As I write this the United states is voting for Trump or Clinton. Because the United States is a mover and shaker globally, who is in the driving seat is of primary importance. The crisis in the USA however is not about the result of the election, it is all about the spiritual state of the country. For many years the church has been modelling 'Laodicea' and Jesus tells us this is a problem of Biblical proportions.
In Revelation 3 Jesus speaks to the Laodicean church. This church's title means, 'the judgements and opinions of the people.' Implicit in this title is the fact that man is leading the church, not Christ. The biggest problem with Laodicean believers is they don't think they are Laodicean! Our materiel possessions have never been a problem to God. It's when we value them over and above the place they should be in life, that's when we stray into error and idolatry. What the Laodicean Christian does is not only value possessions but showcases them as evidence of blessing from God. When we identify anything as a 'blessing' from God, it must be genuine fruit. What is the genuine fruit?
Read Psalm 1
When you see a child in a Godly family grow into a walk with the Lord. That's fruit. A marriage that stays together... Fruit! A life that is growing more in its affection for Jesus over time... juicy fruit! A growing understanding of the purposes of God via the witness of the Bible Characters: you guessed it... fruit! When the Lord adds to the number of your gathering we can see fruitfulness. When the sweet wine of fellowship flows in the course of the lives of the believers can be seen as fruit. Basically - what is the Lord growing and producing is His fruitfulness.
The last time I checked, fruit naturally grows on trees. Groups that meet simply and allow the Lord to build his church and produce His fruit are like an orchard. Trees are used to describe believers through the Bible and we would be wise to allow the Gardener permission to tend to His trees. It's a beautiful thing to see the Lord grow fruit on his trees but He also prunes the trees. This way He bears more fruit through that tree. The USA has these groups and they are the increasing as believers flee the error.
Send in the Clones!
What we find in the USA is demonstrated in how fruit is handled by merchants. Go to a supermarket and look at the fruit. It is all shiny and the same colour. It's all the same size and the misshapen ones get discarded or hidden at a discount bucket. The lights make the humble apple look like its on stage and about to wow the world. Rows upon rows of uniformity presented as merchandise to be sold for profit. What I'm describing is the church culture that history has created where the people (Laos) have their own judgements and opinions (Dicea) handle the people. Like the apples in the supermarket, believers are all the same, lined up in rows to look good to the world. Worldly people buy into it and perpetuate the problem. Jesus instructs what He will do with these believers and offers the solution in the letter to the Laodicean church in Revelation Ch 3. Repent!
"True Darkness is when you Dont Know its Dark"
So it is important who becomes the countries leader, but this wont stop the problem of Laodicea. The only way to escape the conveyor belt of cloned Christianity is to return to the biblical dimensions of 'ekklesia.' The hardest part of this is dragging our hearts before the Lord and confessing our lust for the things of this world and recognising our desperate lack. Allowing Jesus to lead His church by doing this means the USA and all the aspiring mega-church-supermarkets will stop and return to bearing fruit that comes from the Lord. To truly impact the country you live in, the answer is to be anchored into Jesus, risen and glorified as he can produce fruit that your communities can see is not of this world. The President of the United States of America cannot affect your neighbours spiritually. Only Jesus issuing forth through you can make the impact.
Gary Ward
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