Who Can Fix Our Country?

This weekend some of our members will be in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall to participate in a Prayer March sponsored by Franklin Graham.  Like many Christians, Rev. Graham is deeply concerned about the spiritual darkness that pervades our country.  He says, “No one can solve our deep problems.  Republicans cannot fix it; Democrats cannot fix it. Only God can."  Graham asserts, “The Lord and His ways have been removed from government, schools, and in society when our country needs more, not less of Him. I don't see our nation able to go much further unless we repent and call upon the name of Almighty God."  Asked if he believes that a remnant of praying people exists in our nation and if he has hope for a Great Awakening, the evangelist replied, “That is hard to say. Many Christians in the local church are too comfortable and a lot of our pastors don’t want to rock the boat.  They will not speak about the hot-button issues of our day. Pastors and church members ignore their responsibility to speak against sin and its effects.” In my many years of ministry, I have found what Rev. Graham expressed, is true.

Recently, I read an article by David Lane, the founder of the American Renewal Project. He is supportive of Franklin Graham’s efforts to bring people together to pray, repent, and cry out for the renewal of our country.  He shares this story about Joseph Bondarenko who spent much of his life on his knees crying out to his Father in Heaven.  Bondarenko was born in 1936 in the Ukraine, the son of a pastor. In 1955, he was admitted to the Institute of Marine Engineers, the Russian Naval Academy.  At the Institute, Bondarenko was threatened by the Young Communist League as well as the KGB.  He says, I was called into the office of the rector of the Institute, who gave me an ultimatum: “God or diploma—You choose?” The Lord gave me the strength and courage to make the right choice.  He states, “Serving God and my neighbor is the meaning and purpose of my life. I cannot deny Him who gave His life for me. I cannot turn my back on God for the sake of a diploma.” After six years of study, he was expelled from the Institute for promoting faith in the Lord.

Upon being dismissed Bondarenko served three stints in Soviet prison camps because of his faith in Jesus Christ. He was imprisoned for nearly a decade in inhuman, godless Gulag conditions  He was also separated from his dear wife and children.  In the Gulag, this author, theologian and public speaker became known as the "Billy Graham of Russia.”

A few months ago this 83-year-old Christian spoke at Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, California. After living in the United States for the past 28 years, he said, "Everything that's happening today in America is almost like a movie I have watched several times. I see a lot of parallels between the Soviet regime and things happening in this country.  There was a time in history where the communists closed churches completely, then they would reopen them a little bit, and if the church was open, there were certain 'guidelines' given to pastors.  Doesn’t the American Church realize what is happening?  What is going on in this country is exactly what happened to us in communist Russia? It started with ‘Don't gather. Don't sing. Spread apart. Listen to the government.' Then it quickly turned into full-on persecution and the church did not wake up in time. First they took away our freedom of speech, then freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and finally they instituted very strict censorship and control of all the media.”

Bondarenko continues, “America is beginning to resemble the Soviet Union with its slanted and prejudiced news media mirroring the USSR’s news organs, Pravda and Izvestia.  We experienced Big Tech's censorship of free speech, government intrusion into religious liberty, and the ostracization of the constitutional rights of freedom of religion and assembly.  Private schools and homeschooling were completely forbidden because the government was overseeing education of all people and all ages.”

Bondarenko said a lot of what happened in the USSR is happening in the American Church. The similarities are astonishing. Responding to what this former Russian said, I list for you how our secular government and the courts have changed for the worse during the past sixty years.

—Engel v. Vitale in 1962: Removal of prayer to God in public education.

—Abington School District v. Schempp in 1963: Removal of the Bible from public schools.

—Roe v. Wade in 1973:  Abortion and the slaying of unborn children was legalized.

—Stone v. Graham in 1980:   Removal of the Ten Commandments from public school walls.

—Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015: Legalization of homosexual marriage.

—Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020: Expansion of homosexual and transgender rights.

Recently, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said, “What we see in America  is not decay; it is organized destruction. Secular forces and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry and academia, in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values."  Mr. Barr speaks the truth about secular forces corrupting our culture. There is much that needs reversal and renewal if America is to survive.

Today we have the dividing of America, the breakdown, and the disintegration of our country. This could mean the end of religious freedom and eventually the persecution of the people of God.  Franklin Graham knows our nation is facing a perilous time. He correctly advocates that prayer and supplication to the Lord is the recipe for success concerning the current issue. The only hope for the human race is found in one name: the Name of Jesus, which in Hebrew means Salvation.  Jesus Christ remains the answer for the entire world.

 Do not trust in princes or in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. Psalm 146:3

Please join thousands of God’s people this Saturday to pray for our country.  May your prayer begin with personal repentance recognizing that you have fallen very short of what God wants from your life.

Pastor Jeff

Last fall, we invited our church family to participate in a survey to help us enhance Sunday mornings at FPC.  Your input and feedback were instrumental in helping us make a variety of improvements.  FPC widened the parking lot entrance and made the secondary exit more usable.  We added a traffic officer at the intersection of Circle Four Drive and CR-544.  FPC also added curb cutouts for wheelchair access, installed handrails and better signage, expanded handicapped parking spaces, and made many other enhancements.

This year has offered new challenges and opportunities, and we are asking you to take a few minutes to provide your feedback and help us continue fulfilling our mission of "glorifying God by changing lives through the message of Jesus Christ."

Thank you in advance for your time and feedback!