Linda Wall
(Part 1: Why Is the Church in America Lukewarm? | Part 2: Why is the Church in America Lukewarm? GLBT Influence | Part 3: Why is the Church in America Lukewarm? The Bible
As I sat there on the pew in the Baptist church in Norfolk, Virginia, I yearned to be free from homosexuality; I had reached the end of my rope. A few days earlier, Satan had tried to get me to commit suicide. I knew that killing myself was not an option, but what was the answer for my life?
Questions ran through my head: Could I be free from homosexuality? Could the Jesus I had learned about in Sunday school help me? Was He really more than a historical figure? Was He alive? Would He hear my cry or was He way off yonder in heaven?
Time seemed to be frozen as I thought about all of the miracles Jesus had performed when He walked the earth: restoring sight to the blind, enabling the lame to walk, healing lepers and even raising the dead. If He was really the same today as He was yesterday, then He could heal me from homosexuality.
When the pastor gave the invitation to come to Jesus, I went forward to the front of the church weeping all the way, repented of my sins, asked for forgiveness, turned from my wicked ways, and from that day to now, almost forty years later, I have been following the “same Jesus.”
I can attest to the fact that Jesus is alive, and He is the same today as He was yesterday. He is giving the same message today, “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
For several weeks, I have been sharing with you how many false beliefs have crept into American church. (Why Is The Church in America Lukewarm? parts 1,2,3).
The Call to Action for the Church today is the same as the action I took: repent and turn from wickedness and follow Jesus.
When we come to Jesus, we become a new creation, old things are passed away. Jesus becomes Lord of our lives and we follow Him. We become His messengers in our day-to-day lives, not just inside a church building. If there is to be a revival or spiritual awakening in America, it has to be done the Bible way. Jesus has put it in very simple terms for the Church of what action must be taken.
After His resurrection, Jesus met with John on the Isle of Patmos. Jesus evaluated the churches. He said what was right, what was wrong, what corrections had to made and the consequences if they didn’t. (Revelation 2-3)
What Might Jesus Say to the Lukewarm Church in America Today?
“I know thy works, thy labour, thy patience, thy tribulations, thy poverty, thy charity, thy service, thy faith, nevertheless I have somewhat against you.” (Rev 2-3kjv)
You have built your modern day ‘Golden Calves’ and you worship them:
your Christian schools, your Christian colleges and universities, your Christian ball teams, your Christian bands, your Christian pleasure cruises, your Christian theatrical productions, your Christian mission trips, your Christian anything and everything.
You have bowed down and worshiped other gods:
your denominations, your church buildings, your choirs, your pastors and ministers, your man-made doctrines, your Easter and Christmas musicals, your mission trips, your good works, your yards, your cars, your houses, your children, your grandchildren, your jobs and careers, your hobbies, your gadgets and your sport teams.
You have kept silent when you should have been the light of the world and the salt of the earth:
silent when I was removed from the lives of the children in school, silent when it became legal to kill babies inside the womb of their mothers, silent over the abomination of the men marrying men and women marrying women, silent about sin in the Church, silent about divorce, premarital sex and immorality in the Church.
You have committed spiritual adultery:
your allegiance has been to yourself, your organizations, your political parties, your fights for various ‘causes,’ your news media, your radio talk shows, your church meetings and conferences, your signing of petitions, your sending of faxes and your lobbying. Your children are taught with cartoons rather than the Bible, God’s Word.
You have forgotten me:
you have forgotten what I did for you, you have forgotten the mocking, you have forgotten how they spit in my face, you have forgotten my beatings and how the skin was ripped from my bones, you have forgotten the crown of thorns pressed into my skull, you have forgotten the nails that were driven into my hands and my feet, you have forgotten the sword piercing my side and my blood pouring out for your sake that your sin-sick soul would have liberty and freedom and to break every chain that binds you.
All the Lukewarm Church has to do today is: REPENT
“If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves
and pray,
and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14)
