Is the church the solution or the problem?

[RykerWrite]

Before I share my views with you, I need to explain a word: It is ‘Ichabod’. It is found in first Samual 4:21 and 1 Sam 14:3. It means “The glory of God is departed.”

Times and seasons change

The question for America should be: If there is no God, we have little to worry about. If there is a God, we may have a lot to worry about.

The cultural values of America have shifted. A few years ago 53% were against gay marriage. A few decades ago, gay life style was considered by many as unnatural. Today it is an alternative way of living. 53% of Americans now believe that it is acceptable. Other shifts in cultural values have taken place in our society, and it is up to the reader whether each shift was for the better or worse.

Another shift that is taking place in our once great country is the place of God in our land. There are those who would if they could take the mention of God out of our country. “In God we trust” should be removed from our currency. “The ten commandments should be removed from our courts. “Under God” should be removed from our pledge of allegiance. There are those who want us to become a country without God.

Some Christians are abhorred at what they perceive to be a turn way from God in our country; others are not so concerned. As one who has studied history, let me assure you that there is an inexorable, unrelenting shift in this country away from God.

Most us of fail to see the significance of this shift. The Lord told us that we are the salt of the earth. Those who believe in him should have a tremendous effect upon the society of which they are a part.

We who are the church should be affecting our society toward good and virtue. Not the other way around. If it is the other way around; if that which is evil is affecting the society and affecting even those who believe in God more than we are, then we the church have lost our saltiness.

Look around you. Homosexuality may be the greatest thing since Sodom and Gomorrah, but it does not represent Christian values. Moreover, God judged them; if we do not turn, God will surely judge us.

But the problem is not with our society. Judgment must first come upon the household of God (1 Pet 4:17). We are the ones who should be the salt of the world; and we are the ones who have lost our saltiness. We are the ones who are responsible for what our society has become. Not the ungodly. They are not the salt. We are.

Our American society grew out of Judeo-Christian principles, but it is very close to abandoning them. 53% of Americans now believe that gay marriage is acceptable. It is legal in 6 states as I write. It is only a matter of time before some Muslim group, or a fringe Mormon group challenges the one man, one woman concept of marriage in the Supreme Court. When that happens, plural marriages will be acceptable in the land, and gay marriages will also be acceptable with them. The American society will become a godless society; and those who should have been the salt will be responsible.

This is very possible. In most of the six states that have legalized gay marriages, it was done by the high court of the state. All that is needful is for a Gay marriage case, a Mormon case, or a Muslim case to come before our high court. If a Mormon is president at that time, and if the Mormon Church changes its revelations (which it has done in the past), it will compound the issue.

Let me be very plain here. The problem is not really gay marriages, plural marriages, or taking God out of our culture. That is the result of the problem. The problem is that the salt has lost its saltines.

I believe that unless we turn, the judgment of God is rapidly approaching our land. We either believe that the one who gave his Son for our sins has no concern for how we turn, honor him, or dishonor him or; we must believe that God is displeased with the relentless direction that this nation is heading. We are even now at the precipice of destruction and still prefer lethargy to arousal. Judgment begins at the household of God.

I am constantly amazed at how close we are to a great revival, and a turning to God such as this country has never witnessed; and how close we are the precipice of destruction. The name of our country is no longer ‘America’. It is ‘Ichabod’, the glory of God is departed, but we sleep.

We talk, we speak against evil, we even pray; but we do not pray together. The relentless onslaught continues. Talking, speaking, and even praying has not worked. Should we try to pray together, or should we wait until after we have gone over the precipice.

Surely the evidence is before us. Our country is not the same country that once believed in God. A great cultural shift has taken place while we slept. We need to awake. We need to pray. And we need to pray together.

So many of our doctrines are dear to us. So many of our doctrines are correct, but that should not prevent us from praying together.

This nation is at a threshold that it has never been at in its entire history of progress. We are close to a great revival – closer than we have ever been. We are close to destruction – closer than we have ever been. The power is in God, and the choice is ours.

The solution is simple: we pray together. I know that this is the solution because we have done everything else. We have talked, and spoken, and we have prayed; but we have not prayed together.

Moreover, we are the salt of the earth. If we, the children of God, turn to God, he will surely hear our prayers and heal our land. I look forward to a healing. Do you?

Revivals are often compared to fires, and they spread like fires, but all fires and all revivals must start with a single spark. The destiny of America awaits that spark. It could be one man going to one pastor, and one pastor calling upon other pastors: asking them to join together with him in prayer for this nation so blessed of God in the past and so callous toward Him in the present.

I am not talking about some of us praying together. I am talking about Baptists joining with Pentecostals, Pentecostals joining with Presbyterians to pray for this country that is in need of prayer. After that, ask other churches to join together with you to pray.

Our doctrines need not be a barrier to revival. We can keep our doctrines and still pray together; but we cannot continue to sleep and avoid the precipice and survive.

Ichabod is our name. Prayer is our need.

I am looking for that one spark.

 

[editec]

Get off you knees and read something that is useful instead of depending on GOD to do what you ought to be doing.

God gave you a brain for a reason.

USE IT!

 

[Douger]

If their was an earthly Gawd, murka would have never come into existence.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

If their was an earthly Gawd, murka would have never come into existence.

You are living proof their is a God. No one as idiotic as you could make it on their own.

 

[lizzie]

Imo, the church isn't the problem, nor the solution. Societies have come and gone regardless of the amount of openly practiced religion, Christian or otherwise. Religion is a good basis for guidance and to give people who need formal religion a common meeting ground. This is good for those who are like-minded and group-centered. Then there are those like myself who do not need church or formal religion in order to live a good and decent life. It all boils down to the individual and his own sense of self, God, and right and wrong. We collectively fail or succeed as societies, but real success and happiness dwells within, not in church or formal religion.

 

[Smartt33]

Well, tyker, if you take a look at the first few responses here you can clearly see that there is no closeness to God in these people.

Will the church make a difference, bring hope? It can do that only if it will stop tickling the ears of the members, tell the bold truth without holding back, and draw believers into a real and personal, walking and talking, living and loving, daily relationship with God. When that happens, the church will begin to be who God meant it to be.

The result of the above will be that those who just want to be comforfted and made to feel good, will leave, or become real believers and followers. Then the Church (Body of Christ) will become a powerful light for the nation.

I for one don't mind making enemies when those enemies are so just because i walk with God and maybe against the flow of the world. Some will follow, some will see the light. God will be glorified, and people will be born again.

 

[lizzie]

Well, tyker, if you take a look at the first few responses here you can clearly see that there is no closeness to God in these people.

Don't make the mistake of confusing closeness to God for formal religion/ church attendance. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[Truthmatters]

If you know what life is worth you will look for yours on earth

 

[Katzndogz]

Imo, the church isn't the problem, nor the solution. Societies have come and gone regardless of the amount of openly practiced religion, Christian or otherwise. Religion is a good basis for guidance and to give people who need formal religion a common meeting ground. This is good for those who are like-minded and group-centered. Then there are those like myself who do not need church or formal religion in order to live a good and decent life. It all boils down to the individual and his own sense of self, God, and right and wrong. We collectively fail or succeed as societies, but real success and happiness dwells within, not in church or formal religion.

That's not at all true! One of the hallmarks of the collapse of civilizations is a falling away of the people from religion. Once the people lose faith in the religion, they lose faith in everything, the nation, their fellow citizens, themselves. This is true no matter what the religion is. Belief is one of the adhesives that holds cultures together. What the particular religion is has no basis in determining the success of any particular individual culture with some exceptions that preclude success. Voodoo, satanism, animism and paganism do not lend themselves to successful cultures. Haiti is an ideal example of belief gone wrong.

 

[Smartt33]

Well, tyker, if you take a look at the first few responses here you can clearly see that there is no closeness to God in these people.

Don't make the mistake of confusing closeness to God for formal religion/ church attendance. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I agree. Not trying top be rude, but I am talking about the rotten fruit i am seeing here.

I personally don't believe you have to belong to a church, and certainly not a religion, in order to have a real relationship with God.

 

[lizzie]

Imo, the church isn't the problem, nor the solution. Societies have come and gone regardless of the amount of openly practiced religion, Christian or otherwise. Religion is a good basis for guidance and to give people who need formal religion a common meeting ground. This is good for those who are like-minded and group-centered. Then there are those like myself who do not need church or formal religion in order to live a good and decent life. It all boils down to the individual and his own sense of self, God, and right and wrong. We collectively fail or succeed as societies, but real success and happiness dwells within, not in church or formal religion.

That's not at all true! One of the hallmarks of the collapse of civilizations is a falling away of the people from religion. Once the people lose faith in the religion, they lose faith in everything, the nation, their fellow citizens, themselves. This is true no matter what the religion is. Belief is one of the adhesives that holds cultures together. What the particular religion is has no basis in determining the success of any particular individual culture with some exceptions that preclude success. Voodoo, satanism, animism and paganism do not lend themselves to successful cultures. Haiti is an ideal example of belief gone wrong.

One doesn't need church or formal religion in order to be a good citizen, and if every single citizen did do to church and practice formal religion, it's still no guarantee that the society will thrive. There are plenty of historical examples of this very thing. Turning away from *God* can happen within religion or in the absence of religion.

 

[Avatar4321]

I suppose that depends on which Church you are speaking about.

But generally, Churches are part of the solution.

 

[Katzndogz]

Generally, it doesn't matter. Unless the religion is totally destructive, the diety worshipped is less important than the fact of worship and the agreed upon values drawn from the dominant religion.

The Greeks could believe in Zeus while the Vikings believed in Odin and both had very successful vibrant cultures. When doubt and falling away occurred in the people, the cultures went away as well. Mostly overcome by cultures of believers in something else.

You can see this happening in Europe today. The people rejected Christianity and now find themselves being overtaken by Islam. It might be a universal truth that believers will always prevail against non-believers.

There has never been a culture of non-believers. From the earliest records of mankind carved on cave walls there has been religion of some kind. Almost as soon as a culture starts to lack faith, it is conquered by another culture who is faithful and the new religion imposed by force.