One of the first doctrinal changes that came from early American church leaders was to bring the idea of "independence" into the Christian faith. The concept of a "personal Savior" began to be propagated which rang true to those newly separated from the Church of England and other European denominations. The only problem with that was it is not the message Jesus came to share with us. The early church was known as the ekklasia, or "called out ones." There was a strong sense of community among Believers known for their love and care for others. The command Jesus gave to those who saw Him ascend to the heavens was to "go make disciples of every nation." This later became known as "The Great Commission", even though the Bible never refers to it as such.
The new independent American evangelicalism took this up as their mantra, using it as a battle cry to overtake the world for Jesus, just as the Minute Men had conquered the Brits. It was not laced with love and concern for others, but instead a tool to build their churches. The focus was not on the welfare of those being converted, but instead on the "stars in their crown."
July 4th is not a Christian holiday. It is an American holiday where we celebrate our declaring ourselves to be free of the tyranny of the British Monarchy. We refused to pay tribute money and tariffs on the goods coming into our ports. The unfortunate part of the early American church doctrine is it confused nationalism with Christianity. The two are not synonymous. Being American does not make you Christian. Being "free" based on our Constitution does not make us free from the law of sin and death. Only Jesus can do that.
On this Independence Day, if you are an American citizen, or just love this country, celebrate our independence. But regardless of your nationality, find a way to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ, who redeemed us back for the sake of the Father, Who loves us. God, Himself, provided everything needed to restore us into right relationship with Him. Through our identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father, we are made to sit together with Christ in the Kingdom He established and now rules. We are not lone rangers for Jesus. We are part of one Body working together to bring a world who does not know God into a new relationship with Him.
Light that flare this 4th!
Now for today's blessing.
May the Lord of the Sabbath, and the Lord of Independence Day, give you restMay you see the spectacular display of His love and mercy in JesusSo that you can celebrate being reunited with your CreatorAnd find the peace and rest that only He can bringMay the liberation you find not consist of release from earthly tiesBut instead be the shedding of the walls we have built around our heartDesigned to protect us from being hurt, but cause us more harm than goodAnd keep us from experiencing the warmth of the Father's Love through ChristMay the distance we find between us and God be removed by drawing near to HimAccepting the grace and mercy which was made available to us in ChristAnd now is our daily bread as we learn to rest in HimFully independent from the sin that once held us as slaves
