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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
The Church and America
I am unashamedly proud to be an American. Yes, our nation has its problems, and sure, I would like to change some things about my native land. We have survived longer than many thought possible, and we are facing the very dangers men predicted we would face. But in what nation would you prefer to live, if not here? Will we be content to let others determine our future?
The following tells something of what our freedom cost others:
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Of those 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolution. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill destroyed.
Yes, freedom is expensive, and the church our Lord built and purchased with His blood (1Peter 1:18-19) is obligated to this nation. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's,” Luke 20:25.
Those words have both individual and collective applications. Ours is a battle, a warfare against Satan and his emissaries—not with carnal weapons, but a battle of attrition, a battle of will and of purpose.
These words are not to incite a revolution against our nation, but for us to be the leavening influence we can be to make it better. Hiding under a “blanket” to avoid sin is not in harmony with Jesus’ mandate to be “salt” and “light” to our friends and neighbors. That’s what every Christian must do, wherever we live and work and play.
What can the church contribute to a nation that is becoming increasingly “anti-Christian” and denying the values upon which we were founded? What can we do when our judicial system seems bent on eliminating any influence by the Bible? It will not be easy, but we can, and by our efforts we must.
Exhibit Genuine Christianity
Our generation has seen far too many charlatans in religion, too many who would extort money from the people for their own benefit. Too many have claimed to be Christians without living as followers of Christ should.
When we are genuine in our faith, our convictions, sober in our everyday lives, yet happy and full of hope, others will see true Christian living. That kind of life is appealing to others, and motivating to those who seek the comfort and strength available in Christ.
Homes That Exhibit Faith, Love
It is common knowledge that “as the home goes, so goes the nation.” But many homes are breaking up, with faith and love abandoned. The most powerful community influence is often the family. “Church” can be perceived by some as less than joyful. We must show by our words and actions the joy that is in Christ.
By loving one another, being involved with our children, taking an interest in others and being generous with our time and our energy, we exhibit the very traits Jesus possessed. A community can be better only if we do our part.
Be Part of The Community
Some are more adept at personal relationships than others, but being involved gives us the opportunity to choose those who represent us, to influence policy and make our town what it can and ought to be. We will have little grounds to complain about “government” if we leave it to others to lead in these proceedings.
Let The Church Be The Church
In the 1st century, that church, composed of ordinary people, did extraordinary things. They “turned the world upside down,” Acts 17:6, by being the church Christ intended it to be. They preached and lived by God’s truth, allowing the “power” of the gospel, accompanied by their honorable lives, to permeate their world. The church need not be changed to fit modern times and ways, for God still knows what mankind needs.
What Else Can We Do?
We can write letters to the editor, attend school board meetings, pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3), vote in elections, be attentive to local needs, help the poor and sick, and be active in local activities.
Are our community and our nation worth the effort? Christ died for all, and we must do what we can to make our neighbors aware of that.
|I am sure you are as grateful as I am for the privilege of being born in this great land. Opportunity still abounds for those who are willing to work, willing to contribute to the well being of each other. The cost of freedom is still high, but we must not abandon the cause.
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“Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”
“Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another,”
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Build Me a Son
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”
General Douglas MacArthur
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