If America is to experience any form of healing or reconciliation, the balm must come from the bride of Christ, the true church. There are many congregations of people which claim His name yet are not espoused to Him because they have not known Him. They have not known Christ because His word is not in them and they do not abide in His word. In other words, there is know marriage between He and them.
23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. (Luke 13:23-28 NKJV)
Now these are the words which Christ spoke to the Jews before He erected His true church, but it was also intended for those who seek Him today. There are plenty of examples today of those claiming the name of Christ while actively opposing Him. One of the most apparent examples of this is pop-Christianity as historically practiced in America. Many of these people frequently refer to America as a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. Now either these people don’t know America, or they don’t know Christ, or possibly don’t know either. For an illustration of this, here are examples from the past and present. For an example of the past, here is an excerpt from the letter of succession sent to the federal government by heads of state from Texas:
Texas abandoned her separate national existence and consented to become one of the Confederated States to promote her welfare, insure domestic tranquility [sic] and secure more substantially the blessings of peace and liberty to her people. She was received into the confederacy with her own constitution, under the guarantee of the federal constitution and the compact of annexation, that she should enjoy these blessings. She was received as a commonwealth holding, maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery–the servitude of the African to the white race within her limits–a relation that had existed from the first settlement of her wilderness by the white race, and which her people intended should exist in all future time. Her institutions and geographical position established the strongest ties between her and other slave-holding States of the confederacy. Those ties have been strengthened by association…
We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable.
That in this free government all white men are and of right ought to be entitled to equal civil and political rights; that the servitude of the African race, as existing in these States, is mutually beneficial to both bond and free, and is abundantly authorized and justified by the experience of mankind, and the revealed will of the Almighty Creator, as recognized by all Christian nations; while the destruction of the existing relations between the two races, as advocated by our sectional enemies, would bring inevitable calamities upon both and desolation upon the fifteen slave-holding States.(Texas State Library and Archives commission)
There are several other letters from states of the confederacy which echo this spiritual darkness. Many of this country’s presidents have held other humans in chattel slavery while in office and while promoting America as a nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. This belief that America was founded by men divinely inspired is still held today by many who confess to know Christ, affirming that this spiritual darkness still looms.
You see the disconnect between the love and light of Christ and confessing Christians today as they support, in large numbers, government policies born from a love of money which is the root of all evil. The kingdom of GOD is one where the principles and laws of GOD are sovereign and rule all, yet most Christians today support the privatization of pillar institutions in our communities for profit which need close government oversight like the penal system, hospitals, schools, and public works. If the government under a democracy reflects the will of the people, then why is there so much opposition to federal government oversight in America. The news is cluttered with state and local government atrocities and infringements of the civil rights of its citizens, which takes decades to address in the courts, where money often has more influence than justice. Many of the preyed upon often die without seeing justice or remedy. In every case of the evils perpetrated on humanity, the motive can be traced back to selfish gain. Christians can say they are fighting for life and family values and a better world but until they are ready to stand against the love of money, greed, and all the inequalities produced by them, they are yet in darkness and unfruitful.
Christ exposed the evil at work in the perversion of morality when He proclaimed that man cannot serve both God and money as recorded in Matthew 6:24. He also gave this parable to illustrate how darkness holds ground in a man’s heart even after being exposed to the light of truth.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19 NKJV)
The refusal to see the connection between the exclusive and narrow ambitions of the founders of this country and the wide injustices prevalent today can only be seen as denial. When did the dark ages pass in America? At what point was there a mass enlightenment or revolution of values? Slavery was replaced by convict leasing and the criminal industrial complex with more prisons and detentions centers being built and privatized every year, regardless of who is in office. Inequality and the wealth gap have continued to grow for the last four decades. The last four years and the events of January 6th have only exposed the disconnect between the soul of this country and Christ the Savior. If America will experience any healing or reconciliation, it must begin with those confessing to be Christians repenting and turning their whole hearts to GOD. It must begin with Christians forsaken all others and cleaving to Christ and His word as a true bride. Then and only then will there be a light bright enough to turn back this darkness and a love pure enough to heal the deep wounds from centuries of human sacrifice for financial profit.
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