What’s
Wrong With America!
A question, and or, statement
I saw today on Facebook got the wheels in my cerebrum spinning. The question was: What would happen if Christians actually lived
what they believed? That is a very good
question … and it is one that needs a direct answer, especially in light of
what is happening culturally in America as we speak.
There are so many
reasons for What is Wrong With America
that I do not know where to begin. But …
let me say this … the problems with America are rooted in the failure of the
body of Christ to KNOW and FULFILL its purpose.
That purpose can be found (and there is so much that dove-tails off this
that I have begun a ministry called RU F.I.T. Ministries – Curing Spiritual and
Physical Obesity in the Church) in the following passage:
1Cor 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as
of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1Cor 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
The key to understanding this passage is to understand what the “mysteries
of God” are … and that, my friend, is the reason for our quandary. The New Testament reveals 7 basic “mysteries”
to which ALL believers are commanded to know and live faithfully. But … how can we KNOW and LIVE what we don’t
even KNOW. The reason that these “mysteries”
are given as commands is because you can witness to every religion on the face
of the earth by way of these 7 mysteries.
These “mysteries” create a difference between true Christianity and all
religions on the planet earth. The “mysteries”
found in the Bible that every Christian is commanded to Know, Live and Share …
The 7 Mysteries
Given To The Church
1. God in flesh – This is
that God wore a diaper … God became man … Man is not God, but God became a man
so that he could deal with the sin issue with His blood (Acts 20:28)
2. Christ in you – Christ is in you, but you are not God and do
not have a “spark” of deity in you that is seeking to be freed from its
physical restrictions (as eastern religions teach).
3. Christ and the Church –
The relationship of the husband and wife is a physical picture of the spiritual
relationship between Christ (the bridegroom) and the church (the bride).
4. The Rapture of the
Church – This is also a misunderstood Bible doctrine (that many believe but
cannot explain) that is very relevant to what is happening in the world today.
5. The Restoration of
Israel – God is not through with Israel (as many religious evangelical groups
are teaching today), and she will be restored as the wife of God at the end of
the Tribulation Period. The New
Testament “church” is the guardian of the gospel during this dispensation
(period of time). One must know about
the rapture, tribulation, millennial kingdom, judgment seat of Christ, Great
White Throne and the Book(s) that will be opened at the final judgment and to
what they refer.
6. The Mystery of
Iniquity – Why does God allow good things happen to bad people, and why sin is allowed to run its course. Who is that wicked one is and why he turns on
Israel at the mid-point of the Tribulation.
Why the Tree of Life is taken away in Genesis 3 and why it reappears in
Revelation 22:2.
7. The Whore of Babylon –
Who and what is the Whore of Babylon, can you trace her through history, and
what will she be doing in the Tribulation.
These mysteries of I Corinthians are only called mysteries because
they were not revealed to those in the OT, but are given to those in the NT who
possess the Holy Spirit.
I have used these “mysteries” on many occasions as a way to help
people understand why Christianity is unique among all other faiths. It is a very powerful TOOL for believers who
desire to be F.I.T (Faith that Influences Today where you
live, work, and play with the Gospel in a powerful way). My question to you is: RU FIT with a Faith that Influence Today
where you live, work, and play with the gospel in a powerful way? You can at www.rufitministries.weebly.com.
Have We Seeded
America Enough
The reason I believe this is one of the reasons to explain What is
Wrong With America is because of a blog I read recently written by a leader of
the evangelical movement. He said that
America is falling apart because they are not coming to church and listening to
spiritual leaders preach to them as much as they used to. He said it is because churches don’t meet for
Sunday School, Sunday AM worship, Sunday Night, and Wednesday Night meetings as
much as they used to.
The Obese Church
To that I vehemently disagree.
It is not about how much we HEAR, but how much we KNOW, and LIVE where
we live, work, and play. In fact, I
think the opposite is true. I believe we
have an infestation of obese Christians who have gorged themselves on spiritual
food week after week without “exercising” that food off in practical ministry.
Running The Race
Of Life Spiritually
Living the Christian life is compared to physical running:
Cor 9:24 Know ye not that they which
run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may
obtain.
1Cro 9:25 And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a
corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Cor 9:26 I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1Cor 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it
into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I
myself should be a castaway.
This comparison is not accidental; it is purposeful! In the same way proper nutrition and exercise
is necessary for successful running, the same is indispensible for running the race
of life successfully! It is a fact that
over 70% of believers are physically obese, and I believe that an even greater
problem is happening in the church … spiritual obesity. We are taking in (spiritual food) at a far
greater rate than we are physically exercising off in practical daily ministry of
the Word of God to others.
How can we expect the world to be influenced by us (the church) when
we tell people we are Christians and …
1. Tell and listen to dirty
jokes at work….
2. Shack up with someone and
have kids while not married…
3. Have premarital sex…
4. Walk out on their spouse “just
because they want to”…
5. Participate in sinful
activities…
6. Flaunt your “Christian
Liberty” in the faces of other believers…
… and there are many more but I
hope you get the picture.
There are over 77,000,000 professing Christians in America out of over 300,000,000 total
Americans. That should be a voting bloc
that would sway any election in America. But … instead of influencing our
country for good and right … we are being influenced by the world. We, the
church, are losing our relevance because we truly don’t LIVE WHAT WE BELIEVE
where we live, work, and play. If we did
… we would not see America falling apart at its seams.
In Short … What is Wrong With America is that the church takes IN more
than they GIVE OUT in ministry. We are
not being faithful to the vocation for which we are called … the ministry of
the Word of God where we live, work, and play!
The statistics reveal this to be true!
What’s Wrong With America is that we GO TO CHURCH more than we ARE THE
CHURCH where we live, work, and play!
What’s Wrong With America is that the “church” has failed in its
mandate to equip the people for the Work of the Ministry!
Instead … we tell people to “come and listen to us preach at you more”
so you can be properly seeded with the Word, and thus allow America to be great
again.
The way we are going to influence our culture, as much as we can as
the “day is approaching,” is to understand and apply authentic discipleship
(which is the imperative of the Great Commission) to every person in the body
of Christ who desires to be a Saint!
It is my desire to “call out the problems in American churches” while
also providing solutions for those problems.
I encourage you to check out the RU FIT “Running Tip” at www.rufitministries.weebly.com
and contact me about how we can be a blessing to you and your church.
Live OUT LOUD!
Mark Harrell – Habakkuk 2:2
President and Founder of RU FIT Ministries
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