Where s the urgency?

Transcription

1 Where s the urgency? Eph 5:16 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Col 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 1

2 President Barack Obama: The court ruling has made our union a little more perfect. 2

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4 Among those who grew up in Christian homes: 63% do not believe Jesus is the Son of the one true God 51% do not believe Jesus rose from the dead 65% do not believe Satan is a real entity 68% do not believe the Holy Spirit is a real entity 70% believe there is no absolute moral truth 58% believe all faiths teach equally valid truths 65% believe or suspect that there is no way to tell which religion is true 68% believe that a good person who doesn t accept the fundamental teachings of Christianity can still attain salvation and go to heaven Until recently, 55%-66% of youth said that church would play a significant role in their lives after they left home. Today, only 33% say that. Somewhere between 69-94% of youth are abandoning the faith of their parents once they graduate high school. 4

5 It s not that they haven t embraced a version of Christianity; it s simply that the version they believe in is not built on the true foundation of what biblical Christianity is all about. It is evident that the Church and Christian families are failing to lead them into a transforming experience with God. They read from the same Bible, talk of a personal relationship with God, and say biblical truth is important to their lives, but their beliefs and behavior are not consistent with what the Bible identifies as a true follower of Christ. Josh McDowell Only 9% of born again believers have a biblical worldview. 98% of professed born-again young people believe in Christ but they do not reflect Christ-like attitudes or actions. Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. George Barna 5

6 The American Quarterly Register, 1833: As a body of men, the clergy were preeminent in their attachment to liberty. The pulpits of the land rang with the notes of freedom. The American Quarterly Register, American Education Society, conducted by B. B. Edwards (Boston: Perkins & Marvin, 1833), Vol. V, p Frank Moore, The Patriot Preachers of the American Revolution, 1862: The preachers of the Revolution did not hesitate to attack the great political and social evils of their day The Patriot Preachers of the American Revolution: With Biographical Sketches, Frank Moore Preface, p. III. 6

7 John Wingate Thornton, The Pulpit of the American Revolution, 1860: The Fathers of the Republic did not divorce politics and religion, but they denounced the separation as ungodly. The Pulpit of the American Revolution, John Wingate Thornton (Boston: Gould & Lincoln, 1860), Preface, p. III. Mighty men they were, of iron nerve and strong hand and unblanched cheek and heart of flame. God needed not reeds shaken by the wind, not men clothed in soft raiment; but heroes of hardihood and lofty courage to be the voice of a new kingdom crying in this Western wilderness. March 1898, while speaking at Emory College in Oxford, Georgia Charles B. Galloway Methodist Bishop 7

8 March 6, 1860 in New Haven, CT we must not call it [slavery] wrong in politics because that is bringing morality into politics, and we must not call it wrong in the pulpit because that is bringing politics into religion; we must not bring it into the Tract Society or the other societies, because those are such unsuitable places, and there is no single place, according to you, where this wrong thing can properly be called wrong! The Collected Works Of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. IV, Roy P. Basler, editor, p. 20 The top 2 reasons American pastors give for not speaking on controversial issues: 1. It might hurt church attendance. 2. It might hurt giving to their church. The Barna Group, Barna: Many pastors wary of raising 'controversy, Chris Woodward, OneNewsNow.com, Friday, August 01,

9 Pastor Chuck Swindoll We salute visionaries of yesteryear. They emerge from the pages of our history books as men and women of gallant faith. We shake our heads in amazement as we imagine the herculean courage it took to stand so confidently when the majority frowned so sternly. Looking back, we laud those who refused to take no for an answer. We quote them with gusto. We even name our children after them. What do we do with such creatures today? We brand them as irritating malcontents, reckless idealists who simply won't sit down and be quiet. Don't expect pats on the back or great waves of applause. Not today. Chances are good you'll lose a few jobs, fail a few courses, ruffle tons of feathers, and be the subject of the town gossip. But take heart! Many an alleged heretic today will be a hero tomorrow. Which is another way of saying, "first the cross, then the crown. 9

10 So, where has the church been during the culture war in America since the 1950s? Approx. 58 million murdered babies since murdered each business day in OK That s some 5000 per year! Our state government in Oklahoma only seeks to regulate the slaughter not end it. It s time to stop regulating the slaughter and abolish it! 10

11 Prov 6:16-17 These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, Prov 24:11-12 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, Surely we did not know this, does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? The church is the only force that can & should stop the murdering Js 4:17 He who knows to do good and does not do it sins 11

12 I m pro-life has come to mean absolutely nothing too most politicians. Over 240 pro-life laws have been enacted across the states since 1973 and yet, abortion remains legal in all 50 states. Most pro-life legislation simply ensures that abortion remains legal. It is time to abolish abortion! It is time to become abolitionists instead of prolifers! Matt 5:13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matt 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Phil 2:15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 12

13 1. The Church must be the definer of truth Jud 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 2. The Church must be the deliverer of truth Mt 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you Eph 4:15 speaking the truth 3. The Church must be the defender of truth. Jude 1:3 earnestly contend for the faith 1 Cor 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 1 Thess 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 1 Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 13

14 Ezk 33:3-6 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman s hand. Is 56:11-12 His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory. 14

15 You call Me master and obey Me not. You call Me light and see Me not. You call Me the way and walk Me not. You call Me life and live Me not. You call Me wise and follow Me not. You call Me rich and ask Me not. You call Me eternal and seek Me not. If I condemn thee, blame Me not. 15