God is Not Judging America

I want to make it clear that I do not believe God is judging America.  We do not believe that 9/11 or Katrina were judgments upon America.  If God is doing any judging in America, it is the Church He is judging, not the nation.

The Church has no right to claim that God is judging America.  The Church has no right to point fingers at Hollywood, abortionists, homosexuals, politicians, pornographers, or anyone else, and pronounce God's judgment upon them.  God's pattern is always to judge His people first.

If God is judging anyone in America, it is not the bar scene, the strip clubs, the heavy metal or the promiscuous.  It is the Church that deserves judgment.  It is the Church that has been weak, emaciated, compromising, lukewarm, sin-ridden, and a dishonor to God.

If we want to talk about what non-believing Americans deserve, it is only one thing:  to have a chance to experience the presence and power of God.  The Church can only deliver that when she is satisfied to live a dynamic life of uncompromising witness and fierce loyalty to Jesus.  As it is now, even "Bible-believing" churches have gone astray into a form of godliness without power, services lacking the presence of God, and a type of self-righteousness that pushes people away.

This is not to say that God doesn't have a remnant.  He does.  His remnant is made up of believers who have truly taken the destiny of this nation upon their shoulders.  They don't look to anyone else to impact the culture of this nation but themselves.  They carry the presence of God and they view themselves as wholly responsible to deliver what the hungry masses are looking for.

Jesus never pointed His fingers at the Romans and blamed them for the problems in Israel.  He pointed His finger at the religious system.  The true Church is repentant first.  We don't point our finger at abortionists, rather we repent for how we have treated women.  We don't point our finger at homosexuals, rather we repent for not growing strong families.  We don't point our finger at Hollywood, rather we repent that we have not brought something to America more exciting than meaningless entertainment.  We do not point our finger at government, because it is not in the hands of politicians to rescue America.

Think about this:  a neglectful mother fails to feed her toddler properly.  When that child is dying of malnutrition, can she blame the child?  Can she say, "Oh, I preached to that child about what is right and wrong.  He should have eaten right."  The Church has been a neglectful mother.  In order to have compassion again, the Church cannot blame others for America's ills.  She can only rise up and take her role. 

America, forgive us for pointing our finger at you.

by Tim O'Brien, Pastor, Rock of Ages Church & Ministries, St. Robert, Missouri
used by permission