Three Crisis, Three Soloutions, One Answer

The United States of America is a very diverse and well-educated country. There are more institutions of higher learning in America than anywhere. Yet, in spite of the vast number of schools and colleges, some Americans still do not meet the intellectual standards of the rest of the nation. They do not meet these intellectual standards because they have not applied what was taught to them. Intellect is more than the ability to know a large amount of information. Intellect is also the ability to apply that information you know for the intended purpose. Nevertheless, one disturbing fact is clear concerning America spiritually as a people and a nation. Although, we invest our time, energy, and money into our religion and personal beliefs, the average church member has no personal knowledge of God other than what has been told to them on Sunday morning. The fact is we are surprisingly spiritually illiterate.

The reason for this lack of spiritual intellect could be as the children of El Elyon, the most high God; we do not have much of a dialogue with God. Moses and Elijah had dialogue with God in a visible and audible form. However, all we have are the common memorizes prayers and our visits to our church buildings. Nevertheless, the real underlying cause of our spiritual illiteracy is in our comprehension and understanding of what the Scriptures has to say to us as present day Christians. Realistically, since each person comprehends what they hear, see and read differently from the next person, it is hard for our pastors, teachers and preachers to get all of the congregation to comprehend and understand what is being communicated from God. Communication is not just what is being said; communication is also what is being comprehended and understood by the listener.

However, in order to hear, comprehend and understand what the Spirit of God is saying to the church God calls the body of Christ, we must hear from the Scriptures our place, position, and stand as the children of El Elyon, the most high God. By not knowing these things, we have developed into a nation that is still struggling with knowing whose we are. This question is constantly being asked in our music, our books, and television programs we watch. In America, we classify ourselves by our race, our income, our political affiliations, and our religious denomination. In America, we never know whom we will see in the mirrors of reality because we are obsessed with changing reality and ourselves.

We tend to measure or identify ourselves according to our success, our friends, and our degrees. In our society, our self worth is tied to our stock portfolios, our trips to exotic locations, and investments in our personal properties. Shamefully, we have allowed ourselves to be fooled into thinking that is what life is all about; we have been told that what counts the most is how many toys and how much joys of life you have before you die. Moreover, this same lie has found its way into our homes. In our homes, we define ourselves according to the things we purchase because some voice on the radio or television told us and because the newspaper gave us a so-called coupon to use. Oprah, Dr. Phil, among many others tells us how we should feel, act, and think because we think we can not think for ourselves. In our homes, Neuman Marcus, Vanity Fair, or the latest Cover Girl models tell us how much we should weigh, eat and drink. Sadly we listen and we do.

Moreover, the modern day denominations and church buildings have embraced this same ideology. Our denominations measure themselves by the size of its buildings, the wealth and power of its congregations, and the prestige and political clout of its leaders. Those of us who become members of these church buildings measure the church itself by the amount of members, the entertainment, and the work we can pay someone to do for us. As great as our accomplishments are, they do not, have not, and will not hide the fact that we really do not know whose we are. By not knowing and understand whose we are, we have become double minded Christians. By not knowing and understand whose we are, we will miss the mark of being the church without a spot or wrinkle. Contrary to popular opinion, God did not save us so we can play dress up on Sunday morning and parade around in our denominational tombs and monument.

The true church does not exist because of our traditions, ceremonies, or organization founders. We exist, we move, and we are whose we are because God has a message to deliver. We are whose we are because Jesus, the Christ died on the cross to buy our soul from our old master. We have been bought with a high price and that make us whose we are. We are here to tell the rest of this racially divided, emotionally scared, and spiritually insecure world that they too have been bought with a high price. Their sin debt has been paid in full. Because of the shedding of the Blood on Calvary, we all can become the children of El Elyon. This is why we were saved and this is whose we are. We were saved to do the work God sets before us because we belong to El Elyon, the most high God.