InDependence Day
Happy Fourth of July! Have the fireworks started in your neighborhood yet? I’m sure we’ll hear fireworks all weekend celebrating our nation’s Declaration of Independence from Britain 249 years ago. The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 2:2 that we should be praying for the salvation of “all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Many of those who were leaders and culture-creators in the early days of our country were either true followers of Jesus or, if not, held biblically based values as the standard for their community and national leadership.
As a result, the Church in the US has, for the most part, enjoyed a “peaceful and quiet life,” free from the brutal oppression experienced by the Church in many other nations. This has allowed the Church here to grow and to thrive and to become a base for the spread of the Jesus-story throughout the world. That’s another reason for we who have dual citizenship—in the US and in Jesus’ kingdom—to celebrate this holiday.
Of course, that same lack of brutal oppression has also engendered a spirit of complacency and entitlement and spiritual softness in the Church, a spirit which is eroding the impact of the gospel in our land. Thinking ourselves to be self-sufficient, we have bred generations of “average” believers who bear little resemblance to the “normal” Christian described in the New Testament.
It is good to celebrate our nation’s independence and the freedoms we enjoy. But this holiday can also serve as a reminder of the constant need for our Declaration of De-pendence on the Savior and our Inter-dependence on one another in the church.
This Sunday morning we’ll be continuing in the “Resurgence of Hope” series that Pastor Tom began a few weeks ago. Psalm 78 tells us what it is about God that can give us hope in a culture that is steadily moving away from him.