A Call for Repentance Within the American Church

It is time that the people of God repent because we have taken God too lightly and ourselves too seriously.

Why should we expect sinners to walk in the light if the saints are stumbling in the dark? Why do we hope that this nation will wake up to God’s presence if the church has fallen asleep on the job? Why do we think these citizens should live by the truth if we’ve never shared it with them?

If we want revival in America, it must start with repentance in the church.

Repent that we have shown conviction without compassion. Repent that we have shown compassion without conviction.

Repent that we listen to the world more than the Word. Repent that we are more concerned with our reputation than our character.

Repent that we can see people made in the image of God and ascribe them value based on the color of their skin.

Repent that we find the trafficking movement around the world as reprehensible all the while supporting it through feeding the pornography industry.

Repent that we jeer at individuals with sexual deviations yet failed to provide them with healthy examples of love and marriage God’s way.

Repent for the culture of death that has grown under our watch as we have seen over 50 million abortions in the US since 1973. While part of the church has rightly opposed the movement, repent that we are more apt to criticize abortions rather than support adoptions.

Repent for how even those within the church speak of marriage as the ol’ ball and chain instead of a joy and crown, and speak of children as a burden instead of a blessing.

Repent for the ways we have used our speech to curse our family rather than encourage our family. Repent that we have taught our children that our sports practices are more important than our churches.

Repent that we have traded years of our marriages for passing moments of pleasure.

Repent that our neighbors know more about our physical hobbies than our spiritual habits.

Repent that we spend more money on our pets than we do the poor.

Repent that we are only disgusted by the sins we have never struggled with.

Repent that we have cared more about the contents within a bottle than we do about the security of a family.

Repent that we want wrath for others yet grace for ourselves. Repent that we think our sins are harmless and others are heinous. Repent that we oppose the sin outside the church yet overlook the sin inside the church.

Repent that we engage with vile content and have forgotten how to blush. Repent that we habitually repeat certain sins to where it no longer bothers us.

Repent that we are more likely to share the news of a new product, weight loss system, or pyramid scheme than we are the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Repent that we can’t stop talking about COVID and can’t start talking about Christ.

Repent that we treat a church like an expendable gym membership, worship like a free concert, and the Word like a fortune cookie.

Repent that our mobile devices have our attention for hours each day yet most Christians cannot even find 5 minutes to open their Bible or pray to their God.

Repent that we are more concerned with likes from friends on social media than approval from God regarding our souls.

Repent that we prepare more for cheering for a college football team than we do worshiping the Risen Savior.

Repent that we have joined arms with liberal politicians with unbiblical stances for the sake of civic favors. Repent that we have turned a blind eye to the immorality of conservative leaders when aware of their sin yet fearful of acknowledging it publicly. Repent that we have lost our cultural integrity to speak against issues we have passively approved by our silence.

Repent that our conversations, comments, and posts portray to a world that our hope lies in flawed politicians more than the perfect King. Repent that people know who we are voting for more than who we are supposed to be living for.

Repent that we have expected non-Christians to subscribe to a code of conduct that we ourselves don’t emulate.

Repent for how we worry more than worship, protest more than pray, grumble more than glorify.

Repent for how we blame God for all the bad in life but take credit for all the good in life.

Repent for how we’ve shown devotion to lesser gods, attempted to reduce God to our size, use his name in a careless way, fail to trust him for daily direction and provision, dishonored our fathers and our mothers, allowed hatred to fester in our hearts, allowed lust to run rampant, taken from what others what does not belong to ourselves, refused to tell the truth and revert to spreading lies, and allowed ourselves to be consumed with envy for what others have.

Repent that we have loved God with part of our hearts, a portion of our souls, a little of our minds, and what’s left over of our strength. Repent that we decide to love our neighbor as long as that neighbor acts like us, looks like us, thinks like us, and votes like us.

Repent for how we have taken God too lightly and ourselves too seriously. And repent that we expect them to get it out there and yet we can’t get it in here.

Oh, church, it is not time to rise up and sing, it is time to fall down and repent.

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