Posted on 09/14/2001 12:37:08 AM PDT by farmer18th
I consider myself a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, but for the last six years my family and I have not attended regular worship of any sort in any church. Tonight I was reminded why.
We live in a fairly conservative small town with quite a few churches of every conceivable stripe--Catholic, Episcopalean, Methodist, Presbyterean, Reformed, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, and a whole slew of Baptists. I shouldn't forget the Pentacostals and the Calvary Chapel folks either, along with the Four Square group and the Community Churches.
You want churches. We got them.
Tonight the largest churches responded to the request for prayer by inviting us all to one sanctuary. When I walked in the chapel, a large screen reflected a picture of the American flag with a superimposed image of multi-racial hands held up in prayer. We all started by singing the familiar lines, "long may our land be bright, with freedom's holy light." There were at least 900 people in the room, and the sound of all those voices got me a littly misty. I thought there might be something to this.
But then the pastors trotted up to the pulpit one by one. The first was a Baptist of some sort, and perhaps a former police officer. He asked us to pray for all those who were risking their lives to save the wounded this week. Of course that's a worthy request, and we all prayed in unison and then in small groups. I happen to believe that all of the victims of this week's tragedy are worthy of our prayers, not just those who serve in uniform, but extending the pastor the benefit of the doubt and assuming he would agree, I added my "amen" to his prayer.
Then Catholic Priest #1 came up to the pulpit. What he uttered was so unoffensive, so chalky, so completely bald and benign and utterly OBVIOUS, that I have no honest recollection of what he said at all. His prayer was for the return of safety.
Catholic Priest #2 was an entirely different matter. He took his boney, sickly frame up to the pulpit along with two teenage violinists from his parish. (Is it just me or wouldn’t it be nice to see a Spencer Tracy style Catholic priest on occasion? A priest who could throw a punch if he wanted to?) Catholic Priest #2 started talking about the sin of anger, and how we all need to look inside ourselves and root out our own ill-will. The teenage violinists started in on cue as we were asked to cure ourselves of our hatred trough prayer. Psalm 139:23-24 was invoked:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
But, curiously, no mention is made of the two preceeding verses:
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
By this time, I was audibly responding in the negative, albeit in a polite whisper, to these “men of the cloth.” My wife was getting nervous when the Methodist got up to the pulpit and tried to crack a joke about worship styles. During a week when thousands of Americans have lost their lives to foreign zealots, it seemed peculiarly inappropriate, and he seemed to recognize his mistake. He got back to his topic of affirming our utter dependance upon God. Is it just me or is that such an obvious truth that a reasonable person might ask, “what of it? What are we supposed to do? What does He want us to do? Do you have any idea or do you just like wearing that priestly costume?”
Another Baptist got up to the pulpit, and while I was hoping for some ray of light from the torch-bearers of the reformation, what I got was this: “Nothing is so like humans as the desire for revenge and nothing is so little like God.”
“Good grief,” I said, making a few people turn around. “They have turned the Lord of Hosts into Barney the Dinosaur.”
The Baptist went on to remind us: “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” While these are indeed the words of Jesus, why are the rest of His words so inappropriate? Why aren’t we told about the braiding of the whip? (John 2:15) Why aren’t we told about the Christ who comes not to bring “peace but a sword?” (Mathew 10:34) Why aren’t we told about the “wrath of the Almighty God?” (Revelations 19:15). Why aren’t we told about the Jesus who calls a snake a snake. (Mathew 12). Why aren’t we told of the Paul who blinds the sorcerer? (Acts 13) Why aren’t we told of the Christ who tells us to sell our garment and buy a sword? (Luke 22:36).
Why? Because the virtues of courage and righteous indignation are out of vogue.
Next came the Nazarine. He seemed burdened by something. He insisted that the events of this week DEMANDED A RESPONSE. The congregation seemed to lunge forward in anticipation. Finally, someone was about to say something. He actually began to talk about sin. He talked about fathers taking responsibility in their homes. He talked about a good Christian having a ripple effect on his family, than his church, then his community, then his nation. He seemed to be aching to tell us about the great sins of our age, but he stopped short. He couldn’t seem to bring himself to mention abortion, divorce, homosexuality, adultery. He seemed to be hoping that we would get his drift. I felt a little sorry for him; at least he tried.
My cell phone rang. I left the sanctuary, calmed myself, then went back in, hoping for an audience with the Baptist pastor.
“I just used the words of Jesus,” he said, when I asked him why he didn't balance his message a bit more.
“Some of His words, “ I said. “You don’t have a right to give only half the record here. You don’t have the right to imply that Jesus wouldn’t approve of righteous anger.”
“You have to be careful with anger,” the pastor said. “You’ve got to make sure it’s from the Lord.”
“Pastor,” I said, looking him in the eye. “Take a precinct list sometime. Try calling some of these people on the phone. Try getting them out to a City Council meeting. Their problem isn’t anger. Their problem is apathy. To put it spiritual terms, their problem is sloth. There have been too many sermons on mercy. We’ve ‘mercied’ ourselves right into a culture full of divorce, drug use, and abortion.”
“Good point,” he said. “I’ll pray about it.”
Here’s to praying he does.
I believe events of our times, aka, 9-11, will be a further separating of the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. I believe revival is happening in America, but without proper direction from the Word of God, expounded by true men of God, the revival will lead only to a false religion, the One World religion, perhaps, and further deception.
I have had the same sort of experiences you described with churches and pastors. It is infuriating, depressing, and sickening by turns. Today I will attend a noontime prayer service at a church that I believe is headed by a true man of God, a political activist, and a man whose counsel is balanced with both justice and mercy, wisdom and innocence. Like you, I find myself retreating more and more from the churches of this world, but knowing more every day that I am indeed part of the Church on earth, headed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and destined for glory, despite our trials. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Second, if you bother to read the bible, an army is supposed to purify itself BEFORE battle. The day of prayer is a prayer for guidance before battle.
Clinton, for example, spoke emotionally and loudly, lobbed a few missles, then gave up and relied on the press for a distraction that the missles didn't work. W will pray, think, and then slowly and methodically arrange a plan to root out terrorism.
But of course, the same types that say ALL churches are full of money grabbing hypocrites won't see much good in prayer. After all, as Stalin said, how many divisions did the Pope have? (none, but he overthru Stalin anyway).
I see the events transpiring since 9-11 (and before that, in less obvious degree) moving us toward unification with other nations and governments, other economic powers, and with "peoples of all faiths" other than Islam, by necessity. Our Fed has sent $50B over to Europe. Our inactive stock exchange has impacted the entire world. The insurance industry and the building boom that is sure to follow this disaster all have their strong influence on the economy of all nations. The U.N. seemed a more obvious, threatening foe to many Americans. Now that we are in time of war emotions are outweighing logic and what people seem to WANT is unity in government, economic planning, and spiritual matters. I see the 10-horned beast emerging; I see the stage almost ready for the entrance of the Antichrist.
Why can't more SEE this? Why do they persist in believing, following, and even defending this 'tolerant' move toward One World religion? Why don't they fight the idea of that false and evil vision with as much fervor and patriotism as they have fought One World government through the U.N.? Perhaps it only breaks my heart. I had hoped to find more here at FR who could see it, and were willing to speak the truth about it...
I've heard there was a similar experience to the original poster's in my town, on the night of the bombing. They had a "special prayer service" that was opened by a MUSLIM! Can you believe the audacity of our idiot mayor to invite someone like that? And the Muslim talked about "not returning evil for evil..." RETCH!
Now suppose those murdered Americans were backed by a powerful government that cared about their deaths, and promised to avenge them.
The murderous movement, daughter of racist psuedo-science (eugenics), and sister to Naziism, is Planned Parenthood & Co., abortionists to the world. The Government that hears, and cares about, every silent scream of dismembered humanity, is the Triune God of the Bible.
An apocraphyl tale has someone telling Abe Lincoln, "Well, at least God is on our side," and Lincoln responding, "I worry more about whether we are on God's side."
God is merciful, chastizes those He loves, and His judgements are the redemptive path back towards sanity. I pray for national repentance, so that we may once more become a model to the world of how life can, and should be cherished. If we don't get the message on this trip behind the woodshed, however, how much louder will God need to shout next time?
I share your concern for what the Church is doing, but I can't believe that G-d is pleased with how you have handled it. For the sake of argument, let's say you are a true believer and your concern from the Church is from G-d Himself. How are you using that to help heal His bride if you simply pull away?
The Church is made of people and will always have its faults. And I have never met a Pastor who likes a Prophet, no matter how much he may say he does. But the Prophets don't have the right to simply pull out, no matter how much the odds appear stacked against them.
In other words, Elijah, quit sulking in your cave and get about the Lord's business. He has preserved a remnant.
Shalom.
Jesus prayed that we would all be one. Don't divide, unite. IMO: Your standard should be G-d's love, not your own personal grudge list of what makes a good Christian. G-d forgives, G-d heals, G-d redeems. G-d does not judge: He merely proclames the sentence that we pass upon ourselves.
Love the people next to you, even if they voted for Clinton or Whitman, even if they didn't vote, even if they gave their tax refunds back to the Treasury. Love them. Lord knows G-d does.
Everybody!
And they'll know we are Christians by our Love,
by our Love,
And they'll know we are Christians by our Love!
as all the unchurched laugh because they've seen how we eat each other
Shalom.
Justice... Some wonder whether your wish was not answered on Tuesday, at least for America. Answered with God's justice -- not human justice as we see it. I see your well-made points and scepticism. However, when one turns to the Old Testament, one sees again and again how God uses terrible people and enemy nations and armies to bring His people back to Him when they behave badly. He used "enemies" as instruments against His misbehaving people, and good people were annihilated along with the bad. As a nation and world leader, America has behaved badly in a multitude of ways. I would suggest that God expects more from us as a nation.
It is also true that many Christians, myself included, often forget at least one thing that all Christian religions agree on: that Jesus promises that belief in Him gives us everlasting life after this earthly life -- not happy and peaceful lives or even justice while we are here on earth. Did Jesus receive justice during His passion and crucifixion? Life after death: that is the Christian foundation built by Jesus. In sad times such as these, it is very easy to forget this.
On the surface, I understand your dismay at religious figures. Someone already aptly pointed out that they are only human. This, of course, is true. We also forget that Jesus' apostles were human, too. They doubted, couldn't understand, made mistakes, betrayed Jesus, didn't say the "right" things, etc... If one looks for ways to criticize any human figure, one will surely find them! We know that all religious communities have their "Judas" and even others who, in an attempt to broaden their followership, make their Church a country club. Some go further and may operate as if they are more interested in the trappings of money than in saving souls. The world has seen such scandals. I guess my point is that religious institutions cannot be perfect when humans populate them. Remember Jesus' own apostles... Yet, if you honestly search for one, you will find one that is comfortable to you. If you cannot or will not, then a stong, "personal" relationship with God and Jesus is alright with me.
What would you like the church to do? Which of these items that you want the church to do are things you do in your life? Are you doing things for this country that you think the church should do?
Why don't you stop pointing fingers and seek GODs will for you life at this time. I seriously doubt He wants you to be bashing churches whether the leadership is lacking or not.
God is in control. God is the creator of everything and He will use this tragic event to bring more souls into His Kingdom. May the Lord speak to your heart, may your heart be softened to His voice, and may you begin to glorify God. In Jesus name, our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer,
Sharon
Be encouraged, brother. By gathering with other believers in your home, you are exhibiting the only model of "ekklesia" (Greek for "called out ones") that is expressed in the New Testament.
By worshipping the Lord in homes, men cannot become arrogant to the point of starting faux-"churches" in the form of buildings. Afterall, I have never seen a "First Baptist Home" or "Second Presbyterian Home." Remember, we, as believers, are the "temples" or "churches" of God, not some structure of brick and mortar.
Keep your head up. You're doing great.
If that is true, then why are there so many "churches" of the same denomination in a single city?
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