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Arm Chair Christians
by Donna Wasson Webster's Dictionary defines weakness as- 1: lacking strength, feeble 2: not able to sustain or resist much weight, pressure, or strain 3: deficient in vigor of mind or character. Quite frankly, I would say this word, weak(ness), is an accurate description of the church today. Weak. Wimpy. Impotent. Edmund Burke was an English statesman in the House of Commons in Great Britain in the 1700's. He was an ardent supporter of the American Revolution and famously observed that, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." OK kids, can you say "Laodicea?" Jesus gave this church His strongest rebuke in Revelations 3:15-17 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." So what does the Laodicean church and the premise that evil will triumph if good people sit by and do nothing, have in common? They fit hand in glove, if you ask me. The moral atmosphere of America grows darker and more sinister every day. You can almost reach out and physically touch the evil swirling in the air. Of course, there are still Christians out there trying to make a positive difference in whatever way they can. Some quietly share Christ while ministering in the community. Some serve faithfully in their church week after week, year in and year out with little recognition for their efforts. There are missionaries preaching in other countries, sometimes risking their freedom or even their lives to share the Gospel in the darkest corners of the earth. These kinds of ministries share Agape love to help attract the lost to Christ. And some of us are called to speak out against the flagrant influx of evil and ungodliness of our day. Some speak in gentle, persuasive voices and some have a burning in their bones to stand up and strongly condemn sin and urge repentance before we are snatched off this earth. I am not ashamed in the least to count myself a part of the latter group! Jesus rebuked the Laodicean church for being self absorbed and sitting back, enjoying the blessings God had given them, to the point of blind arrogance. They were too busy to do good works for the kingdom, and Jesus found them so disgusting he said he would spit them out of His mouth. If you think about it, something has to be pretty foul and distasteful to make us spit it out. When good people are so consumed with daily living that they basically ignore what is going on around them, evil grows like a cancer and eventually triumphs. Evil, sin and sinful people must be opposed, especially in this day when they are so pushy and obnoxious. Yet, most of the time, Christians sit idly by and are spectators of the work their brothers and sisters are doing. They won't lift a finger, yet if some instance of goodness wins they are right there rejoicing, even though they did nothing to contribute to that victory. Most of the time, however, they are busy sanctimoniously attacking the worker bees of the kingdom for doing what they are commanded by God to do. Too many in the church fail to speak out against evil men and refute the erroneous teaching of the plethora of cults spreading across our nation. Most are too dang lazy to even hold God's servants up in prayer! Many in the church have the idea that good is simply the absence of doing evil. Not so according to the Bible! 1Peter 3:11 states "Let him eschew evil, and do good." James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." OUCH! That's gotta sting for some of you! We aren't simply to avoid the sin around us but actively oppose it. Christians are to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them." Ephesians 5:11. Those who sit on their ample merits on those cushioned pews every Sunday should remember that by their very silence on moral issues, God considers them complicit in committing them. There is no gray area here. Never has been, but especially in these last days! You cannot remain silent and please the Father. Those who are not actively and vigorously fighting sinfulness are literally assisting evil to grow stronger, become more accepted and commonplace in society. Gee, that's SO judgmental of me! Well, Jesus warned in Matthew 12:30, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Are you beginning to get the picture? You will have to stand before your Savior and, like the parable teaches, explain why you buried your talent instead of at least insuring it made a little interest while it was in your possession. Jesus called such people "wicked and slothful servants." Matthew 25:26. How humiliating will it be when your fellow Christians witness that scene in heaven with you as the star of the show? Those claiming to be Christians as well as unbelievers who insist they are 'good people' seem to outnumber the evil doers among us yet, only rarely do these bastions of moral excellence put their money where their mouths are. They are seldom courageous enough to risk their egotistical self-esteem to stand up and almost literally fight for what they know to be right. I do not consider myself to be some self-appointed prophet of judgment. I am a black hearted sinner saved and made righteous only by the grace, mercy and blood of Christ. But I have been called to unabashedly speak against the evil in our society and those who arrogantly practice it. I am to even warn those leaders in the church who teach heresies and false doctrines that lead their congregations away from salvation by grace alone. Because America is so brainwashed with political correctness, the use of sarcasm and exaggeration stands out and can admittedly be offensive. This is the style of writing I use for that very reason. I consider the moral decline of our government, churches and culture in general to be a caricature of post modernism, and it simply makes itself an easy target. I call 'em like I see 'em. I speak the truth, straight from the Word of God and frankly, the truth can be very offensive to those living their lives on the foundation of secular, worldly, unbiblical lies and propaganda. I use sarcasm as a tool to highlight the shocking absurdities of political correctness and the staggering damage it has wreaked on this country. I want to draw attention to the heinous abuse of the pulpit by today's celebrity pastors and the nonsensical heresies they vomit on their followers. Do I know everything? Nope. But if I cannot support my criticism with scripture I keep my mouth shut. There are many readers, Christian and non Christians, who write to bitterly complain and chide me for the things I say and the way I express myself and they are welcome to their opinions. However, what I say and the manner in which I write will most likely not change, so all I can recommend is they don't read my articles. There are many of us in the trenches every day, doing our best to serve our Savior and warn the lost that time is very short and they must repent and accept the pardon Jesus died to provide to them. There is a time for gentle persuasion and there is a time for blunt confrontation and Christ modeled both approaches when dealing with people. If for whatever reason you are unable to join us in this last day effort to reach the lost and dying, then we would at least appreciate your prayers of support instead of your attacks of spiritual cannibalism. In other words, lead, follow or get out of the way. We have work to do and we answer only to Almighty God. Donna Wasson is all of the following: Married. Mom. Hospice RN. Avid reader. Animal lover. Needing to spread the Gospel while there is still time. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |