Twenty years ago, when I lived in southern California, a guest speaker gave a sermon at the church we were attending at the time. He was describing the condition of America, the apathy of too many professing believers, and the moral decline that had been gradually increasing since the 1960s.
I thought of the reputation we used to have around the world as a great Christian nation and beacon of religious freedom. And even though our country has been tremendously blessed as God shed His grace on us for over 200 years, it did not last. It rarely does. More on this in a moment.
While churches in the west are becoming lukewarm, fading, or spiritually insignificant, there are thriving churches in countries where persecution is quite common. The speaker was discussing missions and said something I will never forget:
“There are Christians from Asia and nations where the gospel is restricted who are sending missionaries to America. They are flying into LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) with the goal of evangelizing the decadent West.”
We need to be evangelized! A recent podcast guest also said that if you want to be a missionary, go to church, meaning – get them saved. What happened to the morality and influence of born-again believers? Where is the light of Christ and the preserving influence of Christians on American culture?
Sadly, the United States is a top exporter of abortion, demonic entertainment, pornography, the prosperity gospel, drugs, and more. We are full of pride and perversion. Abraham Lincoln in the late 1860s said we have become too proud to pray to the God that created us and blessed this land. We’ve become apathetic, comfortable, distracted, and divided. Tragically, the Church is no longer leading the way.
Let’s look at how Jesus rebuked the lukewarm church in Asia Minor.
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked; …19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:15-22
Notice verse 20. This is a message from Jesus (through the Holy Spirit) to Christians in one of the early churches in Asia Minor. He is standing outside the door of His church!
How about today? Is Jesus is knocking on the door of churches claiming to worship Him?
Is the state of today’s church any indication of the morality, stability, and strength of America? There’s an expression many believe to be accurate: as the church goes so goes America.
You may have heard about the concept of a ‘Life Cycle of Nations,’ put forth by Scottish historian, Alexander Tyler at the time of the American Revolution. Nations generally follow this pattern:
“From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance.
From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy;
From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”
As we consider Bible prophecy and current events, let’s also be reminded though the biblical worldview is on life support, God is not shocked and His sovereignty still rules over all.
Contrary to the left, the media, secular government, the K-12 education system, and Marxist universities, America’s greatness was undergirded from the beginning by our Judeo-Christian moral foundation.
In November 1620, Pilgrims and Puritans created the first social contract in the New World. The Mayflower Compact set a precedent for religious freedom and became a guide for later charters of self-government in North America. It’s vital to understand the Compact declares profound religious commitment while organizing a civil government.
The second sentence states their purpose:
“…Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony…”
At the time of the American Revolution, historian from France, Alexis DeTocqueville attributed America’s greatness to what he described as American pulpits “aflame with righteousness”. We would have had no American Revolution without the black robed regiment; pastors speaking the whole counsel of God’s Truth and standing up to tyranny.
In order to have a strong, stable nation, we needed a healthy, vibrant, influential church committed to preaching the gospel of repentance and being counter-culture – refusing to conform to this world.
Sadly, there are millions of people who go to church every Sunday and are not even saved. They profess to believe Jesus is the only way and claim to trust the Bible, but they are better classified as unconverted or ‘so-called Christians.’
In light of a huge national election coming up in a few weeks, how could someone claim to be Christian and support the Democrat Party? How do they justify supporting things like abortion, homosexuality, drag queens, transgender surgeries, open borders, socialism, and do not support Israel?
They don’t know or haven’t read the Bible.
You’ve heard it said politics are downstream from culture meaning culture influences government. Ideally, as in the early church and the earliest days in America, biblical Christianity influenced the land. A vibrant faith and religion should be shaping culture and politics today but I’m afraid it’s the other way around.
George Barna was my guest on Worldview Matters podcast a few weeks ago and shared some tragic news about the alarming decline in biblical worldview among pastors and church leaders. A majority (62%) do not even believe the Bible they preach from on Sunday mornings. How’s this possible?
It just takes one generation. Worldly pulpits have led to Syncretism; a merging of – or a combination of conflicting and differing religions, beliefs, or practices. Barna estimates that a staggering 92 percent of Americans fall into the category of syncretism!
People can’t decide on just one, so they mix a patchwork of beliefs such as Buddhism, Christianity, the New Age, works righteousness, and worldviews such as: Islam (everything must submit) Postmodernism (everything is about power) and Marxism (everything advances revolution, oppressed vs oppressor).
A weak American church combined with secularism have now produced some awful consequences. Only one percent (1%) of 18–29-year-olds have a biblical worldview today. We desperately need repentance and revival!
Barna concluded:
“It certainly seems that if America is going to experience a spiritual revival, that awakening is needed just as desperately in our pulpits as in the pews; …This [research] is another strong piece of evidence that the culture is influencing the American church more than Christian churches are influencing the culture;”
Too many pastors are unwilling to teach the whole counsel of God, equip the saints, address Bible prophecy, politics, and expose darkness. They will answer to God one day.
Moreover, a Gallup Poll last year had this headline revealing a big part of the problem:
“Belief in the Inerrancy of Scripture Rapidly Declining”
Just 20% – a record low of Americans think the Bible is actually and literally God’s Word. This is the first time in history more Americans do NOT view the Bible as divinely inspired. In addition, almost 30% of Americans now think the Bible is merely a collection of “fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man.”
Abandoning inerrancy is the first downward step to apostasy, accommodating sin, and post-modernism.
In his 1998 book, The God Who Is There, Dr. Francis Schaeffer warned about the danger of compromise and what happens when we stop believing in the inspiration of Scripture:
“Here is the great evangelical disaster – the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth. There is only one word for this, namely accommodation: the evangelical church has accommodated the spirit of this age. First there has been accommodation of Scripture, so that many who call themselves evangelicals hold a weakened view of the Bible and no longer affirm the truth of all that it teaches – truth not only in religious matters but in matters of science, history, and morality.”
He was spot on!
We need to acknowledge how we got here, understand the signs of the times, and also know how to respond. Doing nothing, not warning people, keeping our faith to ourselves must not be options. The Bible warns about falling away, heresy, and rebellion against God. Let’s see if any of these predictions sound familiar.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 states:
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
Things will get worse. The question is this: What will we do about it? How are we responding today to blatant evil and perpetrators of demonic agendas? If you are a believer in Christ and you are silent in the face of evil, whose approval are you more concerned about, God’s or man’s?
Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12-13
Those who truly believe and live out their faith will be persecuted. In other words, when people know you by your fruit and bold witness, they will hate you.
Some speculate America is ripe for judgment. Others say we’re in the early stages. Too many don’t seem to care, and many Christians seem unconvinced the time is short.
Why does all this matter?
Sadly, too many professing Christians are ineffective or unproductive as salt and light; many are clueless about how late the hour is and it seems we’d rather be busy, be entertained, and of course, comfortable. This is cruise ship Christianity.
The truth is we’re on a battleship and Satan is pulling out all the stops. We know our struggle is not against flesh and blood – but we also know the enemy uses people, flesh and blood, to do his work on the earth. We must discern and respond.
Writer of “Amazing Grace,” John Newton once said, “If I might read only one book beside the Bible, I would choose The Christian in Complete Armour,” by William Gurnall, an English scholar, preacher, and puritan. Born in the 1600s, he wrote much about spiritual warfare and the duty of believers. He stated:
“It is the image of God reflected in you that so enrages hell; it is this at which the demons hurl their mightiest weapons; …God himself underwrites your battle and has appointed His own Son ‘the captain of [your] salvation’ (Hebrews 2:10)…The soldier is summoned to a life of active duty, and so is the Christian. The very nature of the calling precludes a life of ease.”
You don’t see much about pursuing comfort and leisure in the pages of the Bible.
Daily news and headlines clearly prove the dark and dramatic moral decline. Some topics include:
abortion, Antisemitism, transgender ideology, environmental extremism, population control, AI, hyper-sexuality, LGBTQ, globalism, Marxism, medical tyranny, communist policy in America, delusion, persecution, evil called good, increasing crime and violence.
These are just a handful of indicators that the return of the Lord must be getting close.
Judgment is coming and it’s not going to be pretty. You think there’s chaos and disorder and turmoil on the earth now? We ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Imagine the darkness when the church is removed.
How many pastors today are warning people of the judgment to come and teaching about the holiness of a God who is described as a consuming fire?
Like Noah’s day, many people will not understand until it’s too late; they are busy, preoccupied carrying on with life. Nonetheless, we are called to share the good news because we’re messengers of a righteous, worthy, Mighty God.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20,
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
We represent King Jesus! Furthermore, we have the Holy Spirit in us and are not left without armor or help. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 states:
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
We are overcomers and if God is for us who can be against us?
It’s good to be informed, encouraged, and to enjoy fellowship. For those of us who attend solid Bible-teaching churches, we’re well fed and equipped. But what about Monday through Saturday? Are we using the knowledge, gifts, and talents God gave us to bless and minister to others?
We need discernment, we need to be obedient, and we need to be ready. Preach the truth that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13).”
Romans 10:8-10 states:
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Speak up, stand in faith, pray for wisdom, love your neighbors, and watch for our Blessed Hope. Even when things feel like they’re spinning out of control, the Lord of History has not lost His power, remains on the throne, and is faithful forever.
(*This message was presented on October 12, 2024 at a Conference held by Country Bible Church in Casco, WI. Watch teachings on David’s website by scrolling down to ‘Sermons and Conferences.’)
