Sep 30, 20104 min read

WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?

Last month marked the 9th Anniversary of the September 11th Islamic Terrorist attacks that rocked the United States of America to our core. From that monumental day, America has been in a continual tailspin with our economy and our war against terrorism. As we approached this time of remembrance, we found a great controversy that surfaced as someone dared to finally speak up and send a message to America (and the world) that there is something critically wrong with our country and that it is time for us to “Stand Up” and confront terrorism. What the world would term “small and insignificant”, yet this one Pastor whose congregation totals 50 people gained global media coverage.

We also watched as some “No-Name” candidates emerged from the Tea Party, and how this party which has not been a part of the democratic system heretofore, won several primaries- some by a rather significant margin.

What is going on?

People whom the world thinks as small and insignificant are finally rising up and are letting their voices be heard. I truly believe this is a “Kairos” moment for the church. Now more than ever, we must rise up and declare the word of the Lord and instigate transformation in our churches, cities and even our nation. America has experienced this decline simply because we failed to follow through with the core values and convictions that this country was founded upon, a land that has placed their sole trust in Jehovah God. But this is our moment to truly effect change!

With the passing of one generation and the entrance of the next, those core values and convictions have continued to drift further into the background as we continue our pursuit of education, success and wealth. And even today, the church now finds its voice silenced because we have spent more sermons on financial prosperity and cultural relativism than we have being Holy for HE is Holy. We have removed the Blood of Jesus and the Cross from many of our hymnals and liturgy so that we do not offend people and present a “Bloody Christianity.”

We have removed our Sunday night prayer meetings so that we can pray at home with our families…only to realize that we spend more time at the river or the movies, and less time actually praying.

We have allowed prayer to be taken out of our schools and have joined the campaigns of the world to remove the Ten Commandments from our governmental establishments. And now, the campaign continues to remove, “In God We Trust” from our currency.

In the church, we are silent because we think it is someone’s responsibility other than ours to speak up and say “NO”.

I think of the Boston Tea Party. These were the kind of revolutionaries that America has endorsed and rallied behind. I am sure that there were many who thought dumping all that tea into the harbor was both countless and stupid. I am also sure that many of them feared the wrath and retaliation from England that would ensue. Yet, their passion for the right far outweighed their fear of the potential negative reactions. They chose to declare that the purpose and passion was far greater than the backlash that might occur. They had already experienced what taxation without representation had done for them in England. And as a result, these revolutionaries united and stood together to send a clear message to the world….”NO”!

Today, we the church must realize that “United we stand, divided we fall.” Now is our time to unite. We need to quit “DOING” church and once again “BE” the church!

A minister recently shared that when something is malfunctioning, go back to the place where there was a “disconnect” and correct that which caused the thing to begin its demise.

Perhaps the change needed seems too great. We are seemingly so far away from where we need to be, it is as if there is no hope. And although those feelings are accurate, your voice is needed today to begin to affect change.

When Israel faced their greatest enemy in Goliath, God raised up a little shepherd boy from the wilderness with only five small stones. Because of the time in intimate worship, God raised David to from a shepherd boy and established him as King.

When Jesus was feeding the 5,000, God took one little boy who had five loaves and two fish to feed the multitude.

It is amazing how great the seemingly small and insignificant can become when the hand of God moves upon a willing soul. As a young boy growing up in the church, we used to sing a song, “Little is Much When God is In It”. May that become our battle cry!

Today, I am asking you the same question that God asked Moses. “What is in your hand?” What gifts, resources, influence and abilities has God placed in your hand? And then, my second question would be “Are you using what is in your hand to effect change in your atmosphere and see the Kingdom of Heaven advance?”