 |
The United States is Unreached, But not Out-of-reach
Author: Patrick Roberts  | Posted: 06-12-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 9 | Rating: (52)  (?) 
 That the United States is unreached by the gospel might sound outrageous to many churchgoers. Most missionionalogical surveys conclude that U.S. is so thoroughly "reached" by the gospel that its Christian fate is sealed forever. There's no way so many church buildings can exist in one country while the country still remains Godless, right? Ninety-something percent of the population who say they believe in God can't be all wrong, can they? Isn't it about time we packed up and went off to some other country so our expertise might rub off on them?
But the fact that the U.S. is unreached should be common sense to us. Even all the ornate steeples and pretty stained glass in the world should not blur our spiritual vision.
Acknowledging this country's unreached-ness can be encouraging if we take it the right way. We should prefer truth over comfortable delusion. Christ is great, therefore we have hope.
Churchgoing Americans believe that the United States is exempt from the omnipotence of God. Many believe that the U.S. is as saved as it will ever be, and whoever is not saved must be too burnt out on church to care about God anymore. Others believe that American sin has exceeded God's capacity to forgive, or said another way, our sin has outsmarted God's grace. This is disobedient doubt. There is a purpose for churchgoers thinking thus, that is to shelter their diminutive trust in God.
Evangelical churchgoers claim to be "outreach-minded" yet, with their actions, they expose their true conviction, which is that their own hometown is unreachable. It may sound super-spiritual to justify our lagging effectiveness by labeling this country "hard ground," or by saying that we're surrounded by "callused hearts." These sayings even sound Biblical. But, let's be wary of quoting the Bible to excuse our doubt or to sit around without ever acting like we believe what God says.
I hear some say, "Oh, but people here are just too rich, they'll never care about God so long as they have so much money." However, it is impossible for disciples of Christ, who know where they come from, to say this. Any saved person will know the authority of Christ, that He moved more than a mountain when He made their heart of stone into one of flesh. Churchgoers who believe that money is too great an obstacle for God must be forgetting that God already did the impossible when He saved their hell-bound souls. Indeed, we have already failed to confine our Omnipotent Savior.
So should we do more outreach? Or maybe more in-reach? Should we practice the same old religion more diligently than ever and expect this to get us somewhere in God's kingdom?
Congregations host community events for predictably brief times in order to procure results that are either small and fleeting or large and fleeting. The average, Protestant leader, following his ingrained, religious habits, will concoct various programs at certain times during the year, designed to either reach outward or inward for however long his fleshly strength holds out.
There are whole denominations keep running the same way a machine keeps running, replacing their burnt-out religious veterans with new, warm bodies. These are the more business-like versions of Christianity.
In spite of everything it is vital for every Christ-following resident of the U.S. to believe that God is able to reach the U.S. Reason: God is holy.
God is so holy that He requires perfection from His people. In other words, whatever God requires of His people in the U.S., it is more impossible than we can imagine. This knowledge should drive us toward total dependence on Christ, with whom anything is possible.
Be encouraged that it is beyond impossible to go to work for Christ on our own terms, flexing our fleshly muscles until we overcome a whole world of sin. American religion will never accomplish God's goals. We will never manifest the living God through a man-made institution to a people who are already disillusioned by this very institution. Our best option is desperate dependence on Christ.
The more desperate we are, the more effective our prayerful seeking will be. We should ask God to accomplish all the things that are impossible for us. When in doubt we have Christ, our constant Reminder that God is greater than we can imagine.
Christ came to make God's kingdom our everyday reality. Do we have any idea what this might look like? Living in God's kingdom amounts to no more than a nice-sounding theory to most of us American churchgoers, regardless of how many decades of churchgoing experience we have. We cannot easily imagine spiritual realities because we have between little and zero experience in this area. We can only know about God's kingdom by experience.
We can be sure that unconditional surrender comes first. After we are radically reduced in Christ, He will make us His own. If we fail to wait for His timing, His kingdom will continue to seem elusive to us.
It is difficult for me, of all people, to speak about obstacles and rebellious churches, especially while I still reserve every excuse for myself. My fleshly loves to justify my daily resistance to God. I still have mountains of unlearning to pick up and cast into the sea. So how can God expect a regular person like me to pick up a mountain and cast it into the sea?
I am an established leader of stubborn unbelief and forgetfulness. So how, I wonder, are we all supposed to give up ourselves, all as one, especially when I can hardly give up my own self-centeredness? Should I pray for other people's salvation while I still need to be saved from myself?
There remains no other choice for me but to weep over my natural state. If God has mercy on me then I will be spared. This also goes for all of us. If we knew ourselves or our circumstances at all, then we should all feel compelled to surrender.
Surrender is what we do when no other options remain. Surrender to Christ has been our only option all along.
by Patrick Roberts. Find additional resources at www.BooksByPatrick.com
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/the-united-states-is-unreached-but-not-outofreach-276096.html
About the Author:Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people to Jesus Christ. www.BooksByPatrick.com
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
God's Kingdom Come to the United States
By: Patrick Roberts | 07/12/2007 | Spirituality
It is the lifelong duty of American Christ-followers to bleed and plead in prayer that God might have mercy on these United States.
The United States is Strategic for God's Kingdom
By: Patrick Roberts | 10/12/2007 | Spirituality
Do you desire world-wide exposure, missions expert? If you live in the United States, then you have multitudes from other countries going in and out of your country every day.
Spirit Led Obedience Here and Now
By: Patrick Roberts | 25/11/2007 | Spirituality
Ambitious churchgoers tend to assume too much about their own spirituality as they plan for their far off, unknown destinations.
Missions Can be a False Spiritual Security Blanket
By: Patrick Roberts | 26/11/2007 | Spirituality
Up until recently, my plans to become a worldwide missionary were my spiritual security blanket. I comforted myself with the presumption that I had a guaranteed position as “spiritual superstar” anywhere else in the world (as long as it was someplace where people didn’t know me).
Simple Obedience: Obey God Wherever you are
By: Patrick Roberts | 26/11/2007 | Spirituality
As water runs down to the next lowest place, so obedience and the direction of our faith-walks should be similarly uncomplicated for us. We should obey the Lord wherever we are, however the free-flowing gravity of the Holy Spirit compels us.
The Workers are Few
By: Thomas Greenslade | 07/07/2008 | Religion
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Obey God in the Basic Things First
By: Patrick Roberts | 28/11/2007 | Spirituality
God designed us to mature gradually. His incremental design applies to both our physical and spiritual lives so we cannot escape its built-in humbling effect.
God Versus Americans
By: Patrick Roberts | 20/11/2007 | Religion
God can save any people, no matter how far fallen they may seem. He continues even these days to show up to unsuspecting people in unexpected ways.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Five Solas
By: Frank | 10-07-2008
When was the first time the term "Five Solas" used in regard to the religious beliefs of the Reformation?
What role does religion play when determining ...
By: traci | 10-07-2008
what role does religion play when determining cultural identity?
Prayers
By: carolina | 10-07-2008
The bible says that sin hinders Gods blessings and answers to our prayers. I have been praying for something while knowing I have not made things right as far as a certain sin. I'm unsure if the prayer was not answered because of my sin (which now I am making right, confessing, and repenting) or because it just wasn't God's plan for me. Should I continue praying or accept it as not happening because of consequence of sin.
Which islamic book describes every sin and ...
By: jmcdaniel4ny | 09-07-2008
which islamic book describes every sin and punishment leading to hell
What are some simple prayers as a new cristian ...
By: s~y~d | 08-07-2008
what are some simple prayers as a new cristian cause my dad just got saved!?
I know what God said, but what is He saying.
By: Debra Youngblood | 08-07-2008
How does this relate to women, when in Scriptures it saids what women could not do like preach, does this not show how God changed the law?
Q&A Powered by: 
More from Patrick Roberts
The Movie "next" (starring Nicholas Cage) -- Time Travel and Choice
By: Patrick Roberts | 04/01/2008 | Movies
But God would never allow anyone to have the give of seeing into the future. This would violate the sacred gift He gave all people, called “Choice.” For the same reason God would never allow time travel.
The Movie I, Robot, Starring Will Smith – What is your Purpose?
By: Patrick Roberts | 02/01/2008 | Movies
The fact that human beings care about purpose proves that we were created for a purpose. If God did not create us for a purpose, then the concept of purpose would never cross our minds.
The Movie I,robot, Starring Will Smith - the Downfall of Postmodernism
By: Patrick Roberts | 02/01/2008 | Movies
During one of the discussions Will Smith (Detective Spooner) has with Dr. Landing's posthumous recordings, the doctor explains that the end of these laws, even though they are perfect, is Revolution. Why? Why can't we guarantee our safety? Will we ever phase out the risks of daily life?
The Matrix -- Neo Represents an Average Christian
By: Patrick Roberts | 01/01/2008 | Movies
Many Christians jump at the chance to equate Neo (Keanu Reeves) with Christ because he died and rose again and then went on to spread the word about gaining freedom from the Matrix. This is appropriate because he is prophesied as "the One," or as a messiah figure. However, the course of Neo's life also resembles the life of an average Christian. It might be more useful to view his life in this way.
Mel Gibson's Movie "apocalypto" - Ugly as Sin
By: Patrick Roberts | 31/12/2007 | Movies
Mel Gibson is a crazy man. That's what I love about him. He's consumed by a vision of either God or religion or a mixture of both.
Toyota’s Prius -- is the Hybrid Technology Worth the Extra Cost?
By: Patrick Roberts | 31/12/2007 | Cars
The people have cried out for relief from rising gas prices. They have sought after something that doesn't destroy the environment. Toyota has answered the people with their gas/electric hybrid, the Prius.
Ridley Scott's "kingdom of Heaven" -- Religion V. True Spirituality
By: Patrick Roberts | 30/12/2007 | Movies
Balian (Orlando Bloom) is surrounded by politics and manmade religion, but he seeks something more spiritually substantial.
Movie, "the Reaping" Starring Hillary Swank -- False Religion
By: Patrick Roberts | 28/12/2007 | Movies
The Reaping a few bits of sincere truth, such as the fact that there's a fine line between crazy cults and mainstream religion.
|
|
Spirituality 
