Madeline Crabb
Restoring one nation under God- -Christians' role, Part One
By Madeline Crabb
How much longer will God continue to bless America? Our government stopped letting God into its decision making decades ago. Even American citizens stopped seeking God's guidance in choosing representatives to govern us. If we don't want to honor God in all areas of our lives, personal and public, then why would our Father continue granting us mercy?
In 2012, about 80 percent of Americans claim to be Christians. If my math is correct, that means about 240 million out of 300 million worship Jesus Christ as their Savior — because THAT is what it means to be a Christian. So, if this is the case in America, there is a deep spiritual foundation that should cause us to be a formidable force against evil. Instead, evil abounds and threatens to overtake us.
Could it be that many Christians simply worship the Lord in private, choosing not to "wear their religion on their sleeves?" This is a common excuse heard daily from those in the Christian community. But following the Lord Jesus is NOT about religion, but about a personal relationship that guides us in everything we do. Scripture tells us we are to be "salt and light." The Apostle Matthew said:
"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?
Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot
as worthless. You are the light of the world — like a city on a mountain, glowing
in the light for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it
on a stand and let it shine for all to see, so that everyone will praise your
heavenly Father." (Matt. 5:13-16 NLT)
I submit to you that the Christian "salt" has indeed lost a lot of its flavor and usefulness over the past 100 years. And sadly, our Christian "light" has dimmed considerably in that same time period. Dear Christian, why is that?
America has been a target of our ultimate enemy, Satan, ever since we were founded. If we remember our history, we know the original settlers in America had deep faith, and came here to practice it in freedom, which they didn't have in England. They also wanted to promote the Gospel. There are many references to this from our Founding Fathers. Today's children are probably not getting a lot of this information because We the Christian People have allowed our government to remove all references to God in our "public" schools. Whether by legislation or court rulings, the Federal Government — of the people, by the people, and for the people — is "protecting" our children from God. The contention is that mentioning God in school is a church/state violation of the Constitution. Wrong. And by now, we know where this particular argument originated. Nonetheless, we have allowed it to happen. Now our children can't read their Bibles in school, pray, witness about Christ to their schoolmates, or even sing about Christ in Christmas carols. Hello! Christmas is about Christ. What on earth is wrong with Christians that we allow this? If Jesus is our Lord, we need to stand up and say so! It is not just a "personal thing" like many people say. We should love Him enough to shout it from the rooftops. So why aren't we?
Every day in America, we Christians are discriminated against because of our faith. But again we must ask: How is that possible? If we are the majority of 80 percent, why don't Christian principles trump ungodly ones? Perhaps we are afraid of being ridiculed and mocked. But Scripture says, "God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too." (Matt. 5:11-12 NLT) It is our Christian duty, according to Jesus, to "go and make disciples of all the nations." (Matt. 28:19 NLT) If we disobey this admonition because we are ashamed, afraid, or simply don't believe it applies to us, there will be consequences. Jesus said, "If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven." (Matt. 11:32-33 NLT)
Could it really be that we the Christian majority are failing to do what Jesus our Lord has called us to do? If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit we are all guilty. When we don't do our job, evil prevails. And THAT, dear Christian brothers and sisters, is what is happening in America. So then, can God continue to bless us? We will discuss this further in the next column. In the meantime, pray that the Lord shows each of us what we must do to restore America to One Nation Under God. And let's hope it isn't too late. To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
September 6, 2012
How much longer will God continue to bless America? Our government stopped letting God into its decision making decades ago. Even American citizens stopped seeking God's guidance in choosing representatives to govern us. If we don't want to honor God in all areas of our lives, personal and public, then why would our Father continue granting us mercy?
In 2012, about 80 percent of Americans claim to be Christians. If my math is correct, that means about 240 million out of 300 million worship Jesus Christ as their Savior — because THAT is what it means to be a Christian. So, if this is the case in America, there is a deep spiritual foundation that should cause us to be a formidable force against evil. Instead, evil abounds and threatens to overtake us.
Could it be that many Christians simply worship the Lord in private, choosing not to "wear their religion on their sleeves?" This is a common excuse heard daily from those in the Christian community. But following the Lord Jesus is NOT about religion, but about a personal relationship that guides us in everything we do. Scripture tells us we are to be "salt and light." The Apostle Matthew said:
"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?
Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot
as worthless. You are the light of the world — like a city on a mountain, glowing
in the light for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it
on a stand and let it shine for all to see, so that everyone will praise your
heavenly Father." (Matt. 5:13-16 NLT)
I submit to you that the Christian "salt" has indeed lost a lot of its flavor and usefulness over the past 100 years. And sadly, our Christian "light" has dimmed considerably in that same time period. Dear Christian, why is that?
America has been a target of our ultimate enemy, Satan, ever since we were founded. If we remember our history, we know the original settlers in America had deep faith, and came here to practice it in freedom, which they didn't have in England. They also wanted to promote the Gospel. There are many references to this from our Founding Fathers. Today's children are probably not getting a lot of this information because We the Christian People have allowed our government to remove all references to God in our "public" schools. Whether by legislation or court rulings, the Federal Government — of the people, by the people, and for the people — is "protecting" our children from God. The contention is that mentioning God in school is a church/state violation of the Constitution. Wrong. And by now, we know where this particular argument originated. Nonetheless, we have allowed it to happen. Now our children can't read their Bibles in school, pray, witness about Christ to their schoolmates, or even sing about Christ in Christmas carols. Hello! Christmas is about Christ. What on earth is wrong with Christians that we allow this? If Jesus is our Lord, we need to stand up and say so! It is not just a "personal thing" like many people say. We should love Him enough to shout it from the rooftops. So why aren't we?
Every day in America, we Christians are discriminated against because of our faith. But again we must ask: How is that possible? If we are the majority of 80 percent, why don't Christian principles trump ungodly ones? Perhaps we are afraid of being ridiculed and mocked. But Scripture says, "God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too." (Matt. 5:11-12 NLT) It is our Christian duty, according to Jesus, to "go and make disciples of all the nations." (Matt. 28:19 NLT) If we disobey this admonition because we are ashamed, afraid, or simply don't believe it applies to us, there will be consequences. Jesus said, "If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven." (Matt. 11:32-33 NLT)
Could it really be that we the Christian majority are failing to do what Jesus our Lord has called us to do? If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit we are all guilty. When we don't do our job, evil prevails. And THAT, dear Christian brothers and sisters, is what is happening in America. So then, can God continue to bless us? We will discuss this further in the next column. In the meantime, pray that the Lord shows each of us what we must do to restore America to One Nation Under God. And let's hope it isn't too late. To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
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