Tag: American Christianity

“Why Not Me?”

On By Archie L. GilmerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Dustin Gilmer 1990-2020

If you know me personally, then you already know that my wife and I have been dealing with the loss of our son, Dustin L. Gilmer. He was killed when his van struck a concrete barrier dividing the interstate on which he was driving. This happened just days before his thirtieth birthday. We received a call at around 4:30 am on Friday August 7th, informing us about what had happened just a few hours earlier that morning.

I am unable to explain the shock and overwhelming pain that came over us during that moment. Never in my almost 49 years of life have I ever experienced such a total loss of control of myself. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. I could not even try to stop what was happening and felt completely helpless and destroyed.

It has been about six weeks now since this happened. During that six weeks my family and I had to do what everyone does who loses one they love. We had to identify my son’s body. Then we had to plan a funeral. Then we had to deal with his estate. In the middle of all that, we tried to process and cope with the reality that he was gone and that this in fact was happening in our family.

August 13, 1990

I feel that I can say that things were and are, even in his death, a bit different for us in that Dustin was born with a disability that caused him to live his life in a wheelchair. He was born with a disability which caused him to break bones really easily. In fact, when he was born the doctor informed me and his mother that he was not expected to live more than five years.

Pam, my wife, and I always felt that there was a good possibility that we would outlive Dustin due to his disability. Even though he was able to fight through the challenges of his disability and earn a great deal of independence, we believed that over time it would catch up to him and begin to take a toll. I prayed about that a lot. I guess for the past thirty years we lived with and dealt with his disability in a way that it simply became a part of who we are, and I guess became normal for us.

I was not a Christian when Dustin was born. However, I did talk to God every now and then. You know, the usual cry out to God when things are really bad. From the day he was born until he, my wife and I all gave our lives to Christ.

Since Dustin was born, my thoughts and payers were everything from why this disability happened to him, my son to “Lord if I could only trade places with him”. I went through just about every emotion I could go through during the first ten or twelve years of his life. Trying to figure out how to cope with my son and his suffering with this disability. During those years and really his entire life, we all learned how to function and be a family who not only suffered together because of the disability, but also to be able to move away from needing answers to our “why us” questions.

Over the years of Dustin’s life, we all learned many valuable lessons about how God works and how he does not work. We were able to grow as Christians and I believe that because of that, we were able to accept that God had allowed this disability and to be able to stand in the fact that God does not make mistakes. Therefore, we began to live in a place that helped us fall in line with what God was doing with Dustin’s life.

So when that day came when I received that phone call at 4:30 am informing me that Dustin was killed in a car wreck, in the middle of that devastating moment, I did not feel the need to ask, “why me?” or “why my son?”.

In the days and weeks after his death, my wife and I got in our truck and drove. I mean we drove for about four days. During that time, I could not stop thinking about all the godly men in the bible that had experienced tragedy. I thought about people like Abraham who was willing to kill his own son trusting that it was God’s plan. I also thought a lot about David who lost his son due to consequences of his own sinful behavior. Yet when God said “no” to his prayer that his son would live, David simply ended his fasting and prayer and continued serving God.

I mostly thought about Job. I continued to think about how much loss he had endured and remained faithful to God. He lost all of his children. Even though he was blessed with more children, I have no doubt that the loss of the first children made a lasting mark. There were plenty more people in the scriptures that I thought about who had suffered loss or tragedy. Yet they continued to be godly people.

I am simply sharing all of this because I think it was important for me to be reminded of the lesson that God had been teaching me for the past thirty years. It was as if God was reminding me by saying, “why not you?”. This is the lesson that was constant throughout the thirty years of my son’s life.

If we think about all the people throughout the history of mankind who were godly people and suffered. We will find many that were used greatly by God for His glory and for His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven! After all, Hebrews chapter 11 lists many of the “hall of famers” of the Bible. I think it is safe to say that none who were listed there lived without suffering.

Dustin, my son, would be the first to tell anyone that life is not fair. He would be the first one to tell anyone that bad things happen to good people and bad people. And he would also be the first one to tell anyone that in the middle of it all, God is doing something.

You know, 2020 has turned out to be a pretty crappy year for everyone. Like everyone else, I began the year paying a little bit of attention to the impeachment proceedings and wishing that it would be over, and we could move on to talking about something else.

Well, be careful what you wish for. I soon found myself after about three months of adjusting to COVID 19 precautions wishing we could go back and talk about the impeachment hearings! It was not long that I found myself, like everyone else, being overly stressed about the current events going on in the world.

I remember thinking about how I just started a new preaching position at our church and was excited about getting the church to grow and be successful about making disciples for Christ. It all seemed to come to an immediate stand still and I began to have the attitude of how it was not fair or right that our church was being affected like this. Not to mention the affects that it has had on me personally, just as it has on everyone else in the world.

Looking back now, I cannot help but continue to hear the words in my mind, “why not me?”. I think about all the generations over the ages who had to struggle and deal with world changing events. Wars, sicknesses, disasters, political and social issues, loss, and the like. I keep hearing, “why not me?”.

There were many generations since Adam and Eve that experienced a sudden and drastic change in the world which affected their lifestyles and comfort levels. So, the question continues, “why not me?”. Why would I be exempt from any kind of suffering or challenge? I live in the same world as they did. The same world that is contaminated by wickedness and sin since Adam and Eve! Who am I?

So, I must continue to ask myself, “why not me?”. Why shouldn’t I expect to take my turn at suffering and pain? This is the way life has been since the fall of man in the garden! This is the world we live in. God does not make mistakes and He allows suffering at times. So, “why not me?”.

God has brought many great things out of pain and suffering. And all of those things end in God being glorified and many have turned to Him for His saving grace because of the suffering that happens in the lives of His disciples. For the past thirty years, our family bible verse has been Romans 8:18.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

So, I sit and think about the possibilities that God will use my suffering for His glory and for the sake of someone else’s soul! So, “why NOT me?”!

A final thought. I would not want this blog post to be taken as some kind of sad situation entirely. Certainly, it has its share of sadness, maybe m

Dustin L. Gilmer

ore than its share. However, if you knew my son at all, you would know that even though he lived in his wheelchair, he looked at the opportunities for success in his life and always asked the question, “why NOT me?”.

He lived his life well and also died well. I will forever be proud of my son and will forever give God the glory for the blessing that Dustin was for the last thirty years and will continue to always be.To God be the Glory for ever and ever! Amen!

Could There Be Another Great Revival in America?

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Uncategorized1 Comment
Bob Beltz: Preacher at Valley Mills Christian Church Indianapolis, IN click the photo to listen to the message (the message starts at the 14:56 time mark)

I recently listened to sermon preached by a great brother in Christ, Mentor, and friend. His name is Bob Beltz at Valley Mills Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN. His sermon was powerful and thought provoking at least for me.

He preached from Lamentations and really brought some perspective to the table about where exactly to look when evaluating what we need as a nation, a society, and as the body of Christ.

“Judah has gone into exile under affliction and under harsh servitude; she dwells amoung the nations, but she has found no rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of distress.”                 -Lamentations 1:3

For the past six to eight years I have often thought of America as needing another great revival! What I mean is for those Americans who will readily and maybe even honestly claim to believe in God or call themselves Christians yet seldom or never attend church to return to putting God first in all things.

Often times these Americans will go most of their lives without ever opening God’s Word in the privacy of their own home. Somehow these Americans have fallen into the trap of believing that simply not denying God’s existence is enough to secure a spot in a place we all know as heaven. Not accepting the fact that it does not work that way.

I had often thought that if we would just pray that God would move in a way that brought about a great revival in the hearts of The Church in America then all of the wickedness and wrongdoing that seemed so overwhelming would be defeated.

The problem with that thought was that it was born and motivated by my own spiritual youth and naivety. You see, what I did not have a full grasp on was that revivals are what happen to the believers within the church, those who are actively working within the body of Christ and seeking the Lord. It is The Church that is to be the focus of a revival!

Maybe it is because I was raised in the 70’s and 80’s. Even then Americans were being taught that this nation was a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. Leading me to just assume that all Americans believed in God. At least that was the case in the Midwest where I spent a lot of my childhood.

Maybe I simply assumed that an American revival meant that many if not most would return to the Christian foundation that our forefathers stood on.

The reality of it all is simply that The Church, the body of Christ, are the people who need to be awakened. After all, according to the great commission, it is the responsibility of The Church to go into the world and make disciples!

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and peach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.””                          – Mark 16:15-16

To simply pray that God would change the hearts of those who have not accepted His gospel and do nothing else in regard to our neighbor’s salvation is a complete act of deflecting our God given responsibility back on God Himself!

What I have come to realize over the past five or six years is that it is The Church in America that is sick. After all, it is fool hearted to expect people who have never accepted God, His Word, and the Christian life to live according to the Christian way of life! It is The Church, the body of Christ, that has become complacent.

The believers have slowly given in to the pressures of the world and compromised bit by bit. All the while convincing themselves that we are good enough. We sometimes still go to church and sometimes give our tithes. Verbally confirming that we believe in God and even Jesus sometimes. All the while allowing the foundations of the Christian family to be destroyed by the world around us without any effort to actively standing up and call sin what it is. I do not mean in the public houses, I mean within the walls of our families, our own houses and churches. While at the same time, our behavior in society does not reflect what we say we believe.

Somehow the believers, The Church, arrived at a way of life that is complacent and maybe even blending in with the politically correct mindset of the American culture. Most Americans who are Christians will immediately reject the idea of political correctness, however when confronted with an opportunity to stand firm on our Christian principles, we shrink back for fear of offending our family, friends, and neighbors. An example of fearing what the world will percieve about the Christian who is supposed to be about love and kindness.

The reality is that the believers in these “United” States of America have shrunk back. I remember when I first started full time ministry about fifteen or so years ago. There were some of the older believers in the churches that I was part of who would tell stories about protesting and picketing outside liquor stores and XXX bookstores which had been starting up in their neighborhoods. They had great success in shutting them down. People were also getting saved back then!

“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

– James 2:17

I remember at that time I thought to myself, “that doesn’t seem like what God would have us do”. Even though what was being promoted by those businesses was not something that honored God and provided great temptation to sin in the community, I thought that it was a bit aggressive and might have given the wrong impression to the rest of the community about the church. Which is still the mindset of many church leaders today many times.

I look back now and think that I was probably half correct in my thinking. I was correct in thinking that it was a bit aggressive. However, I now see that it was and always is correct to stand up and call sin what it is! Maybe sometimes even when it is or would be perceived as aggressive. I cannot speak to the manner in which those older brethren took action were right or wrong. Only God will judge that.

I will however say that I think that I would rather stand before God and be corrected over the manner in which I stood firm in what is right or wrong than to stand before Him and try to explain why I just stood by and did nothing or said nothing.

I think that only much prayer and fasting will allow us to be in tune with the Holy Spirit as He leads us toward making disciples and bringing in the harvest.

If we would ever be able to surrender to what God is doing, we would be quick to repent, heal, and be made strong. And by we, I mean the believers.

I believe it would be the next great revival in the body of Christ!

We must seek the Lord. We must cry out for spiritual growth and strength to go into a world of wickedness and hurt and simply love people.

We must be about our Father’s business.

The Gaslighting of America and The Church

On By Archie L. GilmerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show

I recently read an article written by Andrew Klavan that was published on The Daily Wire. In that article, Klavan is pointing out something that I have been pondering for most of 2020 and maybe even a bit longer. That is this thing called “gaslighting”. What is gaslighting?

To borrow an excerpt from Klavan’s article.

“The term “gaslighting” comes from a 1938 suspense play by Patrick Hamilton called “Angel Street.” The play, which became the movie “Gaslight,” is about abusive husband Jack Manningham, who seeks to hide the fact that he’s a murderer and a thief by convincing his wife that she’s insane. He does this by trying to make her think she does not see what she sees — the gaslights dimming — or hear what she hears — his footsteps in the apartment above.”

Photo from: https://www.dailywire.com/news/klavan-gaslight-nation?

The actual definition of gaslighting is as follows:

Gaselighting:

verb (used with object), gas·light·ed or gas·lit, gas·light·ing.

to cause (a person) to doubt his or her sanity through the use of psychological manipulation:

This type of manipulation is very subtle, effective, and dangerous. Often times a person who is being gaslighted finds themselves in a serious state of insanity or maybe even worse if there is such a thing.

As a preacher of the gospel and a committed Christian to the faith in which I have surrendered myself to, I find that a healthy pursuit of the truth is absolutely necessary for success as well as survival in this world. After all, the gospel message is all about what is true!

Having said all that, I will say that I find it very hard to accept that since before January 01, 2020, until the date of this writing, August 01,2020, that such a string of catastrophic situations would occur back to back or simultaneously.

It has only been a short seven months and we have and continue to deal with Presidential impeachment hearings, global pandemics, federal and local governmental abuse of powers, social unrest (some may say tyranny), as well as the relentless challenge of any authority, racial tension and riots in our streets, and let’s not forget the audacious attempts to simply erase the entire history of the greatest nation in the world, by force no less!

I personally find it very difficult maybe even impossible for all of these events and happenings to be coincidental. Yes, some are consequences of another, but it all seems to be laced with the idea that there is a “man behind the curtain” pulling all the strings and pushing all the buttons! I cannot bring myself to accept that all of this is just happening without some political agenda driving it all.

I do not pretend to understand all of it. I cannot even begin to start assigning blame or responsibility on any one group or individual as to who might be the puppet master’s in it all. All I know is that I feel that I and every other American citizen who disagrees with any left wing or liberal minded groups are being gaslighted as we speak.

As Klavan pointed out in his article, there are groups of people as well as political groups that are engaging in hatred and discord in an effort to gain leverage and power to push their agenda all the while preaching that it is me or “we the people” that are the one’s that are the haters and dividers!

We now find ourselves in such a position that any pushback or attempt to defend ourselves actually plays right into the hands of those who are attacking America! If I stand firm in who I am as a white Christian man who is also an American Citizen as well as a Preacher of the gospel, the fingers will immediately start pointing, “see, he hates everyone because he won’t agree or fall in line with what we want and believe”!

This scenario plays out in every part of our lives from debating about how we choose or not choose to protect ourselves from a very real and deadly virus all the way to whether or not a person will submit to the regime of the Black Lives Matter movements, Antifa, or any other Socialist/Marxist organization.

What does not seem to matter is what anyone really thinks or believes about any of it. There is simply a steady stream of information being fed to society by the government, media, and all the different groups of people out there. All of it controlled by “the man behind the curtain”. There is no discussion. No attempt to open mindedly understand each other. Simply all there is to remain is chaos and confusion.

Chaos and confusion are what the gaslighter wants. Division and strife are what the socialist/Marxist depends on. As long as the truth is not presented, the crowd is left to wrestle with their own thoughts of what exactly is reality and what is not.

Even when the truth is plain to all, anytime anyone begins to embrace what is real or true, the mob quickly pounces to shut it down and condemn the fact finder as racist scum and told to sit down and shut up, or else.

And because no one else in the crowd who also are being gaslighted, will stand in the face of the lies, neither will anyone else. It is evidence that the gaslighting is working.

The victims are afraid to speak out about any of it for fear of being accused of or maybe revealing to the world their state of insanity. Even though there is no insanity on their part. We are simply being told that 1+1=4. If we object with what we know to be true, we are smacked down and shunned from society and any connection to it!

The insanity lies in the minds of the mob, the gaslighters. They are the ones who have lost touch with reality. They are the ones who are living in a fantasy world filled with hate and discord and calling it social and political progress. Something that no one in their right mind would ever have thought would happen. Yet here we are. Here it is.

As an American citizen I am more than upset about all of it. However, because I am a believer in Jesus as Lord and Savior of all, I must consider the Kingdom of God first and foremost in all of it. So, what does that mean?

Well, as was stated in my previous blogpost, American Christians and These “United” States 2020, The kingdom of God is the priority. That means that I must be about the work of the Kingdom. Which is basically, loving God and loving people. Sounds simple right? Well, not so much.

I personally believe that we are to live the Christian life in such a way that we honor God in all parts of our lives. Good times and bad times. I believe that God has made it clear that there are certain moral and ethical truths which He expects the believer to stand firm on and not shrink back from anything that challenges that.

We find in scripture where the book of Hebrews calls the believer to persevere!

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” – Hebrews 10:39

What is happening in the “United” States of America today is a direct attack on the very core values of the Christian faith! The very thing that the Christian is to stand firm on. Our core values are the foundation of not only the Body of Christ but this nation as well! We have a duty to stand firm on those values and beliefs, which by the way all are centered on Christ our Lord! See the letter to the Colossians.

Everything that the socialist/Marxist agenda proudly stands for is intended to dismantle the family unit as God Himself had established. All of the acts of the sinful nature which are obvious according to Galatians 5, are now condoned and promoted. At the time of this writing, there are some reports of bibles being burned in Portland, OR in the midst of the rioting in the streets!

If we sit back and say nothing. If we shrink back to our pews and pulpits and preach the “safe” message that the gospel is all about going to heaven and that what goes on in this world is not our concern, I fear that we will be in error at best. It is our responsibility to fight for the morals, truths, and principles of the Kingdom of God!

“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”    – Matthew 6:10

That is how the Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray! His will be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven! We are charged with stewardship of the gospel! The truth of the word of God! We must not simply shrink back and allow the wickedness in the hearts of those who think the gospel foolishness, 1 Corinthians, to simply destroy what God has established in the world!

It is not a matter of winning or losing a battle against the evils of this world. It is a matter of standing before a Holy God who will evaluate the hearts of each believer. He will call to account the stewardship of each one of us when it comes to the truths with which he entrusted in our charge! Refer to the parable of the talents which can be found in Matthew’s gospel chapter 25.

It is about how much are we willing work in the harvest fields even when they were on fire and being destroyed by the wickedness of the evil one. After all it is those who take the gospel for foolishness who are perishing, again 1 Corinthians, who really are the ones Jesus sent us after when He said to go and make disciples!

“…The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in to his harvest field.”              – Matthew 9:37-38

In today’s world, in these “United” States of America, the Christian is faced with a choice. Either shrink back and allow the gaslighting to lead us into compromising the gospel and the moral foundation that Jesus died for. Or we can stand firm in Christ and stand firm in our convictions, loving God by loving people. That sometimes means speaking truth in the face of wickedness and evil. Often times if not every time it means taking harsh and/or brutal treatment from the enemies, the mobs, the gaslighters.

Here is what I know for a fact. God’s word is indeed absolute truth. His morals and principles are indeed good and trustworthy. Jesus did indeed die and was resurrected from the dead and is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven! These facts alone should be enough for me and every other believe to stand firm in truth.

Archie L. Gilmer

Call things what they are. Trust in the God in whom we claim to believe! Do not shrink back!

Stand up Church! Speak Truth! Love!

American Christians and These “United” States 2020

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Uncategorized1 Comment

As an American Christian as well as a Preacher of the gospel, I am not only troubled by the current culture in the “United” States of America, but I am challenged by the thoughts about what can or should be done. What should the Christian’s reaction be? What should the American Christian be doing in response to any of it?

First, I will make it known that I first and foremost believe that every Christian around the world should always be about the Lord’s business. The business of making disciples. In that regard, it should be business as usual for the believer. We should be about the work of the Kingdom no matter the climate or culture around us.

Part of the dilemma in my mind is not so much about what we are supposed to be doing as the body of Christ but what could or should be done as Christian Americans. If anything. I have some issues when thinking about how the American believers have always stood firm on the fact that the country was founded on Christian values by Christian men and women.

We have always held those Christian men and women as not only American heroes but also heroes of the faith as well. We celebrate their accomplishments as they literally fought for their and our freedoms as people and as Christians. We for so long, I guess until now, have been proud of the battles and wars that they willingly fought so that they and we could enjoy a nation where we are free to believe what we want to believe. As well as anyone else for that matter.

We look at the men who signed the constitution as great Christian Americans who courageously stood in the face of tyranny and oppression in a forceful way, yet we now look at each other and simply say, we should just keep making disciples and focus on the Kingdom work. Which I agree with. However, I cannot help but ask myself, what if part of the Kingdom work is doing something about the tyranny and injustice that is happening against our freedoms?

I feel that the believers think it possible for that to be part of Kingdom work because we are always saying, “we need more Christians in office”, thinking that it will help preserve our freedoms. After all, isn’t that what we have always celebrated in our founding Christian Americans? Yet somehow, we seem to act as though that should be some other Christian instead of the one looking back in the mirror.

Do we not proudly cry out that “This country was founded on Christian principles; therefore, it is a Christian nation!” But now, when the baton is handed to us, we seem to be silent. We seem to be relying on “the vote”. All I hear is, “wait till November”. Although I still believe in the voting process, I do not trust the ones who are to manage that process.

Whatever happens after November, I am confident that our current culture will only get worse. If one group is elected, things will continue to get worse, if the other is elected, things may explode socially! It seems like we only have a choice between letting the wind blow the fire even bigger or pouring gasoline on the fire to help it grow. It just seems inevitable to me that evil will continue to abide and abound as long as godly people sit back and either deny that it is happening or have the attitude that someone else will do something about it.

Yes, I realize that scripture teaches much about the world being in decay due to sin and the consequences of wickedness. However, I do not know if I believe that it would be God’s will for the believers to just sit on the side of the road and not at least speak out against the ways of the evil one! Our current culture has become such that anyone who disagrees with “the mob”, Christian or not, will be smacked down and shunned from society!

I cannot help but reflect on Galatians 5:19 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:…” All throughout the scripture, the prophets, the disciples, the believers, and Jesus stood up and spoke against such things, boldly! Which leaves me with one question. Why not me? Why not the American Christian in 2020? What is hindering the church from their zeal? What is it?

Maybe it is just me. Maybe I am the one who should sit down and be quiet. Maybe I should join the ranks of other Christian Americans and just quietly continue to hold church services and act like the ways of the wicked are not destroying everything that we once considered a blessing from God.

Or maybe it really is me. Maybe I am one whom God is leading to do or say something in the darkness about the acts of the sinful nature, which are obvious! Until now, I have been silent about the goings on in this world publicly because I did not want to contribute to the non-sense. Nor do I want to participate in the loose lipped style of sharing opinions and rants which have no use except to fuel the current climate. Nor would it bring glory to God and His Kingdom. I just wonder if I am the only one of God’s faithful believers that He would lead to follow in the paths of our American forefathers? Or am I simply mistaken about it all?

We Americans have this bad habit of falling into the trap of believing that the worst-case scenario will never happen to us. After all, we are Americans. American Christians for crying out loud! I think we would do well to remind ourselves of the problems that God’s chosen people, the Israelites, had each time they thought too much of themselves simply because God showed them favor.

I guess I just don’t see how we lift up our founding fathers as great American Christians while at the same time conclude that for any or all of us to do the same things that they did for the sake of freedom would not be the right thing to do. Last time I checked; freedom of any kind is always worth fighting for.

I will say for sure, much prayer and fasting is needed.

God help us all!

Faith Beyond the USA

On By Archie L. GilmerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Each time I write about topics involving the United States of America, I feel it necessary to begin with sort of a disclaimer about myself as a citizen United States of America. I will say that I am a citizen because I happened to be born in Lamar County Alabama.

49C6A344-E574-4A09-8B4C-CF96122B1515Having grown up in the USA, I am proud to be a part of this great nation. Since 1971, I have experienced many freedoms and been allowed many rights that many others do not receive around the world. I love my country and believe I would die for it if need be.

When I write thoughts for this blog, they are intended to be those that offer words from a Christian worldview. Realizing that not all of my fellow citizens hold to the same faith or values, I do not hold anything against those who disagree with me. There are many issues in our world today as well as right here in the USA.

Times, from my perspective, are sometimes scary or concerning in terms of the future. I wonder about my son and his future or his children, should he have any. What will these United States be for them. I am certain that things will not be the way they were for me. Time has a way of changing everything.

Sure, there have always been battles, political, moral, religious, and social. In the middle of it all, I cannot help but think about the fact that their has never been a nation, kingdom which has lasted. What I mean is that all great nations and kingdoms eventually met their end over time. Will that be true for the United States of America?

Not too long ago, I would have adamantly said, NO, it’s not possible! It would never have been possible, in my mind, that the USA would not exist with all it’s greatness and freedoms it affords it’s citizens. And then, 09/11.

It seems that everything changed after the attack on that date, 09/11. Suddenly, there was a glimpse of vulnerability here. Don’t get me wrong, I still think we are a powerful nation and it would take a great force or forces to change that, if even possible without ending the world all together. No, I am much more concerned about “self destruction”.

Many things have happened over the years since the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The latest world event that causes these concerns is the thousands of people who are walking toward the southern border of the United States with the intent to simply walk into this country without regard to any laws or respect for our fellow citizens. All the while waving flags representing their native country.

Whether or not this news event is really happening the way it is being reported or even happening at all, it still causes me to ponder. Without getting into the details about that situation, I will point out that it does create quite a moral dilemma for some. Sparking debates across the nation and even the world.

0DBC5786-9B1B-4F7D-8E0A-F8B96E1A4E50
Photo: Fox News

A person in our church asked me what my thoughts were about what should be done about the matter.

Should the USA protect our border from invasion? Should we consider the people who are in the group which is coming? What is right and what is wrong? The truth is, being an American and a Christian comes with great challenges. Not that Christians from other parts of the world do not have their own challenges.

For the American Christian, it would seem that there is a real moral dilemma at hand. But when pondered on and prayed about, it really is not that difficult to sort through. The USA is my home. What would most people do if people came into their home uninvited? My answer to what I believe is the right thing to do for the American, as well as the Christian can be found in a prior blog post, “Violence and the Kingdom of God”. 

I brought all of this up because I really think it is important for every Christian who is a citizen of the United States of America to think about the possibility that the nation could one day be no more.

God forbid this should ever happen, but the question should be, what does it mean fo the Christian if it does? Will it change your faith? Would your relationship with God be any different? Does your Christianity depend on your citizenship in the USA? Will God be you God with or without these “United” States of America?

The fact is that most people do not think about how the world changes and how it might affect who we are in Christ. Most people go about their day expecting that their world will be the same as it was yesterday, after all, it is what we believe that we “deserve” right?

All the while, there are those in the world that would just as soon destroy this nation along with those who are standing guard against our enemies, here and around the world that keep our freedoms intact.

The reality is this. There are many great people who are what we call decent. Not all are Chrisians by the way. There are also many people who are not nice, rather wicked and evil in fact. People will not be forced into peace! The very thought of that is absurd.

No, if there is to be peace, it must be chosen by all. This is why God does not force anyone to accept His love. Forced love is not love.

”Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 NASB

That scripture reference in Colossians is mainly speaking to the believers and how they are to live at peace with one another. However, Paul gave instruction to those in Rome;

”If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18 NASB

The point being with this entire post is that being a Christian ought to be the first priority. Yes, being a citizen of the United States of America has it’s responsibilities, but the Kingdom of God is greater!

Yet at times, we seem more concerned with protecting this great United States of America than protecting and standing firm in the Kingdom of God. Can we do both? Yes.

Are we doing both? I’ll let you answer that.