The Epic Tragedy

"No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer."--2 Timothy 2:4

For those who believe that they can legislate their way to a moral and just society, then remember something called Prohibition.

That was passed in 1920 with the noble intention of eradicating alcoholism in America. Eradicating alcoholism is always a good intention, provided that those who would be deprived of drinking beer and liquor are willing to forgo those beverages.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, many Americans weren't willing to be deprived of their alcoholic beverages, so big trouble ensued. Prohibition encouraged bootlegging that gave rise to organized crime.

When Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933, the body count was staggering. Not only had Prohibition failed to stop alcoholism in America, it led to widespread corruption and bloody wars between criminal enterprises that fought for control of liquor distribution in cities and towns across America.

Prohibition provided a valuable lesson that you can't force people via legislation to do what they refuse to do. Another good example of that is handgun control legislation.

While various cities throughout America have passed stiff laws that restrict or outlaw possession of handguns, those laws have merely made it more difficult for law abiding citizens to protect themselves with firearms. Not so with criminals who ignore the law. For example, the city of Chicago, which has banned handguns for many years, ranks among the top cities in America almost every year for handgun homicides.

For too many years, the Christian Church in America has been on a losing streak. And that's because the church has tried to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through the ballot box rather than by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

When Christ commanded His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", (Matthew 28:19) he didn't send them out to spread the gospel across the world by promoting political agendas and slating candidates that would legislate Christianity into law. Rather, he sent His disciples out anointed by the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel through the power of God.

When the church followed the Holy Spirit, Christianity quickly spread wherever it was preached. But when the church began to rely on human power, the faith withered and died. The apostle Paul reminded the early church that there was no substitute for God's supreme power: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." (1 Corinthians 1:17)

Indeed, the cross has been emptied of its power. When the church tries to defend the faith through politics and in the courts, it has lost both the battle and the war. The battle has been lost on the streets where paganism, atheism, political correctness, relativism and multiculturalism have convinced two generations of Americans that truth is whatever they decide it is in their eyes.

And the war has been lost when a growing majority of people now view Christianity as an outdated religion that is anti-science and promotes racism and intolerance.

How do we change that? By getting back to promoting the gospel the way it's supposed to be promoted--through courage, hard work, sacrifice and diligence.

That will bring persecution. It always does. Some people will get hurt. Some will be thrown into prison. Some may even die. But Christ never promised his followers a cakewalk. He said this: "In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God." (John 16:2)

But that's how the gospel truly advances that translates into repentance, salvation, revivals and a God-fearing world where crime recedes and people honor and respect each other.

For the Christian Church, that's the only way to reverse an epic tragedy that has caused the literal collapse of Christianity in America. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6)