Tall
Trees – Shallow Roots
Lea Sylvester
Christians in America must have an eternal
perspective. That is what we must have! Some
might say, “oh, you're so heavenly-minded
that you're no earthly good...” That is one
of the biggest lies hell ever produced. It's
been the most heavenly-minded men (and
women) on this earth who did the most.
To begin with, the Captain of our Salvation,
Jesus Christ, was always beholding the
Father. He was always in communion with Him.
He was always thinking heavenly thoughts.
We have a type of arrogance here in
the United States (as “Christians”) that we
think we've really got this
“Christianity-thing” down. But, the fact of
the matter is, the greatest works of God
today and some of the greatest preachers and
teachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
who've ever lived are in places most of us
couldn't find on a map. They will never be
best-selling authors, they aren't life
coaches and they don't care if those who go
to hear them have good self-esteem. They
don't lay awake at night worrying if their
flock has 30 or 60 or 90 or even 100
purposeful days.
These men of God live in huts, preach in
buildings with dirt floors and roofs made of
banana leaves. J.R. Packer, a great
evangelist, was once asked who he thought
the greatest preacher alive at that time
was. He said, “You don't know him because
he's probably preaching in a village
somewhere, in some isolated place in a world
far away...”
It may be difficult for some to read this
but so many in America say they are
Christians; but they don't act like
Christians. In fact, they act more like the
world, they smell more like the world,
they do things like the world. They
may not be Christians at all.
As Americans, our “theology” is 3,000 miles
wide and ½ of an inch deep. America is
ignorant to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We have taken the Gospel and have reduced it
down to five things God may want “you” to
know. For example:
We may ask, “would you like to go to
heaven?” If the person responds with “yes,”
we say, “would you like to pray this prayer
after me?” If they say “yes,” we get them to
say a prayer and then we declare them to be
saved.
The true Gospel is NOT “do you recognize
you're a sinner?” The TRUE Gospel is since
you have heard Gospel preaching, has God
done such a supernatural work in your heart
through the Holy Spirit that now you hate
the sin you once loved? The question is not
“do you want to go to heaven?” The devil
wants to go to heaven! Everyone wants to go
to heaven! They just don't want God to be
there when they arrive.
So, the question is “has God done such a
supernatural work of conversion,
regeneration in your heart that the God you
have hated and ignored, you now esteem, love
and seek? It's not, “do you want to pray a
prayer?” Jesus never walked up to anybody
and said, “The time is fulfilled, the
Kingdom of God is at hand; now would you
like to open up your heart and receive me?”
He comes to men in the same way John came to
men. John came to Israel preaching
repentance. The first words out of Jesus'
mouth were, “Repent!” Peter, on the Day of
Pentecost, admonished those there saying,
“Repent!”
In America, we think we can manipulate a
move of God. That we can coerce people into
being “saved.” That's absolutely impossible.
Man is a spiritually dead, God-hating enemy.
In order for that spiritually dead man to
respond to the Gospel call, its going to
take a lot more than manipulation. It takes
the supernatural, recreating, regeneration
work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is our Savior and our King. He
is worthy of our worship. So many people
think, “I don't need God.” Some people may
even think, “I don't think I need God, but
it wouldn't hurt to add Him to the list of
things I have...” as if God is a “cherry on
top of their world.”
But without Jesus, our lives are nothing
more than a pile of manure in God's eyes.
We've got to realize that we live in a
country that absorbs things like truth,
redefines it, and has its own version of it.
But, in that, the truth of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is lost. The fact of the matter
is, we are never going to advance the
Kingdom of God by being politically correct.
If we love people, we're going to tell them
the truth, even if they hate us.
When I hear a preacher tell a group that
“you've got a wonderful house, a fine job, a
beautiful wife/great husband, 1.5 kids,
you've got it all...you just need Jesus”
that makes me sick. Why? Because if they/we
don't have Jesus Christ, we have absolutely
nothing.
For anyone who happens to be surfing the
'net, reads this and isn't a Christian, you
may say, “What do you mean? I love my house.
I love my beautiful wife/great husband. I
love my Mercedes Benz. I love my 1.5 kids. I
love my job. My life is NOT a pile of
manure, who are YOU to say that amounts to
nothing? How can you say that, in whose
eyes?” In God's eyes!
There are two types of people. One type is
someone who is so deluded, they don't/can't
feel their misery. Then, there's the person
who says they have all those things but
still feel absolutely miserable. Recognizing
the misery is a blessing from God. That
“misery” is God screaming at them to see
that “things” are worthless and the only
need they have is Jesus Christ.
Why should that person in a remote village
or in the Sudan become a Christian? What
will it get them other than perhaps having
their head cut off? They will get the same
thing an American Christian ought to. All
men are the same. When a person is invited
to Christ, or called to Christ, they get two
things God has promised all. He has promised
eternal life and a cross. They go together.
To the true believer, that is a blessed
thing.
We think we can put up a media screen, do
all kinds of things, have a few movies and
somehow emotionally manipulate people into
the Kingdom of God. That is not true. When
we try to do that, we are no longer going to
see the power of the Holy Spirit.
All God is asking for is a person who loves
Him, with a Bible in his hand who will obey
Him. Let that man preach in the town square
until he is stoned to death or until someone
is converted because God will bless that man
for his obedience, love and unselfishness.
Whatever God asks of us, when we obey Him,
he blesses us.
We must, as Christians – true believers,
trust in God for all things. Not just “some
things” or when it is “convenient” for us to
do so. We must seek holiness, walk in
obedience to God, for He loves those who are
His. We must separate ourselves from the
world and keep our eyes on God. Be changed –
truly changed. We need to be powerful in the
secret places and with those who are closest
to us. We must strive earnestly to please
Jesus Christ. Let nothing come before God –
nothing. In America, let us quit putting God
in a “box” and let Him be God. We will see
great things in our lives, in our families
and in our nation when we do.
Direct comments to
sylvester.lea@gmail.com