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I just finished watching a video clip of a sermon that Jason Upton gave. In it he said something very powerful that really resonated in my spirit. He said; “I am offended (as a Christian) that they (society) have placed me as a subculture under Republicans. I am not a Republican. I am a Christian. I follow Jesus.”
Why did this resonate with me you ask? It resonated with me because for far to long I have been pigeon-holed, as a Christian, as being a Republican. My views have been decided by a political party that in all actuality has no clue as to what I believe as a Christian. The reality is that as an evangelical Christian every decision I make, every vote I cast, every thing that I do should be done with this one thought in mind. I follow Jesus. I don’t ascribe to a political ideology; my world view is not wrapped up in Republican doctrine and practices. My world view is defined by Jesus Christ and no one else. I ascribe to Him.
We as a church, and as individuals, need to be bold enough, brave enough, to step beyond the label society has given us and begin to be the voice of morality in a society that has none. We as Christian need to step beyond they political realm, I’m not saying Christian can’t be involved in politics (I feel quite the opposite actually) but we must be able to let Jesus dictate our policies and not our political parties dogma. We must begin to allow the Truth to be proclaimed from our lips.
Morality has begun to fade from our society and we can no longer stand by. If we are to see a true change in this country it won’t come from Obama and it won’t come from McCain. It will only come when Jesus is returned to the center of or country. He is the standard to which all our policies must be held up to.
So I challenge you today to evaluate you stances on the issues. Does it line up with Jesus or does it simply line up with you political parties ideology. If it lines up with Jesus then stand fast and let nothing shake you. If it doesn’t then change you stance, run to Jesus adn stand with Him because He is the only one that can turn a nation.
I heard a story about a girl who was a victim of child pornography. The perpetrator of the crime was a pastor at the girl church. As I heard this story I felt a righteous anger rise up within me. Various other stories of pastor and church leaders that have committed terrible atrocities against those in the flock began to come to mind and I was furious. I wasn’t angry at them however, I was angry at myself. I was angry at the church as a whole.
How far have we fallen to allow such things to happen? Where is the righteous anger that should rise up within in the christian to say, that’s not right and we need to fix it? I add the last part because it is the real issue that angers me. There are more than enough ‘christians” who will stand up and say that something or someone is wrong. Where are the christians who will actually attempt to change the root of the issue. Where are those who will confront the cause of the sin and remove it so that the flock can prosper. It seems we are simply content to call those who stumble hypocrites and then continue on with our walk.
There is a much deeper issue here than a man struggle with pornography. There are much deeper issues than people having affairs or being addicted to drugs. Don’t get me wrong, these are all serious problems but the real issue is why did they still struggle with those things. Why didn’t someone know about the issue? Why has the church, the one place we should all feel accepted and welcome, become a place where we feel the need to hide the most?
It seems strange but if you want to find the people who are the most honest about who they are don’t bother looking at a church. Instead try a bar, or a crack house. Why is it you ask? It’s simple, the church is no longer a place of refuge it is a place of judgement and condemnation. We have presented the image of perfection to the world. “Come here and join us and all you problems will go away.” What you end up with is a large group of people who feel like they are second rate because they have problems even after joining. Instead of talking about it they hide it so that they don’t get ridiculed.
What would have happened if the man who struggled with child pornography had been open about his struggle? I fear in most cases he would have been judged harshly and cast aside as one who was not walking the right way. What should have happened to him though? He should have been embraced as a brother who was struggling. There should have been those who came alongside him and helped him to bear the burden, helped him to finally be free from the sin that had ensnared him. The man wanted to be fee but he didn’t know he could be. Even if he knew he could be free, he didn’t know how to be and had no one there to help him.
I write this not to throw stones but to confront the truth that we have, as a church culture, created an atmosphere of darkness and called it light. If we don’t begin to remove the darkness and start walking in openness and transparency the sins that have invaded the church will consume the church. It is only in the light that we are able to become truly free.
