Wake-up Call

Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his statues which he commanded thee (Deuteronomy 28:45), [Read all of chapter 28.]

I have just started reading a non-fiction, Christian book, The Cost of Our Silence, by David Fioraza, an author I'm not familiar with. Although he's said a lot of things I don't agree with, he also makes some hard-hitting statements in his introduction that made me think, and  the Church today should take notice. I wanted to share a few of them here for you to think about.

He says that America has over 300,000 churches, and yet Christian influence is at an all-time low and decreasing, as the nation becomes more and more secular. Christian values are no longer promoted in the culture; few are speaking out for Jesus. Hope for revival remains only in a small remnant of the faithful. "...American Christianity has almost become a joke" (kindle loc. 62). This country has strayed so far from what it used to be that it's hardly recognizable as the same place. Too many, even our churches, have stopped caring. So-called Christians "have been on a diet of cotton candy instead of steak" (loc. 67).

Unless we admit the truth and act accordingly, this nation is toast. Evil began knocking centuries ago, but in the last hundred years - and particularly in the last fifty - we thrust the door wide open and invited evil in! (loc. 69).

We no longer resist sin. Instead, we have warmed up to it and accepted it. Sometimes we've welcomed godlessness with open arms, especially if it's something that makes us feel good in the moment. It's time we wake up and strengthen what good remains before it completely dies. For the most part, the church's reaction to immorality is silence. Christians are just too busy with their own lives to be concerned for the other people Jesus went to the cross for. Silence never saved anyone.

Because the church is struggling, so is the nation. Instead of being a beacon to the world, America has paved perverted pathways in deeper darkness. Rather than be an example of godliness, we have become a stench in the nostrils of a holy God. (But we do have the best entertainment, sports, restaurants, and reality shows, don't we?)   (loc. 81).

We are in big trouble, my friend. The world is imploding, time is running out, and the door through which people can be saved is closing. God's judgment is coming to America.... Our hearts should be breaking! People all around us are feeling empty and hopeless. Just as Jesus wept for Jerusalem while acknowledging its judgment, should we not weep for America as the signs clearly point to God's impending judgment on a once-mighty, blessed nation?   (loc. 90-91).

_______________________________________________________________