ever existed or even matter in the early church. Yet almost 2,000 years later, the election of the leader of the most powerful nation in the world has drawn an ugly reaction from some in the church.
In the last two days, I have witnessed an amazing paradox. I have seen civility on the part of unbelievers, whether they voted for the president-elect or not, and ugliness on the part of Christians. In fact, the ugliness has been rather “over the top.”
In the last few days, I have been told that “pastors will be arrested for their sermons like the pastor in Sweden.” I have seen outright prejudice exhibited among some. I have seen people discussing that “there will probably be an assassination.” I have heard more than enough talk about the antichrist.
I have met numerous people over the past eight years that were very passionate about their opposition to our current president. I have heard them speak of the need for impeachment. But I have never heard the ugliness that I am now seeing expressed by those who claim to be the followers of Jesus Christ.
As I have looked at the downright sin of God’s people, the ugliness that is being exhibited by those who attend our churches is a direct result of the actions and words of Christian leaders. Here are some observations:
1. Leaders have not been careful with their rhetoric.
The “argument from the extreme” is a tool that works well in raising the passions and emotions of people towards an issue. The problem with this methodology is the fact that “rhetorical reality” is not necessarily real life. The average person in the pew is having a hard time telling the difference between the two. Thus we are hearing outrageous predictions being made as if they are indeed fact.
2. Leaders have given lip service to the supremacy of Christ.
Theologically we believe that God is sovereign and that he alone sets up rulers (Romans 13:1 ). Yet practically we have been living otherwise. In fact, we have become convinced that our only hope is in the political process. Therefore most believers have aligned themselves with a political party that has recently lost credibility on the moral level. The unbelieving segment of our country views the church as a wing of that party. We are seen as a political movement.
3. Leaders have missed the “Big Picture.”
All of life is moving to the great and glorious moment when Jesus Christ will return to establish His kingdom. Until that great moment, the church has been given the responsibility to make disciples of all nations. Yet in North America, the church has lost sight of the “big picture” and focused its attention and energy on the culture wars. Standing on the issues of morality is important. But showing the supremacy and glory of Christ in His church supersedes everything else.
4. Leaders have neglected the purity of the church.
Much of the ugliness that is being displayed by God’s people is a direct result of an attitude of moral superiority. The church stands in judgment of the sins of our culture, while turning a blind eye to its own sin. Study after study and poll after poll continue to reveal that the only difference in the lifestyles of believers and unbelievers is church attendance. We are just as likely to engage in immoral activity as an unbeliever. Yet we neglect that reality and judge others. Thus we feel that we have a right to be ugly and demonize those that we disagree with.
I am grieved by what I am seeing. I am also aware that there is no easy solution to our ugliness. I can only brace myself for the continuing fallout that the church will experience among unbelievers in our nation. We are losing credibility fast and for the large part the church does not seem to care.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (Romans 13:1 NKJV)
