I am having an identity crisis. Whenever I identify myself as an Orthodox Evangelical Quaker I begin to wonder what this really means. To be called an Evangelical has so many different meanings. For the most part Evangelicals are viewed as homophobic, racist, bigoted, small-minded and outdated. We have lost the influence and respect not only in our country but within our communities as well. For the most part we have been excommunicated from society. Maybe the reason is society has watched Evangelical flip from one issue to the next without really making a stand on what we truly believe. We cannot agree on what the real mission of the church is for our society.
Since Orthodox Evangelical Quakers have no official spokesperson, so no one speaks for all Evangelical Quakers. So I will speak for myself. Over the past twenty years there has been a major shift in the mission of the church. The message of the church has been corrupted by the ones trusted with the message. The LORD told Malachi what would happen if the priest forgot their responsibility to the message of the LORD.
Malachi 2 1 “And now, O priests, this command is for you. 2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. 4 So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, 9 and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.
I don’t want to be part of the corrupted message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor sidetracked from the message of Salvation. Here is where I see the corruption of the message, as Evangelical we have bought into the wrong message. Let me explain, we have several factions within those called Evangelical Christians. I will address just a few.
The desire for power and money has corrupted the once-sound Evangelical ministers of the Gospel. Today, one doesn't have to look far to see the spiritual disrepair these ministers have left the Evangelical faith in. Because of the longstanding apostasy of these ministers, untold millions have not heard the true message of Jesus Christ - having previously believed that those entrusted with teaching them the Christian faith were doing so faithfully and truthfully.
Evangelicals are leaving the message of Salvation for political power and position. During this Presidential campaign the Evangelical influence has already made the news. An emerging Christian movement (The New Apostolic Reformation) wants to take over politics, business and culture in preparation for the end times and the return of Jesus. The leaders are considered apostles and prophets, gifted by God for this role. There are those who believe the Church will have dominion over the world at the end of the age. The nations and governments will be upon their shoulders as they rule for Christ. With this authority, the church will restructure cities, then countries and then the rest of the world. All the secular authorities, governments, rulers and kings will be under the churches rule, and we see the world change. Christ will then return and the kingdom will be presented to Him. Christ will set up his Kingdom and He will not our help to take control.
I believe as individuals we have a responsibility to exercise our duty and responsibility as citizens and speak out against the evils that are dominating our country and to become active in changing our communities but this is not the main message of the church. We will change our communities when we see a change in the message of the church. That message is to evangelize the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ not to dominate the world.
As Evangelicals we have allowed our message to be hijacked by devious enemies of the church. I am obviously not an expert in geopolitics, economics, or foreign policy. However, I am aware of the sect within the Evangelical church that feels they must support Israel no matter if it is right or wrong. The Christian Zionist movement within the Evangelicals has an agenda that will never support peace in the Middle-East. They are praying for the destruction of Israel while claiming to be a supporter. Millions of dollars have been raised and given to the Zionist movement within Israel to bring about the Rapture. What is sad is the Zionist looks at these evangelicals as a source of cold hard cash, additional sympathy with the American electorate and additional clout with conservative Christian members of Congress. Evangelicals have left off evangelizing and are trying to bring about the Rapture of the Church to get them out of this evil world at the cost of millions dying without the message of hope. They have forgotten, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
One Christian Zionist minister said, “I believe that every Jewish person who lives in the light of the Torah, which is the word of God, has a relationship with God and will come to redemption.” This is contrary to the words of Jesus “no man comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). John further writes, in his first Epistle: “He who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). The Apostle Paul, as well, would say the opposite of this Zionist minister: “I do not set aside the grace of God: for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21). Paul is affirming that nothing that the Old Testament offered could avail apart from the death of Jesus. Salvation does not come from the Torah it come from Jesus Christ. We should be sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone—Jews included.
Another area Evangelicals have lost their message is in the context of “social issues”. As Evangelicals we tend to pick and choose our “sins”. The main issues we address today are “defining marriage”, homosexuality and abortion. I remember when I was in my youth it was smoking, drinking, dancing and going to the movies. How times have changed.First let me state, marriage is between a man and a woman, homosexuality is condemned by the Scripture and abortion is the taking of life. These issues are important areas of our faith. However, these sins are no greater than adultery, lying, stealing, maliciousness, whispers and backbiters, spiteful, proud, boastful, disrespectful of parents, and covenant breakers just to name a few things that will separate you from God for eternity. But you will not see Evangelicals protesting a divorce court, or marching on the Statehouse demanding laws against covenant breakers, because we don’t view these as serious sins. Could it be that we are guilty of these sins? If Evangelicals were doing the job of evangelizing the lost we would not need to define marriage, protest against homosexuality and abortion because the power of the Holy Spirit would “cleanse from ALL unrighteousness.”
Maybe the reason Evangelicals are viewed as homophobic, racist, bigoted, small-minded and outdated is because we have forgotten the mission of the Church and have become homophobic, racist, bigoted, small-minded and outdated. In 2012 let’s get back to sharing the message of Jesus Christ to a lost world. We don’t need to control the world, force the Rapture, or make laws against sin. Let’s bring the message of Salvation back into our churches and see sinners converted and lives changed.
No comments:
Post a Comment