The American Church



I have seen the fervor, zeal & passion of a new believer in Christ. I have heard stories of the Underground Church. I have seen the faith of a child. I have seen an old(er) man still faithful in his old age. I have seen a man walk away from his faith. I have seen (American) teenagers doubt their faith.

In the midst of cleaning today, I ran across some old Voice of the Martyrs magazines. Stopping the cleaning process & beginning to read them, I was again amazed by the amount of pain, torture, suffering, trials, hardship, loss etc (even death, for some) that these new believers have undergone joyfully, in the Name of Christ.

And it got me thinking- how lazy and complacent us American Christians are! How much do we really desire growth in Christ? How much effort do we put into our relationship with Him? How many hours do we spend in prayer, fasting, memorization & Bible reading? How desirous are we of wisdom, understanding & knowledge?

Years ago, I wrote down a quote that read- "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church." (author unknown) I wonder today- How much more faith would us Americans exercise if we were the ones being persecuted???

I am reminded of a quote that my dear friend Megan references all the time-"If Christianity were a crime, would there be enough evidence to condemn you?"

I wonder how much different our nation would look like if Christians really lived out their faith? I wonder what impact we might have on our culture if we really lived like we profess to believe?

Just some food for thought. :)