We know it’s been a long time. We are still alive! …and waging fierce war against the enemy. We noticed that there is a giant on the horizon. We don’t size up the enemy; but we size up our powerful God.
Our recent trip here to the United States has made us aware that the nation’s destiny is at stake. God has given us a battle plan! We are marching in obedience to that call. In addition to our ministry here in Guatemala, God has given us a mission to unite the Church in the United States of America to stand against the giant on the horizon. We’ve come home to the nation trembling in the shadows of economic disaster. Potential inflation and job losses are ripping our financial security out from under us. Our Nation’s national security is being assaulted by unbelievers who would destroy us. Churches are barely keeping the doors open.
After twenty-seven years of living outside of the United States in Guatemala, God has given us a word for the American church – 2 Chronicles 7:14:
<blockquote>If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.</blockquote>
We believe with all of our hearts that His desire is to embrace us. In spite of the darkness, God’s desire is to see us restored under his favor of protection – but we have to unite in prayer and seek him with all of our hearts!
So we’ve launched a concerted effort, across the web and America, to gather believers together in humility and fervent prayer to interceed for our nation. We invite you to join our efforts and pray with us! As of today, we have a website dedicated to connecting local believers in the United States together for the purposes of prayer for our nation. <strong>Go to <a href=”http://www.butifmypeople.org/”>www.butifmypeople.org</a>, find a local group of believers, sponsor a billboard in your neighborhood, or host a prayer group in your neighborhood.</strong>
Please take some time to look at the site, find our page on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
In His name,
Micheal and Rocky Beene, Founders, Faith In Action
Thanks for the update. It’s interesting that I just started reading a book (well the introduction) by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw titled Jesus for President. I must confess as a Canadian that I don’t understand the political system in the US very well but also recognize that it affects us in Canada to a large degree.So I would like to quote part of the introduction.
“We in the church are schizophrenic: we want to be good Christians, but deep down we we trust that only the power of the state and its militaries and market can really make a difference in the world. And we’re hardly able to distinguish between what’s American and what’s Christian. As a result power corrupts the church and it’s goals and practices. When Jesus said “you cannot serve two masters” he meant that in serving one, you destroy your relationship to the other. Or as our brother and fellow activist Tony Campolo puts it, “Mixing the church and state is like mixing ice cream with cow manure. It may not do much to the cow manure but it sure messes up the ice cream.” As jesus warned , what good is it to gain the whole world if we lose our soul?
So what we need is an exploration of the Bible’s political imagination, a renovated Christian politics. a new set of hopes, goals and practice. We believe the growing number of Christians who are transcending the rhetoric of lifeless presidential debates is a sign of this renovation. Amid all the buzz, we are ready to turn off our TV’s, pick up our Bibles, and reimagine the world.
Over the the last several years , the Christian relation to the state has become more dubious. The most prevalent example of this is the Christian language coming from State Department of the United States. Professing Christians have been at the helm of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. implicitly or explicitly referencing faith in God as a part of their leadership. Patriotic pastors insist that America is a Christian nation without questioning the places in distant and recent history where America has not looked like Christ . Rather than placing our hope in a transitional church that embodies God’s kingdom, we assume America is God’s hope for the world, even when it doesn’t look like Christ. Dozens of soldiers who have contacted us confess a paralyzing crisis as they feel the collision of their allegiances. At the same time. many Christians are questioning whether God is blessing these wars and whether it’s enough for our money to say “In God We Trust” while the daily reality of the global economy seems out of sync with God’s concern for the poor”
I hope the rest is as thought provoking.