I am currently taking an Acts course.  In doing so, I have been continuously struck with the astonishing and blatant weakness of the early church.  They were mostly a small group (120+ in the upper room) of Twenty-Somethings.  They had just spent three years just tagging along with, being taught by, and imitating Jesus.  Now, they are alone with but only a promise of the Spirit of God coming to be with and empower them.  Mind you, that this only would occur in history tokenly and on the powerful King’s and Prophets.  Now, in the state they were in, just waited.  They receive Holy Spirit and the church explodes.  Yet just meditating on their conditions will make your draw drop.  They were nothing.  They had nothing.  Just a small band of people with simple, simple, simple, simple devotion and faith in the Man they loved.  Ministry was the people.  Nothing flashy, nothing expensive.  They had no agenda to take over governments only to have Jesus return and govern with Him.

But I write this in my own post-modern context, with two thousand years of history behind me.  What stirs is me is yes, the absolute lack of spiritual power, authority, wisdom, practice, lifestyle, and basically everything that we as the contemporary western church have in light of the beginning.  But another thing that strikes me is something I have been chewing on for years.

I once wanted to become President of the United States.  I loved politics. I slept, ate, and drank politics.  I led a youth political organization.  I spoke at political rallies.  All, while I was in High School.  Then I encountered Jesus and the rest of my life has been absolutely different. 

I absolutely hate politics now!  Yes, that is bold lettering. 

I see a church that has drifted so far from Apostolic Doctrine that it isn’t recognizable.  To illustrate my point, look below…

 

 

This is not a “christian country”!  Ever since Constantine baptized the Roman Empire into “Christianity” the goal of the church has been to take over countries.  The Evangelical goal of the past quarter century has been to create a “godly culture” out of America.  Today we have an entire generation of church youth that can coherently and with great zeal and articulation preach the points against abortion and homosexuality.  Yet no one knows the gospel!  Yet they cannot give any measure of coherent understanding of the life and narrative of Jesus, more-so the Gospel of the Kingdom.  But they can tell you why Abortion is wrong.

What is the result of that?  America is the fourth largest unreached population group in the entire earth, right behind China, India, and Indonesia.  To put that in perspective, there are around 400 million people in this nation.  Of that, around 200 million voted in the last Presidential election, the largest turnout ever!  Now of that, 100 million have never heard the gospel!!!!  Yes, that is a younger generation.  What have they seen and heard?  They know of Jesus through the political talking heads.  “Jesus is a political guy who doesn’t like abortion nor gays”.

I think it’s important to realize that Jesus came first in the context of the ridiculously unjust and cruel Roman Empire.  He had such a platform and plethora of wrongs to combat in the system that He could have spent His entire life on such.  Yet He never addressed one!

I woke up recently thinking of some of the largest “family values” and “christian America” proponents in my mind.  Then immediately a phrase came into my mind.  “They are not preaching the gospel!”  This is terrifying to think of.  I tremble looking at the next generation, even the most radical ones.  We are giving them concepts of good social justice doctrine.  Yet they don’t even know the gospel!  Entire ministries exist to tell an ungodly people to be godly or fight political issues!

I have trembled much recently with that thought.  I know persecution is about to break out and it in a way exhilarates and sobers me.  Yet I am so scared that the battlefield of persecution will be waged on cultural, political issues.  Not the gospel.  What condemnation on the western church when our only evidence of martyrdom is as a result of a political stance, not as a witness to Jesus!

Just writing this, I am confronted with the belief of many of these leaders.  What is declared is that this is a “christian country” and that America was dedicated to the Lord, also that we are in covenant with the Lord.  I have recently read a report where a prophetic leader stated that every institution that was dedicated to the Lord would return to Him at the end of the age.  I believe such statements are outrageously ridiculous.  As we speak, thousands of babies are being baptized and dedicated to the Lord.  Guess what?  It is there choice as to whether they will choose Him and follow Him.  The same choice remains for anything “dedicated to the Lord”.  Just to mention for my own sake, America cannot have a covenantwith the Lord because covenants are always drawn by the larger party.  This has historically never occurred.

Now, I believe the Lord raises up and anoints men and women in the Church to fight against error in the Church.  The fact that American Christians are in so much sin and embrace abortion, homosexuality, divorce, etc. in the church warrants that voices arise in and to the churchas a tool of the Lord confronting our compromise.  I completely agree and approve of that.  We must have just prophetic wisdom in our body.  Yet to take that standard and place it upon an ungodly, Antichrist culture is insane. 

I also realize that the Lord raised up Daniel and Esther int he midst of ungodly nations.  What I must point out is that both Daniel and Esther had limited authority.  They were not political sovereigns nor big decision makers.  They didn’t attempt to create a “godly culture” out of Babylon and Persia.  Esther was just a weak Queen who could have been executed for interrupting the King.  They were in no place to create a “godly culture”.  I think it’s time we dust off the church fathers and read some of their quotes.  I believe we must deal with that fact that the church fathers wouldn’t even consider a leader of a nation, more less a solider to be accepted into the church.  They knew the compromise involved and that automatically to be in such a role dictated certain automatic behavior and beliefs.

Our mission is not at all to excel in the “Seven Mountains of Society” but to preach there is another King.  The church is to be a nation on this earth waiting for, praying, preparing, and proclaiming the coming rule and reign of Jesus.  That is  our hope.  That Jesus will governmentally rule this earth and we will be His delegated authorities and governors over the earth for a 1,000 years.  Everything else is void of Apostolic doctrine and authority.

How then do we view governments and culture?  To be continued.

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