Over my lifetime, the U.S. has endured many challenges and hardships, but it has also risen to become the greatest power the world has ever known. We have been blessed by God with success, prosperity, and freedoms that no other nation in history has ever enjoyed. And during my lifetime, I firmly believe America has been God’s blessing to the world. We have stopped forces of evil and secured liberty for untold millions. At times, we have virtually fed the world. America has been the world’s driving force for good in so many ways.
But America is something akin to the Land of Oz from Frank Baum’s classic tale, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” In that story, Oz was a strange, exotic, and wonderful place that seemed to promise more than it delivered. When all was revealed, the wonderful “Wizard of Oz” turned out to be a fraud, an illusion full of fire and smoke, but with no real power.
So, too, is America now. Once it was not only the most powerful nation on earth, but perhaps its most trustworthy. I believe that today it is only a shell of its former self. Fire and smoke with no real power. We’ve lost our focus on the things that are truly important. Our allies don’t trust us. Our enemies don’t fear us. Women and Christians can be repressed and persecuted around the world and we won’t utter a word of protest. But let a friend or foe fail to affirm the gay agenda and America will go to the mat to make it pay a price.
But this downfall is not just a result of politics, even ideology. I believe much of the blame lies squarely with the Church in America. The Book of Revelation describes seven churches that would have the dominant characteristics of the seven future stages of Church history. The seventh and final stage of Church history is that of the Church of Laodicea.
Jesus described it by saying, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot…. because you are lukewarm… I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I’m rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ — and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked….” (Revelation 3:15-17) Isn’t this a perfect description of today’s lukewarm Church? It isn’t cold enough to be easily identified as a false Church that has lost its fundamental purpose. And it is not hot enough to preach the Gospel and make disciples no matter the cost in persecution and sufferings for Christ’s sake.
We have forgotten that it is either all about Him or not at all about Him. We’ve sought to make Jesus a mere “feature” and not the driving force of our lives. We’ve remade God and the Gospel into a simple means to selfish ends — our own wealth and pleasure. Too many have made prayer something we do when we’re in trouble, or when we’re buying lottery tickets. Fellow Christians are suffering and dying around the world and we fill our minds and mouths with the latest news about people we don’t even know.
The modern church is miles wide and inches deep. We try to convince the world that they should accept us because we are like them, not because we have the Answer or because we stand for something greater. America can only change when the American Church changes, not before.
the Hal Lindsey Report – May 30, 2014
