What are we hoping to accomplish?

But realize this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 2 Timothy 3:1-4

You may not realize it but these verses are a prophecy that Paul gives to the church of the last days.  In that these words prophesy the future it is very important that we understand them in that context.  Each word tells us of the condition of the world just before the end comes.  PERILOUSNESS is the overarching theme of the last days.  The root definition of the word ‘perilous’ is VIOLENCE.  Paul's prophecy tells us that the last days will be filled with violence.  Paul's prophecy continues by saying that mankind will be identified by the following characteristics:

unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

This prophecy comes through Paul from God.  It tells us what is to come.  My question to you may seem preposterous but bear with me: 

Why do Christians pray to God and expect him to perform what he WILL not perform?

Paul's prophecy is the foundation for ALL the increases we see in crime in particular and social degradation in general the world over.  God is telling us that in the last days all these bad things will happen.  He DID NOT SAY that some great revival will break out to make the world embrace him, NO, he says that VIOLENCE will consume the world.  Okay, since this is so, why do we pray to God for him to stop crime? Why do we fast and pray to God for a decrease in the murder rate?  I see in churches every week where some 'word-filled' preacher is binding the spirit of violence and pleading the blood against the spirit of murder.  Such NONSENSE, such HOGWASH!  We all agree that we are living in the last days, and since Paul prophesied that this is what will occur in the last days WHY ARE WE PRAYING AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD!!!  What do we suppose?  Do we suppose that God will hear us and stop crime and violence?  Okay, let's suppose that we pray and pray hard and God brings an end to murder, violence, homosexuality, treacherousness and the like; what would that mean?  That would make this prophecy of Paul a LIE.  Is God in the habit of making himself a liar?  How about praying for more love in the world?  This seems like a GOOD request, it seems like the Christian thing to pray for:

Because lawlessness is increased, MOST peoples love will grow cold. Matthew 24:12

Here again, we can find ourselves praying for some good thing that God WILL NOT PERFORM.

So am I advocating that we not pray?  No, what I am saying is that we not pray for what God will not perform.  In fact we are obligated to pray for HIS will to be done on earth, but we make a foolish assumption if we believe that the will of God is only roses and honey.  We are so consumed with the concept that the world could be better if we evangelize more, pray more and give more.  Mix this with a MISAPPLICATION of the passage that talks about 'if my people who are called by my name will humble and pray...' and you end up with a deluded mess!  These ideas arise out of the concept that God needs us to do and act on this earth.  We need to realize that it is God who is in COMPLETE control of this earth and that even in its current state it is EXACTLY as God would have it.  So what should be our prayer, not that God would stop the murderer but that God would grant light to those he has chosen and that they would continue to walk in the light of his word.  Then can we be the fulfillment of:

For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

The church is NOT called to eliminate darkness but to be:

…a lamp shining in a DARK PLACE… 2 Peter 1:19

DARKNESS IS NECESSARY FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO SHINE, GOD HAS DETERMINED IT JUST SO!!!DARKNESS IS NECESSARY FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO SHINE,  GOD HAS DETERMINED IT JUST SO!!!

There is a difference.

There is a distinct difference between the following phrases:

Go into all the world and PREACH the gospel
And
Lets go and WIN the WORLD

On it's face the difference in these statement may seem obvious, but consider the typical Chrisitian view, it goes something like this:

Jesus gave us a mandate to preach the gospel to the whole world and therefore if we can spread this gospel to the whole world sweeping changes would be made throuout the world and it would be a better place.  

Having this view leads us to perform many actions like:
Fund mission trips
Hold conferences
Have revival services
Give out tracts
Go witnessing
Fund televangelists
Give altar calls

All of these activities are driven by our understanding of the great commission, but their is a distinct difference between preaching the gospel and winning the world.  The most important of the distinctions is that the WORDS of Jesus PREVENTS us from achieving this task:

Matthew 7:13-14

13 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

With a word Jesus FOREVER limits the number of people who will come to GOD through our efforts.  He could have said, 'narrow is the gate to life but that's okay MANY will find it' but no he declares that ONLY a few will find it.  This declaration by Jesus guarantees that only a few will find it.

In understanding this fact we MUST realize that GOD is NOT trying to win the WHOLE world to himself.  Before I am labeled a heretic let us examine the single most DEMONIC doctrine held by the church:

God/The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will never override your will.  I think that Jonah would have something to say about this ridiculous statement.  Jonah wanted one thing and GOD wanted another.  Did God say to Jonah okay Jonah you can have it your way? No, God simply turned him into fish food and in the end GOD HAD HIS WAY!  Do you think GOD has CHANGED?  THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INSTANT IN TIME WHEN THE WILL OF GOD WAS NOT MANIFESTED!  The bible is a written record of God's interaction with mankind, and can ANYONE point to ANYTIME in all it's pages where GOD's will was EVER repressed OR denied.  Here is a useful concept to hold on to: if there is ANYTHING that God WANTS to do but CANNOT do then he is no God.  A God who has a will that he CANNOT OR WILL NOT express is NO GOD AT ALLL!

Do we hold in our minds a concept that God and the devil is in some cosmic struggle for the souls of the human race?  Such a ridiculous notion!  There is NO battle for humanity being waged by God.  You only struggle with someone who is your equal and GOD HAS NO EQUAL!  Listen to his word:

Isaiah 46:10

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, My purpose will be established,

AND I WILL ACCOMPLISH ALL MY GOOD PLEASURE,

What are we supposing with our conclusions, do we really believe that a human being can RESIST God?  Think of any unsaved person you know, do you really believe that God is calling that person but that person is RESISTING God?  Consider this:

Romans 9:19b
WHO HAS RESISTED HIS WILL?

Paul asked the question to which we all know the answer, and that answer is NO ONE HAS RESISTED HIS WILL.  Since this is the case why then is the whole world not saved, let Jesus answer:

Mark 4:10-12
 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Jesus was explaining to the disciples why he spoke in parables.  Verse twelve is indeed a remarkable statement because Jesus says that if he DID NOT SPEAK to the crowd in parables they WOULD TURN AND BE CONVERTED. Consider his statement to the disciples, UNTO YOU IT IS GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM.  This means that it is NOT GIVEN to EVERYONE to know but ONLY to those GOD has CHOSEN.

John 15:16
 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Ephesians 1:4
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning GOD CHOSE you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the spirit and belief in the truth 

The thread in all of these verses is that it is GOD who is doing the CHOOSING.  THE CHOICE WAS NOT YOURS.  YOU DID NOT DECIDE TO COME TO HIM.  WE ONLY COME TO GOD IF HE CHOOSES US.  GOD HAS A PLAN and we for the most part CANNOT see it.  God choses those to whom he would give his light at this time, and EVERYONE he chooses comes to him.  

It may be hard to see but GOD has a plan for the sinner as well as the saint.  In fact he says that the sinner was made so that the riches of glory would be shown to you his saints.  It may not make sense but his plan is beautiful.

So going back to our original statement there is a difference between preaching the gospel and winning the world.  God has called us to proclaim the gospel to the world but not for the purposes of winning the world but to claim the FEW HE has chosen out of the world.

MEAT NOT MILK.

Making the world a better place?????

Making the world a better place?!?!

Most Christians would view the above statement as their mandate from God. They would see this as the natural result of our obedience to the command of Jesus:

Matthew 28:19-20

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

They often dream of safer communities and wholesome families when somehow they will be successful in their efforts to evangelize the world.  They carry with them what I call 'The Concept of Winning', where the believe that their is somehow a contest between God and the devil where the winner would be decided by the one who has the most souls in the end.  The only problem with this is thatGOD HAS NOT DETERMINED IT SO!

We think of sinners as people who COULD do right but CHOOSE not to.  When we see some drug addict strung out on drugs we declare 'that's what happens when you make stupid choices'.  Or when we see some single parent with seven children from seven different fathers we say 'ya think she couldn't keep her legs closed?'.  We are masters at looking down on the lost as if they had the capacity to do BETTER.  Consider this:

2 Corinthians 4:4

 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

This is the condition of EVERY unbeliever.  This verse tells us that the the unbeliever CANNOT see the light of the gospel.  We may feel as though we understand this passage but if we really did we would PITY the lost and NOT judge them.  We often wonder WHY DON'T THESE PEOPLE DO BETTER????  The answer is because they CANNOT do better.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THE UNBELIEVER DOES NOT BLIND HIMSELF;  he is victim of Satan.  Consider:

2 Timothy 2:26
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

 It is ONLY when:

Galatians 1:15-16
 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, 

You see we cannot come to him UNTIL it pleases him for us to do so.  With that said we can understand that the condition of this world is as God would have it.

The case AGAINST a Christian Nation

The case AGAINST seeking a Christian nation.

The disciples asked Jesus a question about the end of the age and the sign of his coming. He explained to them that there will be several signs including earthquakes and famines, but one sign in particular is overlooked in our teachings. Jesus said,

Matthew 24:9

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

I learned of Jesus that he DOES not exaggerate.  The key thing of this verse is to see that Jesus does not say that you will be hated by SOME nations; he explicitly says that YOU will be hated by ALL nations.  The ONLY way that the words of Jesus can remain true is that CHRISTIANS will REMAIN a MINORITY wherever they reside.  This prophecy of Jesus does not support our hopes for developing a CHRISTIAN nation because if ALL nations will hate you then it follows that NO nation will be predominately Christian. Jesus himself declares that 'narrow is the road to righteousness and only a FEW find it'.

When we envision going into the world to win the lost we carry with us oftentimes a concept of winning defined by getting more souls than the devil. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN BECAUSE GOD NEVER PROMISED IT.  Therefore I declare to you 

'THE BAHAMAS WILL NEVER BE A CHRISTIAN NATION' 

because on the day described above IT TOO must be among the nations that HATE the children of God. Therefore in line with the words of Jesus our efforts to spread the word will NEVER impact the lives of the many but only the few, and that is exactly how HE wants it.