I'm thinking about missions today. Alot of local churches have been featuring the selfless work of the missionaries they support and sharing the needs of the foreign peoples they serve. I applaud honoring all missionaries and know God has a special reward for them in His Kingdom.
I salute Christians like Larry and Frances Jones of Feed the Children (http://www.feedthechildren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dotorg_homepage) and Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/) for reaching the farest corners of the globe to help children and families with food, clothing, water, homes, work and the Gospel. The body of Christ must be the support they need so they can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need. We can't all go, but we can all send them.
But, there is a mission field that is on my mind that I don't see as much talk about. It's our own lost and dying nation. As Diane Sawyer recently aired her TV special on the plight of the children of Appalachia, having spent two years in its making, we see extreme poverty and hardship right in our back doors. This is not to minimize the severe suffering many suffer just to survive another day in places like Africa, Haiti and war torn or developing countries in strife filled with impoverished, dying people.
I submit to you that poverty, famine, murder, crime, drugs, corruption, economic depression and oppression are all results of spiritual death. They are "fruits" of sin. What are the fruits of the Spirit of God? Galatians 5:22-23 says, " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. " Sounds a whole lot better than what sin brings to our world. As America has begun to turn its back on God, losing its fear of the Lord, murdering its unborn citizens, financing the murder of babies across the globe, offering tax dollars to support same sex marriage which is against the Word of God, becoming the borrower and not the lender, covering the sin of its leaders, calling "evil good and good evil" as was prophesied in Revelation...........America is now in a spiritual freefall, as it plummets to the depths of our own selfish, carnal desires.
So, how do we help heal the social and economic problems in our nation? We start at the source of the problem. The heart of men and women. Without corrupt, ungodly or immoral hearts leading the way, righteous living can come forth. We start by addressing the dying nature of our spirit man, within every human. When the spiritual life changes, the natural life changes.
We need missionaries to bring the truth of God's Word to our nation's leaders. Can you imagine an America that wouldn't tolerate abortion? We need to support and put Christian leaders in office and places of authority and always hold them accountable.......to God and to the nation. The Bible says the people suffer under the weight of a corrupt king. The people will suffer more in the future. They asked for a King, just like Israel did, and they have received one. The Chancelor of Germany has suggested that we form a global governing body to address world recession and put Obama at the helm. Christians would have to bury their head in the sand to not see that this is what the Word forewarned us would come in the last days. Its here in our time.
Our present economy is just one symptom. Liberal American voters, many professing Jesus as Lord, voted in a President who endorses ungodliness in almost every arena of our government and American society. Many stated that they were so angry over former President Bush's war policies and the handling of corrupt CEO's in the corporate landscape, that they wanted him and his kind out of office no matter who they put in place of him. They were persuaded by charm, skilled orations, good looks, frustration over present problems and traded a flawed adminstration for a totally ungodly, foolish one. Now, America has been changed radically. We were warned that "change" would come. And it has. But, it is not the "good change" that was promised. Or at least, the changes that have so rapidly taken place are not producing good.
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