Random Assortment of Observations of Modern Christinity
Written 4/1/11
There are no gates titled for nations, denominations or affiliations in Heaven, I've not been there yet to know this as a fact, but I'm pretty sure, I'd about bet my life on it. No American or German gate, no Democrat or Republican gate, no Calvin or Luther gate and I'm quite sure no Baptist or Methodist Gates. As I said, I'm guessing, but there are surely no Biblical references to the them.
I "fear" so many people are, or at least feel that they are, "lukewarm" in Christianity because we've piled so many "isms" on, and then made political affiliation(s) a mandate all to often as well. The Constitution of the United States of America ISN'T a Biblical document, it's not an "add-on" to Gods Word. Although I personally hold the Constitution in high regard, it does not supercede Gods Word with me. If I connect the Constitution to my walk with Christ, then it's as if I'm saying that American Christianity is superior to all other nations. "American" Christianity shouldn't even exist! Christianity suprcedes ALL national affiliation for the Christian, or it should anyway.
We to often draw our moral lines where were comfortable, right and wrong based on "isms" and tradition more than truth, Jesus scolded the Pharisees for the very thing many denominations have done. To often, our fretting over someone elses "sty" while we ignore our own "plank", mostly over tradition. Endless squabbling about so many non-salvaion issues, to the point of "drawing blood" from one another. We might be better served to taste our own blood (by biting our tongue) a little bit more oftn.
These days many get so arrogantly fixed on being right over being righteous, being right over non-essentials to the point of losing sight (and it shows in actions & words) of the second greatest Command, to love one another, as He loved us. If we are true Christians it shouldn't matter who, what, where or how we exist, the walk is with God in Christ, not under a denomination, nation, leader (except for Christ) or by a certain "deed". American Christianity may very well be inferior to Christianity in other parts of the world, it's pretty clear Biblically that it's hard to serve both God and money.
What Christ TRULY called His Apostles & Disciples to do, doesn't quite seem to "fit" the American ideal of what it means. Silent Prayer and meditation are all but lost in our "go-do" society, and I'm still confused about the "God & guns" theory, once again, the Bible and the Constitution intertwined. Christ told His disciples to take no weapon(s), later He told them to get their swords, yet when Peter pulled his sword and cut the ear off of one coming to arrest Jesus, Jesus told him to put the sword away and He healed the mans loped ear. Is it possible that Jesus meant the "Sword of the Spirit", part of the Full Armor of God, to begin with?
Many may not like some of these words, heck, I'm not thrilled with some of them! But truth be told, missionairies might be the ones closest to the truest calling of a disciple, you see, we've "tweaked" things over the years to adapt Gods Word to both modern times and tradition. I'm not saying "works" based, nor by missionairy does it have to be a foreign missionairy. If Jesus, the Apostles & Disciples are our model of our calling, we surely are missing something.
God Bless
Sincerely,
In Christ
Jimm Bacon