An Open Letter to the American Church

An Open Letter to the American Church:

Political rights and doing the right thing often have nothing in common. Currently in the United States individuals, with varying ages of consent, have the right to kill their unborn baby, to marry a person of the same sex, to use the f-word in public, to have premarital sex, to pig out with fatty foods, to purchase pornography, and in some states to smoke marijuanna. These are rights endowed, not by our creator, but by our government.

Yes, as Christians we can do whatever we want because God has given us free will. But this does not mean that it is pleasing to God just because it feels right or it makes us happy.

"Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up." 1 Corinthians 10:23 (HCSB)

We were given specific guidelines by God as to what constitutes sin. That word is, or at least it should be, important to Christians because it was our sin that separated us from a very real relationship with God. Our sin carried a death penalty which Jesus willingly fulfilled for us. Non-Christians often are offended by the word sin. Most will tell you that they are no worse than anyone else. The problem is that they are using their standard for comparison and God uses Himself as the example.

Sin is an archery term that means to miss the mark. When you miss the bullseye, you have sinned. We have all missed the mark. Only Jesus lived a life that was perfectly on target all the time. Jesus never sinned. The rest of us have been judged by God and were found imperfect. God said the result of our imperfection is that we deserve eternal separation from Him.

Many people think that this is hateful. They claim that a God who condemns anyone is cruel. They believe that, if there is a God, He would only be a loving God. Some choose not to believe in God rather than accept His standards. But this is God's game. His rules. He created everything and He alone has the right and authority to make the rules. So our sin condemns us to an eternity of suffering, pain, and anguish beyond anything we could imagine.

So, yes, we can do whatever we want, and much of it is even sanctioned by our government. We can choose to believe whatever we want. We can decide that anything that offends us is unacceptable in our society. We can turn our back on God and make up our own moral code. We can ignore the light at the end of the tunnel and continue to walk straight into our own demise.

But there are dangers when we decide not to accept God's rules in favor of making up our own game:

"Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap." Galatians 6:7 (HCSB) 

"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." Romans 1:24 (NIV)

So we have the rights to do these things, but God's values expressed in His Word tell us that they are not right. Just because we have the right to do something, does not mean that it is right. Just because our government says that it is perfectly fine for citizens to do the things listed above and more, does not mean that God believes it is fine. When God's laws and man's laws conflict with each other, we should respond like Peter and the Apostles:

"We must obey God rather than man." Acts 5:29 (HCSB)

Followers of Jesus, understand that the average American is not going to care about God's laws because most do not have a personal relationship with God and many do not believe in Him. It is not your job to condemn them and their sin. Jesus told Nicodemus, "For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

Jesus did not need to condemn anyone, and neither do we, because God already condemned us all. Rather, we need to follow the example of Jesus, who loved the world enough to give His very life for them so that they might be saved. I am not saying that you need to die for the lost. But you do need to die to self so that you can show the world Jesus. How else can we fight the darkness unless we allow the light to shine through us.

Those who have been called into a relationship with Jesus must stop confusing social values with God's values. They must stop making decisions based on what feels right and start seeking what is right. They need to stop creating a God in their own image and start following the God that created everyone in His image.

The American church has entered a time of persecution. The right to exercise our religion is no longer a guaranteed freedom for individuals. The courts have agreed that churches and religious institutions will still have the right to hold to their beliefs, but we were not afforded the right to exercise our religion in the workplace, schools, or government. We don't yet know how this will impact us, but you must be prepared to face challenging moments.

Those who choose to stand with God may find that their government, which promised them the free exercise of their religion, will be prosecuting them for their religious beliefs. Are you ready to endure the hardships of censorship, legal fees, fines, and even prison? Will you stand with those before you who willingly gave up their political freedoms so that they might remain free in Christ?

Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.