I’m so forlorn at what’s happening to the United States of America.  Truly, the patients are running the asylum.  The left is a scourge on this country, and if we are not vigilant, they will be the end of it.  Squanderers, ideologues and communists – yes, I said communists have taken over and will not stop until they’ve destroyed the foundation of this country and rebuilt it in their pagan image of what America should be like.  But I’ve said this over and over again, this fear is not new.  I echo the sentiment of the conservative right and the Tea Party movement.  The only thing that is keeping me from going stark-raving mad is my faith in Jesus Christ, my church, my friends and family.

I am a Southern Baptist now, but I was raised as a Presbyterian (Associate Reformed Presbyterian, to be exact).  The denominations are very similar with regard to church doctrine; baptism is where they diverge.  They also share the trait of social conservatism.

Last year some of my  friends began to notice Obama stickers on the cars of their fellow church members.  The denominations ranged from Lutheran to Methodist to UCC and I even spotted an Obama sticker at my Baptist church.  We wondered “How could a Christian support a man who is pro-abortion, who attended a church that preaches hate for white people, whose pastor blasphemed God with his infamous quote?”

The answer seems to lie in the fact that many liberal churches are more interested in doing good deeds than spreading the Gospel.  That, of course, is easier.  It allows the members to avoid considering their eternal resting places and allows them to trump what they deem to be noble, social causes – some that are against God’s laws – over evangelism.

A couple of examples:

[Church's name] mission is to love God and neighbor by nurturing individuals on their spiritual journeys, encouraging creativity in faithful service, strengthening relationships and promoting justice.

[Church name] is an honest and compassionate community of spiritual seekers, inclusive of all. Through Christ’s example, we are joyfully and intentionally living out God’s love while seeking inspired ways to offer healing and wholeness to our world.

We, the people of [church name], are committed to growing in the Christian faith and participating actively in the continuing story of the people of God, the essence of which is recorded in Holy Scripture.

The essence of which is recorded in the Holy Scripture.  The ESSENCE?  This church denies that the Bible is God’s perfect Word in their mission statement!

Our primary mission is to connect with and serve our community and world. Empowered by the spirit of God, we affirm our journey to live out the teachings of Jesus Christ, seeking peace and justice for all.

[church name] is a congregation on a spiritual journey, embracing God’s diversity and providing Christian service and ministry locally and worldwide. We are committed to a safe, secure and caring community nurturing unity and growth and advocating for justice, peace and stewardship of the earth.

Do you see a common thread?  ”Justice,” “spiritual journeys” “community”  ”embracing diversity.”  Those are all fine things to advocate for, but that’s not the purpose of the Christian church.  What are all these mission statements missing?

The purpose of the Christian church is stated by Christ himself in the book of Matthew when he gives the charge known as “The Great Commission”

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  - Matthew 28: 18 – 20

Jesus said to “Go and make disciples of all nations…”   Jesus did not say “Build a church in my name and promote community service and diversity as the most important function of the church.”  I’ve run across numerous denominations that seem more intent on being stewards to the community than being Christ’s disciples to the community.  Liberal buzzwords are used in lieu of the Scriptures in an attempt to demonstrate that Christianity is condoned and entrenched in liberalism.  As my husband remarked “Teach the love of Christ and the road to salvation, and community service is a natural by-product.”  Indeed, as are tolerance, diversity and all these other things that liberal churches are predominately focused on.  It’s worshiping the creation, and not the Creator.

When the message of salvation is lost amidst charitable deeds, “social justice,” and advocacy groups, the institution ceases to be a Christian church – it is just a charitable social club and a propaganda organ of the liberal left.  And it is dangerous.  To take the message of Christ out of a church and still call it a church is dangerous to it’s members, to visitors, to the children being raised in these churches and to the community.  It’s dangerous because the road to salvation is NOT BEING TAUGHT.  Folks that attend these churches believe they are going to heaven because they are “good people” and “try to do the right thing” and “help others.”  Simply: these things do not lead to salvation. And to teach that they do is 100% against the Bible.  And to believe that the Bible isn’t the unerring Word of God is a sin.

The road to salvation is this:  Recognizing that you are a sinner.  Asking God for His forgiveness.  Believing in Jesus Christ as your personal savior and asking Him to come into your heart and dwell there.  Putting your trust in Christ ALONE.  That is salvation.  THAT is what it means to “be saved.”  How can you do this?  Pray.  Pray earnestly, and talk to God.

For a long, long time I didn’t understand this simple concept.  I thought going to church regularly (which I did) and believing God is good and controls our lives was enough.  But I was unhappy, I felt unfulfilled.  And then there came a point in my life that I was asked, outright “Are you saved?  What is your testimony?”  Well, I tried to say that I went to church my whole life and…uh…I was a “good person” more or less and I knew right from wrong, so that makes me saved, right?  Even I couldn’t convince myself this was true and the Holy Spirit convicted me that I was in fact, not saved.  I have experienced Spiritual warfare firsthand.  I know the unsettled, gnawing feeling you get in your gut when the Holy Spirit is guiding you in one direction and satan doesn’t want to let go of his hold on your life.  He (satan) tries to convince you that your “human knowledge” is superior to the conviction you’re feeling form the Holy Spirit.

Back to the question of my own salvation, at the beginning of this year I could not say with 100% certainty I was going to Heaven.  I asked our pastor “But what if I don’t get to pray the moment before my death and ask God to forgive my sins?  Won’t I go to hell?”  And he said “No, not if you’re saved.”  I couldn’t figure that out.  How is that possible?  I’d be dying with unaddressed sins.  I did not understand that Jesus died for our past sins and our future sins.  Yes, we are to ask for forgiveness, but if we have called upon Him as our savior, we are not in danger of going to hell if we die before we are able to ask forgiveness of a sin we committed on our deathbed.

Jesus died for our sins.  We are washed in the blood of the Lamb, if we are saved.  His Grace is sufficient, and we are saved if we believe in Him and declare that He alone is our Lord and Savior.  And no one – not the devil, not Harry Reid, not Obama, not Nancy Pelosi, not Chairman Mao – NO MAN, NOTHING can take that away from us.

If you are going to a church that doesn’t make the teachings and truths of the Bible their #1 priority, if they are not going out in the community and evangelizing, trying to help bring others to Christ, and spreading the Good News then unfortunately, your church is not following the path laid out by God, through the words of Jesus Christ.  If your church is okay with things that are specifically cited as sins in the Bible:  murder (ex: abortion), adultery (ex: unmarried couples living together), paganism (ex: using other religions as examples to learn from , Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc), homosexuality, “white lies,” or any other number of things that are plainly against God, you’re not attending a church that follows the Word of God.  You need to pray, and ask God to lead you to a church that is focused on Him and puts Him as the #1 priority, not social causes.

If you have questions or comments, I will gladly respond to them, but I will use the Scriptures when formulating my answers.  I certainly don’t have all the answers, but God does.