My Dream for the American Church
Keith W. Sun
We live in a time where the Christian church in the United States of America is at a crossroads. No longer does this country bear a pseudo-Christian cultural framework, rather it now feeds on a postmodern distaste for any movement of the real Jesus. Every year I see friends and family walk away from the church, from Jesus Christ, and from Christ-based morality. There is a dream I long to see come to fruition and burst onto the scene with power and revolutionary hope. This dream is the church, God’s engine of change, that always was and always will be the sons and daughters of heaven who shine the light of the gospel in a dark, wandering world desperately searching for answers and finding none.
I long for a church where Christians take greater pride in their heavenly citizenship than in their American patriotism.
I long for a church where Christians do not merely tolerate racial or ethnic differences but willingly embrace the colorful tapestry that forms the corporate worship of God for eternity.
I long for a church where Christians do not emphasize the appearance of signs and wonders, but point more importantly to the Miracle Maker Himself.
I long for a church where Christians do not stay infants and depend on leaders to feed them, but know how to sustain themselves daily on the living word of God.
I long for a church where Christians no longer chase financial wealth for themselves, but instead are so raptured by a heavenly inheritance that their possessions become freely their neighbors’.
I long for a church where Christians are not rashly argumentative and careless with their speeches, but are winsome, gentle, and respectful to the point of winning persons to Christ with their faultless conduct.
I long for a church where Christians do not merely mouth the lyrics in singing worship, but sing, shout, dance, and let their normal inhibitions be thrown off in unabashed praise.
I long for a church where Christians no longer chase an American dream, but give up all to go to the hardest places on earth, for the dream of the Father to see all nations and peoples know Him and worship Him in spirit and truth.
I long for a church where Christians do not sacrifice intellectual soundness for mere emotional experience, but instead they embrace the Gospel and its implications in robustness of both heart and mind.
I long for a church where Christians no longer pray quickly to the Lord when they first tried every other option, but instead they go first to the throne of grace with earnestness and heartfelt passion, again and again and again.
I long for a church where Christians no longer follow just any religious teacher like the lustful chasing after an animal in heat, but rather stick firmly to sound doctrine no matter how unpopular or uncomfortable it may be.
I long for a church where Christians do not run from suffering or hardship, but instead they willingly and joyfully endure trials, if necessary, for the glory of God above.
I long for a church where Christians no longer attend worship service because they have to, but they come to church on Sundays because they want more of Jesus than their weekly experience can hold.
I long for a church where Christians never again swear ultimate loyalty to a denomination or an institutional church, but instead set their minor differences aside out of allegiance to a Christ,who brought down the dividing wall of hostility.
I long for a church where Christians no longer are ignorant to the truth they believe, but are able to preach the Gospel in such a way their joyfulness overflows without stop.
I long for a church where Christians do not settle for a lip-service apathy, but embody a fearless, bold passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I long for a church where Christians are more concerned about the good fruit they bear than about the approval they can hear.
I long for a church where Christians will even forgive their enemies, yes, even love an ISIS member, because Christ died for them too.
I long for a church where Christians define success not by the numbers or the flashy substance of their gatherings but by the consistent faithfulness of ministry in the dreariest of days.
I long for a church where Christians no longer dread the 9-to-5 job they have to go to every Monday, but instead they swell with excitement to glorify God in their workplaces.
I long for a church where Christians can live in the worst neighborhoods, can attend the worst schools, experience the worst illnesses, and endure the worst social treatment, and still know the secret of contentment in Christ alone.
Such a church I yearn for every single day. Each morning when I get up from my slumber, I ask whether such a universal church can exist, whether such a powerful witness can shake the foundations of America. If the Christian church outlasted the height of the Roman Empire, I say it can. If the Christian churchgrew despite mass executions and martyrdom, I say it can. If the Christian church can stand up to the greatest skepticism of cults, faiths, human reason, and scientific inquiry, I say it can. If the word of God says the gates of hell cannot extinguish the church, I say the church can. This is my hope. This is my dream. This is the church I still believe in, work for, sacrifice for, and pray for. May this be the church we all long for, dream about, and create.
