by: David Owens
Why Should He?
Matthew 25:26, “His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:”
I have an opinion concerning American Christianity during my lifetime. The phrase “…Thou wicked and slothful servant…”, I believe, describes the condition of God’s people in 2014.
This is an article that you may begin reading but lose interest and stop unless you finish it on purpose. If you do read the entire article, you will find it hard to keep your mind on it. The reason? Satan does not want God’s people to understand this truth; for if we do, we will truly stop hiding the Gospel.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
We have all heard sermons concerning the subject “God Save America” and we have attended conferences with either the theme of reaching America, or saving America, as a part of the conference. Please do not misunderstand me, I love America! However, God never commanded me to just love America. To be godly is to love the world! John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world.” While we are trying (too often in our own power, sad to say) to save America, God has commanded us to save the world. I fear this selfish attitude of ours has only hastened to bring destruction to our nation; for if our goal is different than God’s goal or if our goal is less than God’s goal, it will not have God’s help.
This is not just an American problem, it has always been a problem among God’s people, no matter where they live or at what time in history. The attitude of, “As long as I’m saved and my family is saved and my nation is ‘Christian’ and that is all that matters” is selfish. The attitude that God needs America to be strong in order to reach the world is not found in the Scriptures. If we would concentrate on the world as God commanded us to, we would also reach America, but we will never save America for America’s sake.
I firmly believe that God will bless America only if God’s people follow His command and example by sending the Gospel to the whole world, just as God loves and gave His Son to the world. Is it not wicked to concentrate on one people or one area or country when God concentrates on the whole world? (2 Chronicles 7:14) Why should God save America when American Christians are not producing for God as we ought?
American independent, fundamental, KJB Baptist’s; let me ask you a question: Why should God bless America? Because America is a moral nation? Because America loves God and respects godliness? Because America’s Christians do not compromise with the world? Because we are reaching America as we should? Because we love the world like we should? Because we are reaching the world like we should? Because we tend to believe that even future events in Scripture depend on America? Should God preserve our nation because God’s people in America are successfully preaching the Gospel to “every creature” in “all the world”? We are not even reaching America!
Going to church is not serving God. Reading your King James Bible is not serving God. Having standards is not serving God. Winning souls everywhere is serving God! “The field is the world.” Matthew 13:38
Acts 1:8 is familiar to us, but I fear we have not really studied it along with the context. I challenge you, look at it, open your Bible, check out Acts chapter one. We understand that the Jews were looking for the Messiah to deliver their nation from the Romans. They were looking for an earthly kingdom and king. In other words, “God, save Israel!” Even Christ’s disciples had a hard time seeing the world past their own nation.
After three and a half years of teaching, preaching, training and sending the disciples, just like us, they still struggled in understanding God’s heart. Christ had risen and His last instructions before ascending to His Father are recorded in Acts 1:8. Christ lists four places joined by the word “and”, meaning all the places at the same time. He used the word “both”, but went on to list four places. “Both” means to be a witness where you are and where you are not. I can reach those whom I can personally preach to and I can reach others by actively supporting those who are soul winning and planting churches somewhere else. The “somewhere else” is three of the four areas Christ commanded us to reach. We are not obeying the “Great Commission” until we are starting churches everywhere. Start them, plant them, establish them or birth them, call it what you want; but unless God’s people in America obey Christ’s last command to us, we should not even sing, “God Bless America.”
Now, don’t miss this: Acts 1:8 is actually Jesus’ response to this idea of “God save Israel” or “God save America.” Consider verse 6, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus, you saved us, you trained us for 3½ years and you died and rose again, it must have been to save Israel. Note verse 7, “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Jesus responded, the restoration of a nation is none of your business, that is not your concern, that is not what this is about, you are being short-sighted, you are limiting God, you are being selfish! Now Christ goes on in verse 8 and repeats the command, the Great Commission, which also applies to us today. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Jesus is saying, let me repeat this for you, here is the reason I came to Earth, trained you, died for you, rose again and am giving you the Holy Spirit. Witness to the whole world, not just Israel! I came to save the world, not just Israel. I love the world, not just Israel. Every where, to the uttermost, to every creature, into all the world, unto the ends of the earth. Disciples, stop worrying just about your community, your state and your nation and worry about the world. Stop trying to save just your community, your nation and save the world! Disciples, while you have been trying to save just Israel, Israel has rejected me. John 1:11 says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Christian, while you are trying to just save America, America is rejecting God double time. And while we have spent years worrying about America, America is not only going to Hell, but so is the world! While we sing, “God Bless America,” America has outlawed Jehovah God and we ignore much of the world’s people who are receptive to the Gospel, but have never heard.
1. If you are not personally preaching the Gospel AND equally sending and supporting those preaching the Gospel to every creature and planting churches, you are not fully serving God.
2. Do not expect God to provide for you, protect you or save your nation if you do not fully serve God.
3. It is wicked to not fully obey God and allow any for whom Christ died to go to Hell without ever hearing the Gospel.
4. God never told the church to reach just Israel, just their own town, just their own nation or concentrate on just one portion of the world. God never told the Christian to just reach their own nationality or special-interest group. For God so loved the world, go ye into all the world, to every creature, the uttermost parts of the earth. Even David, giving to Goliath the reason he would smite him said, “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:46)
5. So, child of God, stop limiting God, stop being selfish, broaden your vision to include God’s vision. Look out of God’s eyes.
Independent, fundamental Baptist churches, let’s compare: are you spending your time equally between reaching the world and your own community? Are you spending equal resources reaching the world as you do your own community? Are you equally concerned with starting churches outside of your community as you are with building your own church? By the way, are you doing at home what you expect the missionary or church planter to do elsewhere? Why, when you have financial struggles in your church, do you cut the missions budget first? Why is the revival conference or God Save America Conference better advertised and attended than the Missions Conference? Why do God’s people expect to have some special call to go preach, start churches or be a missionary when Christ already commanded us to do that? Where is the call to stay home and disobey Christ’s command? Pastors travel miles to attend a Bible or pastors conference in order to build their own church, but would not do the same for a missions conference in order to reach the world and plant churches. God never even commanded pastors to build their own church. (Matthew 16:18) God sent His son from Heaven to this world to die for sinners, why is it such a struggle for churches to send their trained staff and for parents to send their children to another part of the world? Just like the disciples, we are too often overly concerned with our own nation, our own church, our own community, our own family; but Christ is concerned for “…the uttermost part of the earth.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “…turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Proverbs 24:11-12 says, “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”
God save America? Why should He? God will not restore our nation until God’s people in our nation are worth restoring.
David Owens
Pastor
Westside Baptist Church
Pacifica, CA