“Church vs State”
As the Church today continues to tug on the buttons of when and where to cross the line drawn between Church and State, it seems that both sides of the fence are in the wrong if either thought that abortion and homosexual marriage were ever going to be acceptable before God. Yet, here you have it. It’s the law of the land, but not the law of God, and so we (or at least, some of us) feel impelled to take sides… or do we?
“America” is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Though this country was founded on Biblical principles and the 10 commandments, and then seemed to enjoy about 200+ years of religious and fiscal prosperity until it decided to eliminate prayer from schools as “unconstitutional” (on just ONE strong-minded woman’s complaint, no less), it’s no wonder we find ourselves in the predicament we are in today. I don’t want to politicize these blogs, and I won’t start now, but like I say, America is never acknowledged in the Bible.
What IS mentioned however, is the Church. Not a building, or a get-rich quick religiosity you can buy over the internet, or an ‘easy believism’ that is all the rage in the churches today, but a family of believers – rock-solid, faithful members of the body of our King, Christ Jesus.
I recently had my right thumb operated on. Being right-handed, for two weeks I couldn’t do anything without pain. I couldn’t button my trousers, I couldn’t twist a doorknob, I couldn’t cut my meat with a knife, I couldn’t type or write with a pen, I struggled to turn the key in my car, plus dozens of other tasks that in the past I just took for granted. The Church is a little like this. When only one member of the Church suffers, or is out of commission, the whole Church seems to suffer, doesn’t it?
Whenever I think about the Church, I always think of the Scottish Reformation, when so many young preachers, children believers and Christian writers were put to death in heinous ways or imprisoned in cells that make today’s jails seem like country clubs, and then I wonder what would I do if the State rapped on my door and asked me to make a stand. I hope that I’d be willing to deny the State and suffer the consequences, I really do, but I’m afraid – in all honesty – that I’ve become fat and lazy living in the wealth and the freedom from responsibility provided in my country, America. With all its’ faults, it is still the greatest country in the entire world to live in. For one example, where the justice system of many other countries will line you up against the wall and shoot you without question, or throw you and your entire family into a prison camp, at least America justice sincerely tries to provide a fair, speedy trial, and more often than not – light sentences in comparison to the heinousness of the crimes.
Again, America is not mentioned in the Bible. It’s simply another people, like the Toltec, Aztec, Inca, Mayan, Minoan, Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Mauryan, Roman, and Britain empires of the past who were world powers in their day, yet have all becomes lost in the mists of time. Is America next? Why not? Why should America be so special that it’s supreme impact on the world today won’t be but a memory like England (a tiny little island of soccer fans on the dole) in the next decade or two? You don’t think so? Have you been reading US news every day over the last two years?
What IS mentioned in the Bible – from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation – is that Christ’s Church WILL survive. He has this remnant (a number of His faithful believers) that will always represent His Church, no matter what country or state is in power. The power of the world often changes hands as we’ve seen, but the supreme power of the Church cannot be overcome by evil – even the devil or the gates of hell – and the country often mentioned in the Bible is the country of our eternal destiny, namely the Celestial City, or Heaven, as it is commonly referred to.
So, Big Brother has drawn a line in the sand for you. Which side will you stand on? What sacrifice will you make – like those heroes of the Scottish Reformation – to be counted among the small remnant Christ has set aside in America to make a difference. It was just one vindictive, short old woman who successfully got prayer removed from public school. One person can make a huge difference in this world. Then again, Jesus Christ was one person, and He continues to rock the world!
Perhaps, you are such a person. I hope and pray that I am too.