We're Back!!!!

In the November 2008 issue of Charisma magazine, J. Lee Grady, the editor, reiterates a prevailing sentiment about how difficult a year 2008 has been. He calls our attention to a divisive presidential campaign, a mortgage crisis, failing banks, failing Christian leaders, soaring gas prices and various other “crises” that we’ve had to contend with. He states, “Some of my friends are joking about buying “I SURVIVED 2008” T-shirts.” At the risk of appearing sardonic I say, hold on a second! Not so fast my friends!! What makes you think you’ve survived it? We’ve still got two whole months to go, with a major presidential election still ahead of us. Who knows what else will ‘crawl out of the woodwork’ in that interminable amount of time.

As our nation sinks deeper and deeper into the mire of godlessness, the Church is conflicted with regard to how to combat this ‘cancer.’ Many of us ignore the obvious. We turn a blind eye to the fact that our society is a reflection of the Church. We struggle with prayer and fasting, but excel at rhetoric that ignites misplaced passions. We spend more time on our computers than we do on our knees, yet we think that we can find the ‘heart of God’ for our nation. We spew propaganda deriding anyone who thinks differently from us (even among Christians), yet we expect them to buy into what we’re offering. From Ted Haggard to Todd Bentley, the Church is deeply divided as to whether or not God ever used, and indeed still can use these men in any capacity, and how, if at all they should be welcomed back into ministry. Racism and what Kim Daniels calls “ricochet racism” (when the abused becomes the abuser), are alive and well in our deeply divided churches and society. We have factions in the Church that represent polar extremes in their world view. On the one hand we have the inclusionists who just want to love everyone and everything even if that means embracing sin, and on the other hand we have the troglodytes who want to “Run to the hills” and recluse themselves from our “sinful” world.

And the media? Well they’re having a field day with all of this! My friend Steve Vickers displayed remarkable insight into this media manipulation when he recently wrote an article in which he stated,

“Not pleased in the least with the script of history written in blood and sacrifice by our forefathers, they [the media] despise completely the values and beliefs which anchored its decisions and directions. Determined to erase God and any reference to Him and the values of life belief in Him creates, they ingeniously play out the America they are creating 24/7 right before our eyes in big screen, surround sound, high def quality… I guess you could call it “entertainment with a purpose.””

If it’s true that the secular media are evangelists for advancing a dubious agenda, they are remarkably good at it. They blitz the airwaves with their propaganda, seeking to convert non-believers to their way of thinking. They argue that morality is relative, an unborn baby is not a human life, heterosexual marriage as an exclusive way of life is outmoded and outdated, and that those who believe differently are nothing but bigots. The Church on the other hand unwittingly neglects our access to the ‘airwaves’ that can make the greatest difference. Prayer shatters the boundaries between heaven and earth, allowing for God’s purpose to be played out in the hearts of men. Please pray, and then vote!!!