PLUS

Isaiah 53:5-6 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Christ died for the iniquity of us all.  Though it is difficult to fathom, He died for those that crucified Him.  He died for those believers that had turned against Him.  He died for those that clamored for his conviction.  He died for those whose complacency had allowed him to be condemned.  He died for the wolves that stirred up agitation in Jerusalem and He died for the sheep that had gone astray.  He died for Pilate and He died for Peter.

While believers in our day are as complicit as those in Christ’s time in his death and condemnation, He died to restore all of us to Him.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD NOT BE PARALYZED BY OUR COMPLICITY, BUT INSTEAD BE PROMPTED BY HIS COMPASSION.  Christ’s crucifixion and current day condemnation do not enact inseparable or irreconcilable barriers between us and Him.  After all, He died for this type of iniquity and welcomes our return and repentance.  The same repentance that brings about individual healing can bring about national healing.  We need it!

John 12:12-13 “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

In recent days, I have heard Christians lament about our national decline with a sense of surprise.  While they are right to be saddened about our current situation, the hardening of our national heart has been far from rapid.  It has occurred over the course of decades and its speed is dwarfed by the terrible transition that occurred following John 12.

Consider the few days that transpired between the verses above and the subsequent verses that describe Jesus’ crucifixion.  Only a few days separate the day that Jesus was hailed as King and the day that he was condemned as a dangerous criminal.  That is a change of heart that happened with lightning speed.

What caused such a change?  It was likely a mix of complacency and hostility in the hearts of believers.  The same people that had hailed Him previously either passively allowed the tide to turn against him or actively prompted the transition themselves.  They may have done so because they allowed their hearts to be hardened by those around them.  They may have done so because following Him had made them increasingly vulnerable or uncomfortable.  They may have done so because they were fearful to speak up against the prevailing thought.  They may have done so because they thought they were powerless to stop the widespread change of heart.  They may have done so because they had been convinced that their support of Him would make them seem counter-cultural or even dangerous.  What makes it so surprising is that it happened in a few short days.  Regardless of the speed, they were complicit in the crucifixion of Christ.

Change can happen very quickly, even change that can cause the condemnation of Christ.  Whether it happens over the course of days or decades, it follows the same dangerous blueprint – a mix of Christian complacency and hostility.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERCIAN CHRISTIANS WOULD RECOGNIZE AND REPENT OF OUR COMPLICITY IN THE CURRENT CULTURAL CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST.  The change has been on our watch, and our complacency and hostility is largely to blame.

Proverbs 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Proverbs 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”

Mark 15:15 “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.”

There is a flip side of the peer pressure coin that is described concisely in Proverbs 13:20.  While we are influenced to be wise by the wise around us, we are also influenced to be foolish by the fools around us.  Sometimes, this negative impact even comes from other Christians who are less faithful, less trusting in the Lord, or less confident in God’s influence in our lives than we are.  These types of negative peer pressure may have even influenced us against praying daily for the United States.  Consider the following thoughts that may have been generated by negative peer pressure:

• Have you given up on our nation?
• Have you given up on the Lord and His willingness or power to prompt a widespread revival in our nation?
• Have you come to believe that you can do more personally to impact our nation than the Lord can do to impact our nation?
• Are you plagued by such busyness in your life that you cannot break away for a short period to pray daily for our nation?

We must first recognize the forces that entice us away from the Lord, and then consent not to them.  Indeed, these forces can be so powerful that they prompted Pilate to release Barabbas instead of Jesus.  They may also be acting on you in a way that draws you away from recognizing the importance, relevance, and necessity of daily prayer for our nation.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE INFLUENCED BY THE WISE AND GODLY AROUND US, AND NOT BY THE FOOLISH AND UNGODLY AROUND US.  By being a companion of the fools in our midst, American Christians have allowed our nation to slip towards destruction.

I Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

I am thrilled that the month of March is finally over.  Because of peer pressure, I spent the entire month looking foolish.  There is a long time Air Force tradition, Mustache March, started by fighter pilots during the Vietnam War.  When at home station and not deployed I have never participated.  This year General Welsh, the USAF Chief of Staff, issued a challenge for an ‘all-in Mustache March.’  Out of loyalty and in buckling to peer pressure, I did participate.  My wife and kids regularly mocked me, and strangers did double-takes as they strained to notice my pathetic attempt to grow facial hair.  Last Tuesday, I happily shaved it off and my source of shame was removed.

Peer pressure and leadership by example are akin to one another.  The combination of verbal encouragement coupled with reinforcing action by a leader can move the masses to do things that they wouldn’t otherwise do.  In fact, Paul used peer pressure in I Corinthians 11 and Jesus did in Matthew 16.  They did so to prompt action in accordance with the word of God.  My goal with PLUS is to do the same.  Please consider the following questions:

• Have you been faithfully praying for our nation daily?
• Have you been encouraging others to pray daily for our nation?
• Have you been directing others towards the PLUS ministry?

I’m hopeful that these challenging questions will convict you towards action that is in accordance with the word of God.  I’m not encouraging you to do anything as foolish as growing a mustache.  Instead, I’m encouraging you to do something that is truly important, relevant, and necessary.  PLEASE PRAY DAILY FOR OUR NATION AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint”

Luke 18:5 “Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”

As in Luke 11, the Lord uses a parable in Luke 18 to remind His followers that their prayer life should be characterized by fervency and regularity.  Our petitions should be characterized by persistence and passion.  Our requests should be characterized by relentlessness and restlessness.  Like the widow, we should continually come before our Judge for those things with which we are burdened.

American Christians have failed to meet these standards in our prayer lives.  PLUS has been designed as a tool to help us meet the Lord’s guidance for praying for our nation without fainting.  Please use it and encourage others to use it as a way to always pray as the Lord has instructed.  PLEASE PRAY ALWAYS FOR OUR NATION WITHOUT FAINTING.  The alternative has failed to yield the Judge’s advocacy on our behalf.