The thing that brought this subject to mind, was my Wednesday night single parent class at church. Our subject was on denial. However like a lot of discussions, it drifted to other things. We started talking about trusting your brothers and sisters in Christ with what ever sin or problem you have. A question came to my mind. Do we care?
Do we care for one another enough to warrant that trust. It reminded me of the line from a Keith Green song, "Cause He brings people to your door, And you turn them away, as you smile and say, God bless you, be at peace, and all Heaven just weeps". Is that really that way it is? If we ask for prayer, are we truely going to get it? Is it just something we say and forget? We have become so busy with our lives that we tend to get wrapped up in our own problems than worry about others.
Now to clarify something. The last paragragh was totally my view. Do I have a basis for believing this? That's what I want to examine here.
A USA Today article titled "Is God Dead In Europe" talks about the decline of the church in europe. In the article is mentioned that "only 19% of the people in this once-religious country believe that God exists". James P. Gannon writes this about Prague in the Czech Republic. He also states the fact that "a series of Eurobarometer surveys since 1970 in five key countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy) shows that regular church attendance fell from about 40% of the population to about half that figure".
Church attendance in America is declining also. This was the one thing that had always separated us from Europe. Now it's coming to America. The American Revolution was a fight for Liberty. It was also brought about with the help of the Religious leaders of the day, i.e. George Whitfield, Samuel Adams, etc. You see God in the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution. God is and was a big part of the founding of the United States much to the chagrin of the progressive left in this country. They would like you to believe that the founders meant to keep God out of anything public.
Ask the average person where the statement "wall of separation between church and state" comes from and you will most likely hear from the consititution. Truth is it was a letter to the Danbury Baptist's Association in 1802 from Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was responding to a letter that the Association had written him. In that letter, they expressed their concerns about the Constitution not reaching the State level. In the letter, he was reassuring the Danbury Baptists that their religious freedom would remain protected. To reassure them that there would be no State Religion as was the case in England with the Church of England. The original text reads: "...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."[1]
The phrase was quoted by the United States Supreme Court first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947. The phrase appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. This is a veiwpoint that has gain major ground since the 1963 supreme court ruling against prayer in school. This was NOT the American Revolution. This idea that the American left has pushed actually was the French Revolution. With the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" and the Reign of Terror the French removed God from any aspect of government. This was the age of Rousseau. All the more reason we need to fight this movement to remove God from all public life in America.
So why has the church allowed this? Why have we sat back and let it happen? Is the church dying?
No, it isn't. The Church in America is on the decline. However the Church throughout the world is growing. We tend to think of America as the home to the Church. Far from it. Find any country where Christians are persecuted and you'll find a thriving Church. I have been told before that the Church is not suffering yet so the Lord would probably not be coming as soon as we think. I beg to differ. The Church worldwide is being persecuted like it never has before. The Church in America is indifferent.
I am one the people to blame. Well at least Christians like me. We have had it really good in this country and have drifted away from prayer and really studying God's word. I have been the worst. I have isolated myself from other Christians. I don't pray the way I should. I don't take sin as serious as I should. Compromising constantly for what I selfishly want. I have treated people wrong. I have taken what I wanted and thought of no consequences. I am the ultimate hypocrite.
We no longer live in a communities like we did 100 years ago. With the invention of the automobile and interstates. We live so far apart from one another that we get distant from one another. We don't live close enough to see each other day to day. Our kids don't play together like they did back then. Technology has a hand in this, but we could do better.
Technology and stuff like iPods, xboxs, playstations and computers keep us distrated from one another. This is why it is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Why would you need God if you think you have everything? We don't even know how rich we are. Even the poorest in this country are rich compared to real poverty. Look at the poor in Egypt, India or just about any African country. Am I bashing the rich? Heck no! I want to be one of them someday. Simply stated, it is way too easy for us in the country. We start to forget God.
So what should we do?
We need to pray and ask for prayer in even the most trivial matters in our lives. They aren't trival to God. The church as a whole has drifted away from prayer. Thank goodness for those in the church that do pray without fail. I have been guilty of not trusting my brothers and sisters enough to let them pray for me. Sometimes I feel my problems aren't important enough to ask. Sometimes, since I realize that I caused most of my problems, I don't deserve the prayer. Sometimes I feel I don't want anyone to help me because I don't want to owe anyone. The truth is Christians are trustworthy enough to ask. You never owe a brother and sister. God has their payment.
I am putting myself on the right path again. First I decided to trust my brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for those things. I will ask for help from them when I need it. I will help when they need it. I will stop procrastinating...soon. ( I had to add that)
Bottom line is that when we don't let our brothers and sisters pray, help or lift us up through words. We take away a chance for God to give them a blessing. I do have things that need to be prayed for. I am person who has not been the man God intended me to be. I am changing my attitude and returning to where I should be with my brothers and sisters. Most of all, with God.
