“O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; oh, restore us.
You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair its breaches, for it totters.
You have made your people see hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.” (Psalms 60:1-3 ESV)
As soon as I read these words, I thought of my nation, the United States of America. I do believe that we, as a nation, are under the judgment of God. For we, as a nation, are touted to be a “Christian” nation. And according to statistics, 63% to 66% of the US population claims Christianity as their religion of choice. And we are also touted as “one nation under God,” which the presumption is that this is speaking of the one true and ONLY GOD, the creator of the universe and of all living creatures on the earth.
Edifices of human making, which are called “churches,” are all over the place in the USA. And in some places, like in the “Bible Belt” (midsouth to southeastern USA), they are probably much more predominant. Where I live in S. Carolina they are definitely all over the place. But just because such a high percentage of the population claims to be “Christian,” and just because we have an enormous amount of “houses of worship” across the USA, that is no measure at all of the number of people of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
For one, the church is not a building called “church.” It is not an institution of human origin. It is not incorporated under the state as a “state church.” It is not a social club nor a civic center. It is not a family-oriented fun place to take your kids for fun and entertainment. And it is not affiliated with a particular church denomination. All that is of the flesh of man, and not of God. Yet, that is what so many “Christians” today have turned “the church” into, and so they are marketing the church to the world, appeasing the flesh.
But the true church is not all of that. The true church is the universal body of Christ, the people of God by genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And the purpose of our gatherings is for the mutual encouragement and edification and exhortation of one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living.
And we are then to go out into the world with the message of the gospel of our salvation so that many people will hear the truth, so that they will believe the truth, so that the truth of the gospel will deliver them out of their lives of slavery to sin and now empower them to live holy lives, pleasing to God, in submission to God, and in obedience to his commands. And by faith in Jesus Christ, they then become one with Christ and with his body, the church (the only church), so they are now members of The Church.
[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6; Jude 1:22-23]
But that is not what is largely taking place. So many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ who have not died with Christ to sin, for they are still living in addictive and deliberate sin against the Lord. Thus, their lives are not surrendered to Jesus Christ, to do his will, but they are still living to please their own flesh. And that means that they are also not walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, because they want their sins more, and because they are largely being given permission to sin.
So, even though America is touted as a “Christian” nation, and as “one nation under God,” and even though such edifices called “churches” abound in the USA, and many people attend these gatherings in these “churches,” not many, it would seem, have really died with Christ to sin and are living to God and to his righteousness. And not many of these “churches” are teaching the true gospel of salvation, but many have altered the gospel message to make it less offensive to those they want in their “churches.”
So God has rejected these “churches” which are incorporated under the state and which are marketing their gatherings to the people of the world using worldly means and methods, following after marketing schemes and goals, objectives, and gimmicks, while they are also diluting and altering the gospel message and the character of God/Christ, in order to make them more acceptable to human flesh. And he has rejected all who give lip service to him but by their actions they deny him. They have not forsaken their sins.
And so this is a prayer for restoration, which is a prayer for revival. For the Lord will not restore those who do not want to be restored to him, but who want to continue in their sins and in their rebellion against his commands. He is not going to restore his church which has forsaken him if they are not willing to surrender their lives to him and to submit to his will and purposes for our lives. God cannot repair its “breaches,” if the church is still “tottering,” and is not willing to change and to obey the Lord, in truth.
I believe, according to what I understand of the Scriptures, that it is going to take the judgment of God on my nation to turn the hearts of those still walking in sin to a place of genuine repentance and genuine faith in Jesus Christ, which results in dying daily to sin, and self-denial, and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And I believe we are already in the beginning stages of that judgment of God, which I believe is evidenced by all the chaos and upheaval and rebellion in our nation.
[Matthew 24:1-51; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Revelation 21:8,27; Revelation 22:14-15]
“You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah
That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!” (Psalms 60:4-5 ESV)
The Lord does not say that we will be free from trials and tribulations, or that we will not have to suffer for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of his name, and for the sake of his complete gospel message (the whole counsel of God). [See verses above.] But for those of us whose lives are surrendered to him, who are NOT walking in deliberate and habitual sin, but who are walking in obedience to the Lord’s commands in holy living, he promises to keep us safe spiritually so that we have salvation and life eternal with God.
In Harmony
An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17
Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
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