We (the church in America) are facing uncertain days ahead! Reputable individuals are predicting that within 20 years, Christianity will be criminally and civilly prosecuted-similar to the way the church is treated currently in Muslim countries!
With that grim reality facing us, I ask myself, and you, what are the things in which we are investing our time and resources? Are we boldly declaring the gospel, or merely talking about doing so? Are we fearlessly proclaiming the truth, or merely decrying the darkness that surrounds us? Are we standing up for (and exercising) our Constitutional rights, or simply allowing them to be stripped from us without even a whimper?
At risk of sounding insensitive, I unequivocally state that I have ABSOLUTELY NO TIME for trivialities! I have little patience for, and refuse to participate in, the “politics” and smallness that captures far too much of the church’s time! I completely resist the “politics” that sidetracks so much of our efforts for our soon coming Savior! The pettiness and jealousy that is so often heard among preachers at “pastor’s meetings” MUST cease! We have a country, and a world, on a headlong run for hell–at a pace that is dizzying! While we watch it happen, we allow our focus to be diverted and ourselves to be distracted by mere “daisy chains.”
Years ago, I heard a story of a painting in an art gallery, one that depicted the church of Jesus Christ as participants in the “task” of weaving daisy chains in a lush, grassy meadow. In the background, a stream, as far as the eye could see, of lost souls made their way obliviously toward an open chasm, the sides of which glowed with the reddish tint of a raging inferno. As the souls dropped one by one into the hellish abyss, the “church” was blind to their eternal plight while occupied in their own insignificant task!
My friends, these are days when preachers/pastors must raise their voices in a clarion call to awaken their sleeping congregations! These are days of aggressive and committed involvement in gospel endeavor! These are days when the detractors (similar to Sanballat and Tobiah) must be ignored, while laser-like focus must be placed on Biblical outreach!
Dave Kistler is the president of HOPE Ministries International and North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN)