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John Hembree

An Everyday Expression of Hope and Its Potential

An Everyday Expression of Hope 

American Jesus

December 11, 2011 by John Hembree Leave a Comment

In this country, maybe above any other nation, it is easier to believe in God.  We rarely hear of true persecution in this country.  We shy away from ministers who cause us to look at ourselves for who we are, and instead are led to believe we are  warm, fuzzy and perfect people who God is just falling over Himself to bless.

Does He wants us to be fulfilled?  Yes.  Does He want us to find the true joy in our life?  Yes.  Does He want us to complete our specific mission He has for us? Yes.  Does He spend a minute trying to create our happiness in the American definition of the word in this culture. No.

Let me get this out of the way.  The church in America has worked hard to make sure that the true gospel of Christ can never be fully established.  Not in every case, certainly not in every church, but we have turned God into a genie in a bottle, where His sole purpose is to bless us, provide for us, give to us…health and wealth.

It just ain’t true.

Yet, to listen to  pastors and teachers who millions believe to be true ministers of the Gospel and their main emphasis is how God is required, if you will, to bless his followers with vast amounts of wealth, health and happiness.

It drives me crazy to watch.  Preachers turning their churches into reality shows, congregations who elevate the minister to a point that they would never elevate God Himself.  Preachers, teachers, and authors whose egos continue to tell them how great they are while their heart forgets to remind them how great God has been on their behalf.

I walk for exercise, usually walking several miles a day.  On one of my routes there is a pastor’s house, huge, gated, well beyond the attainable reality of his parishioners.  While walking past the house I grew angry when I thought of starving people in this community alone, or the destitute, the lonely, the many in need.  And I had seen earlier that day a minister on television spewing non-truths to millions of people as to how great we are as God’s children.  We are not great.  We are horrible at best.  And only by God’s love, grace and mercy can we be anything but horrible.

There is a reason why the founder of the Christian movement was killed.  People did not like the message he was teaching.  It is offensive to many, including believers, because it challenges people to look to the needs of others, and to lessen the need to gratify ourselves.

So I took a quote I had seen posted by Mark Hall, lead singer of Casting Crowns, who on his Facebook page had placed the following quote by Pastor John Piper.  I can not add anything to this quote that will make the message any stronger so I will leave it at that, except to say, truly, God help us if we as christians continue to profess the American version of the Gospel.  We are killing the true message.

Now the quote.

“If God’s love for His children is to be measured by our health, wealth and comfort in this life, God hated the Apostle Paul.”  John Piper

I did forget something.  After seeing that quote I took a pen and note card and sent those words to both the local pastor’s home and to the global ministers church with my name and return address.  It has been some time now.  Please get back to me preachers.  I am dying to know what you think of the quote.

JHH

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