PLUS

Prominent leaders, from John Winthrop to Ronald Reagan, have referred to America as “A Shining City Upon a Hill.”  They did so based on Matthew 5:13-16:

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

For many decades, the United States was a savory nation that illuminated the path of right for others to follow.  As a nation founded on Biblical principles, codified in the Constitution, American exceptionalism thrived for an extended period of time.  Yet, such a nation could only maintain its attractive position as long as a strong core of Christians upheld the principles of salt and light in their individual lives.  After all, a nation (its government, its media, its entertainment, its churches, its schools, its communities) is a reflection of its citizens.

Have we, as the Christian core of this country, lost our savour?  Please pray that we would be the salt and light that the Lord intends for us to be.

Attached is the kickoff audio message for PLUS.

Leadership consultants remind us that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”  The meaning behind this statement is quite simple — the worse the situation, the more incentive there is to reflect upon badly needed changes.  Failing to change course under such dire circumstances piles tragedy upon crisis.

Reflecting upon the situation in which our nation finds itself, it is difficult to describe it as anything but a crisis.  It is an economic crisis and a political crisis; it is a moral crisis and a  value crisis; it is a leadership crisis and a followership crisis.  Yet, while the situation worsens, the nation continues to diverge from God without considering the correlation because between our unfaithfulness and our unfruitfulness.

We need national-level healing in our land that comes from a permanent change of direction toward humility, prayer, faithfulness and righteousness.  Fortunately, the model of salvation-producing repentance should be familiar to us, one in which we reverse our direction away from the world and towards God.

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

During the development of this ministry burden, the Lord made it clear to me that the problems of our nation may be largely our fault.  We have bemoaned society’s shortcomings, but should first examine our internal shortcomings.  We as Christians have often failed in our basic citizenship responsibilities to be humble, prayerful, expectant, and pure.  If we fail to exhibit these characteristics, then why should we expect our nation to be more aligned with the will of God?  Consequently, II Chronicles 7:14 reminds us that the potential for national healing rests squarely on the shoulders of believers.  Will our shoulders bear this burden now better than in the recent past?  America needs them to and God wants them to.

The process that brought me to a realization of the need for PLUS was akin to that which brought me to understand my need for salvation eight years ago.  While our first resort in the midst of life’s challenges should be to turn to God, often it is our last resort.  Starting PLUS was an acknowledgement that I can do nothing to overcome the problems of our nation and instead should surrender completely to Him.  This path should be recognizable as the one on which we traveled to come to Christ.  Similarly, I hope that you realize the need for PLUS out of a spirit of desperation for our nation.

How can we powerfully demonstrate true Christian citizenship?  We can spend a few minutes at lunchtime in specific prayer for the United States and invite others to join us.

The official kickoff is March 25th, 2013. Please tell your friends, coworkers, family, friends, pastors, classmates, and neighbors. Don’t miss it, our nation needs you.