Unpopular

(by Mike Ryan, adapted for this article)

It is an unpopular message to tell people the United States was never a Christian nation. But, I believe this is important in the here and now. If we allow ourselves to believe the nation was Christian by our forefathers we will seek new fathers instead of Christ.

Many believe the founding of the United States was Christian in nature. Some have great explanations of the faith and influence of those before us who introduced certain aspects into founding documents they claim to be Christian in origin. I have asked many over time to share those ideals with me. Many of them are indeed Biblical concepts, but not specifically Christian. In fact many non-Christian religions today believe in those same ideals. Christianity (and all things Christian) is about Christ – His life, death, and resurrection. To become a Christian one must be granted repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, believing, and being born again. Being Christian is about the cross. The actions of a Christian in short would be to love God, love your neighbor, and make disciples. In effect, telling people about the cross. Christianity is about grace received and grace freely given. It’s about receiving forgiveness for what was unforgivable and forgiving others as a result of a change. It is about dying to self and being renewed in mind and spirit. It’s salvation. It’s about the blood of the Lamb that was slain. It’s about the Father giving His One and only Son to die for us. It’s all about Him. It’s about becoming less as He becomes more. Becoming Christian brings the realization that everything in life is about Christ. He is the entire point.

Now many of you are familiar with this idea. And some might not like how I explained it this morning. Just hear the point, please.

If we allow our minds to believe that our nation was Christian because of some concepts written by our forefathers, then we will seek new fathers to reintroduce what we believe was lost. We will not look to the cross. We will look towards new leadership. We will not seek Jesus or salvation for others. We will seek votes for new leaders. We will not renew our minds or encourage others to do the same. We will try to change their political minds so that they will help us to recreate the founding. We will not seek eternity for ourselves and our loved ones. We will instead only seek four-year increments. We will seek better kings of the earth instead of the King of kings. We will be forever compromising by seeking the lesser of two evils instead of seeking the Righteous One. And we will teach others by our words and example to also seek human/earthy salvation instead of the Eternal one.

If our minds focus on that earthy event of the past, we will focus only on recreating it, instead of recreating what happened to us when we first met the Lord. We cannot found a nation on Christianity. We cannot call one Christian. We can call a church Christian. All that come into the church are either saved by the blood or seeking the blood. They are either already on board with the purpose for gathering or there to learn about Him.

Chick-fil-A, as much as I joke that it’s “Holy Chicken”, is not a Christian company. It is Christian owned, yes. But, they sell chicken sandwiches, not Gospel tracts. While I enjoy them, and appreciate their method and even Biblical perspectives on running a company, I cannot call them Christian. If I did, I would be accepting a Christian company without the cross.

Today this is happening in politics in the United States. Many who are saved are seeking political uprising without a thought of the cross. They want to recreate what they believe was lost. They are focusing on the sins of modernization instead of the sin of the garden. Political methods of change instead of the power of eternal salvation. Republican or Democrat is the answer instead of Christ.

This is why I don’t call the nation Christian at any point, because by placing this sacred term on top of a nation or anything else is a way of lowering the standard – removing the Christ from Christian. It perhaps was Biblical, but, never Christian. If Christ is not in it, its not Christian. If Christ is not in you, neither are you Christian. These are hard truths that could save your life. If you are unsure today about your salvation in Christ, seek Him.

Romans 10 says anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Go into your closet or room and talk to Him. He has been waiting to hear from you. If you need help or advice, message me. Bless you all.