Author: John Page 133 of 172

Jonah 1:2-3 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah made a great mistake upon receiving God’s call. Because he was prideful, prejudiced, presumptuous, and pietistic he did not believe that the Ninevites were worth saving. He had been called by God for such a time as that, and erred because he fled from God’s call.

We may think that our nation had drifted beyond the point where God’s mercy is likely. We may not think that revival is possible. We may not think that our nation is worth saving. We may not acknowledge God’s call, ignoring the truth that we have been placed here for such a time as this.

When we resist nationwide revival, it may be because our spirit is prideful, prejudiced, presumptuous, or pietistic. Regardless of the reason, we must not flee from our clear responsibilities as Christian citizens, the most basic of which is prayer for our nation and its leaders. We may not be as overt about fleeing from this call as was Jonah, but when we ignore it we are fleeing from God nonetheless. Our lack of immediate obedience should be considered nothing else than disobedience.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ANSWER AND NOT FLEE FROM GOD’S CALL TO CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP. Arise American Christians, throughout this great land.

Hosea 10:13 “Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.”

Part of the urgency associated with our Christian citizenship responsibility is related to those things and those people we have chosen to follow. This scripture, when compared with verse 12 (see the previous post), contrasts the results of following the Lord with the results of following anything else. Following the Lord allows us to sow righteousness and reap mercy (v12), while following the world causes us to plow wickedness and reap iniquity (v13).

In a large part, we become what we follow. We are transformed into the things we seek. Righteousness and mercy are the results of following the Lord. Wickedness and iniquity come from digesting the lies that are propagated by trusting in ourselves and those who the world considers mighty. If Christians are to make the impact that the Lord intends from us, then we must immediately take stock of what we seek and who we follow. Otherwise, we will continue to be led astray.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO IMMEDIATELY AND URGENTLY SEEK THE LORD. Otherwise, we will be plagued by lives characterized by fallow ground; lives that are indistinguishable from the world that are neither impactful to our nation nor influential for the cause of Christ.

Hosea 10:12 “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

When I reflect upon the PLUS ministry, I regularly return to the importance of Christian responsibility that was the ministry’s genesis. I reflect upon the urgency of our role in guiding this nation back to its Christian foundation. I reflect upon II Chronicles 7:14 and Esther 4:14, as I will in the next several posts. I reflect upon these previous thoughts:
https://prayatlunch.us/the-responsibility-of-the-christian-citizen-ii-chronicles-714/
https://prayatlunch.us/this-time/
https://prayatlunch.us/who-knoweth/

Hosea reminds of the truths contained at the core of PLUS. For IT IS TIME to seek the Lord. We must tackle our Christian citizenship responsibility with a sense of urgency. We must tackle our Christian citizenship responsibility with a sense of fleeting opportunity. We must tackle our Christian citizenship responsibility with a sense of timely desperation. We must tackle our Christian citizenship responsibility with a sense of diminishing options. We must tackle the fullness of our Christian citizenship responsibility now, before it is too late!

PLEASE PRAY FOR A CHRISTIAN SENSE OF URGENCY REGARDING OUR CITIZENSHIP RESPONSIBILITY. It is not too late … yet. Now is the time for Christians to seek the Lord!

I Corinthians 16:13-14 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.”

Facing adversity with dignity and discipline, as described in my previous post (https://prayatlunch.us/dream/), does not imply that Christians are to acquiesce to the popular trends of culture or the prevailing path of our nation. Yet, confronting life’s challenges in a Christ-like way requires more strength than simply allowing the flesh to take control.

Tackling adversity in this way requires us to stand fast while not being consumed by our raw emotions, but instead by being cloaked in faith. We are to be strong. We are to conduct ourselves with an attitude of love and charity.

Martin Luther King Jr. was certainly not known for acquiescing. He was not known for furthering the status quo. He was not known for accepting the prevailing direction of his day. Instead, even while employing a non-violent, Christian-based methodology, he took a stand. He stood fast. He acted with charitable resolution. He turned frustration into action, and succeeded because of his tactic of dignity and discipline, not in spite of it.

American Christians today must take a stand. We must stand fast. We must act with charitable resolution. We must turn frustration into action, succeeding because of dignified humility, disciplined prayerfulness, and loving strength.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO STAND FAST IN LOVE. Facing adversity in this way would maximize our impact on a needy world.

Romans 12:20-21 “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Tomorrow as we recognize the great civil rights leader and Baptist pastor, Martin Luther King Jr, our nation should be mindful of the lessons of his effective, non-violent, Christian-centered methods. During his “I Have a Dream Speech” Dr. King carefully reminded his followers of the importance of responsibility and restraint:

“But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”

Christian Americans in particular should embrace the importance of these Bible-based principles. We must not let the nation’s drift from the Lord cause us bitterness. We must not let the nation’s drift from the Lord cause us hatefulness. We must not let the nation’s drift from the Lord cause us to lash out with wrongful deeds. Instead, we must conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must overcome evil with good.

Though the way of the world and the flesh is to lash out at adversity and injustice, the way of the Lord is the opposite thereof. We are to be humble. We are to be prayerful. We are to be grace-filled. We are to demonstrate charity and love.

If we are to see our dreams of national revival come true, we must separate ourselves from the ways of the world. Doing so makes us unique and far more effective. Doing so allows Christ to shine through us. PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FACE ADVERSITY WITH DIGNITY AND DISCIPLINE.