Well after being home for about six weeks now, I’ve realized several things. One, I love air conditioning and eliptical machines and snow cones and fireworks and TV!!! But I’ve also realized some harsh realities. Here is a list of my recent epiphanies I now know about “the land of the free”:
1. America is a rich, materialistic, and gluttonous country…of the free.
2.”Going green” is the new cool thing to do.
3. America complains about the ever-increasing gas prices, but the rest of the world has been paying these amounts for years.
4.The American Church is really sick and hurting in these days.
5. The American Church holds to the assumption that we live in a country that is based on Christianity.
Today in church we sang “America! America! God shed His grace on thee.” I usually love singing good ole patriotic songs,especially since the 4th of July is my favorite holiday (who doesn’t love spelling your name in the night air with sparklers and eating homemade ice cream??), but today this song hit me all wrong. The melody and the tone of the song is very peaceful…and well patriotic. But I felt that the most appropriate way to sing this song with the current state of America would be one of despair and lament. It would be more appropriate for the Church to fall on our knees together and cry out, “America! America! God shed your grace on thee!” as a plea to our gracious Father.
There is something to be said about this country and the way that the Lord has blessed us. Yes, we had the foundation of Christ laid for the United States, but America has left her foundation and we must realize this. Many Christians feel that we must raise our voices louder to our country and leaders and declare that our country belongs to God. I understand their heart and often I also want to raise my voice as well. But our country and leaders are already shouting (for visual and auditory purposes, think about the presidential campaigns and the debates and speeches to come…pretty loud eh?) so do we shout all the louder? Maybe…but that would be a lot of noise, and frankly America already has a bad migraine.
Scripture tells us that Jesus is the King in the Kingdom of God. He reigns supremely and ultimately in this Kingdom. As Christians we are also apart of this Kingdom and we are co-heirs with Christ (woo hoo!). But Satan is the ruler of this earth. He is the “ruler of the kingdom of the air”. When Jesus was casting out demons in the New Testament (Matthew 12), the Pharisees came and said he was casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub (a name for the prince of demons) and Christ, with authority says that a kingdom divided against itself could not stand (I just love our Savior Jesus. He just knows exactly what to say and when to say it. He’s got skills!). No, Christ was not casting out demons in the name of another demon. But what really applies here is the divided kingdom, Satan’s kingdom…our world. This kingdom will fall. Our world will fall. America will fall…one day…sadly. But Christ is not absent in this. He will come to redeem us! I feel that we should live as Christians in a fallen world, in a fallen America. We should whet the appetite of this fallen world for the Kingdom of God by living it out. In essence, by bringing the Kingdom of God to this fallen earth by our lifestyles. And living in our current kingdom, should we raise our voices louder for the “rights” that we have as Americans? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m still struggling through all of it. I know that I must rage against injustice. And not to “shrink back” in our beliefs (Hebrews 10) But I do know that Paul refers to Christians as “alien and strangers” in this world. So let us live as aliens and strangers and realize that the laws of this earthly kingdom will reflect their king. Just as our lives reflect our King. We must step away from the idea of America being centered on Christ because she has left her first love. No longer are we a country who claims Christ as our Savior. We are now strangers in our home country and we must live like strangers. Do not be discouraged though! Christ is moving! He is alive and at work! Let us continue to “shine as stars in the universe” in America which has become a “crooked and depraved generation.” (Phil. 2) And this 4th of July let us cry out to God that he would “grant His grace on thee.”
HE Provides,
Amber
Preach on Prophetess Amber!
I have loved reading your updates and pray for God’s blessing on the next phase of your missionary journey.
(Did I detect a reference to Napoleon Dynamite?)