Tell the American Christians.....

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. There have been a few reasons actually: we just finished up one of our leadership training conferences in Alabama. We had almost 700 people in attendance! We were expecting about 600. Mostly, it was a lot of work getting ready for it, which took up almost all of my time for the past week. It was such a blessing though, to see all of those leaders come out to hone their skills and be the best that they can be to serve God in the ministry that He has called them to.

The other reason, and probably the most important one, is that our keynote speaker said something in his message that I haven't been able to get out of my head! It just keeps bouncing around in there, echoing over and over again. He told the story of a pastor in eastern Europe in a country that still has religious oppression, where Christians still aren't allowed to worship freely or openly read a Bible or pray. He said that this pastor told him to "Please tell the American Christians that I pray for them every day!" When asked why he would do that, his reply was this: "Oh Brother David! Because it must be VERY DIFFICULT to be a Christian in America!"

Can you imagine? That hit me like a rock right between the eyes! I found myself tearing up and almost losing it. I couldn't believe someone that has to live each day in fear for their life and well-being of their family, risking all they have to simply worship God and own a Bible would say such a thing about us "rich Americans" that have SO MUCH and are so complacent about our worship and God's Word, would say such a thing! The more I thought about it though, the more I realize how right he was!

Yes, we have so much in comparison to other countries! How many churches are in each city across this country? How many Christian book stores are there? How many Bibles do each of us have in our homes and yet rarely pick up to read or bother to carry to churches with us? And what about when we go to church on Sunday? To many, it is a "social gathering" instead of a place to really pour out our hearts to God in worship and thanksgiving for all He has done for each one of us.

Yes, we have SO MUCH here! So much that it blinds us to spiritual need in our own lives and keeps us so busy and focused on everything BUT God that we are weak and ineffective in our Christianity. I recently read on the back of a book I was looking at as I browsed through a Christian book store today, a statement that said something like this: a Muslim asked the question, "what makes your belief of any value? If it is all you say it is, why is it so ineffective in the lives of Christians?" That's not the exact quote because I'm so bad at remembering these things correctly if I don't write them down! But you get the idea. If our faith is all we say it is, why doesn't it make more of a difference in the world around us and in our own lives? Good question.

At this same conference we had a lady there representing a ministry that I won't name here. She had many books with her and as I looked over her display table and we talked, we began to talk about the "underground church"; and the "persecuted church" in other countries that do not have religious freedom. Some countries tell the outside world that they do allow freedom to worship, but they don't. For instance, just recently a Muslim man cut out his own daughter's tongue and then burned her alive for converting to Christianity! Yes, this is really happening around the world in this day and age we live in! it's not something that's a story from a long time ago!

Here's the link and you can read the story yourself:

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/08/christians-in-muslim-countries-saudi-girl-burned-alive-for-being-christian/

Then there is a story that I read online about a ministry that was bringing some Bibles in to China during the Olympics, because China said that they allow religious freedom now. Guess what? The Bibles were confiscated at the security check point and taken away! When asked about this and their statement to allow religious freedom, they were told they could each bring ONE personal Bible in with them and that was all. The rest would have to be left there. The Bibles were being brought to pastors that did not own a Bible! I think their definition of "religious freedom" and ours would be very different!

These past few days, God has been dealing with me about all of these things in a very intense way. I've been searching online and reading about the persecuted Christians in other countries and it breaks my heart that we take our Christian faith so lightly, when all over this world, people are risking EVERYTHING they have, their families, their homes, simply because someone told them that Jesus loved them so much He died for them and they simply want to worship and thank Him and tell others what God has done for them so they too can know the joy and peace that this knowledge brings!

Since hearing that statement that was made by our speaker, when he told us what that pastor had asked him to relay to us "American Christians", I've been spending much time just wishing I could get away for about a week and just read and pray and study! I feel I need a radical overhaul of my outlook and actions. I've already asked forgiveness for my complacency and "easy Christianity". Yes, we have so much in our beloved country that it has become a hindrance to true, radical Christianity. The kind they had in Acts right after Jesus had risen from the grave and went on to Heaven to prepare a place for us. We have so many things to take up our time and our interests and to give ourselves to, that we have no time or place for the real purpose for which God has allowed us to take up space on this earth for! What is the chief purpose of being here?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 14 sums it all up for us:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

What we each do with our own 24 hour day is up to us individually. Some risk everything; some go through each day like we're here just to gather "toys",enjoy ourselves and have a good time.

The choice is ours.

Someone said that "Hebrews 11 is still being written!" and if you do a little surfing on the Internet it won't take you long to see how true this is. All over this world, more and more each day, believers are still paying the ultimate price for placing their faith in Jesus Christ; being thrown into dungeons and prisons that are really death traps; watching their families suffer and be persecuted and tormented, watching their homes be burned, and yes, being tortured because they won't "deny the One who paid the ultimate price to save them"!

I don't know about you, but I don't understand how we can hide our eyes and close our ears to their plight and still go about our silly little days frivolously involving all of our mind, strength and time in such trivial endeavors as we do. There's nothing wrong with relaxation and enjoying our time and this beautiful and free country that God has allowed us each to be born into! Where the shame comes in, is that we take so lightly what God has done for us and we live each day without a truly thankful spirit. We hide the light He has shown in our hearts and the truth He has revealed to us, under the proverbial bushel. We're in a battle for the MIND in this country. We don't have to fear (at least not yet) being tortured and thrown into prison and having our homes and families taken from us for worshiping God but we should fear what the "enemy" is doing to capture and imprison our minds and the minds of our children!

May God help us and forgive our complacent attitudes.