It's Time

By Gobel Brockman


It doesn't take much observation or discernment to see that America is in a spiritually sad state. I believe that what we are seeing right now in this nation is the fruit of what the prophet Isaiah spoke to Israel many centuries ago:

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20)

I firmly believe that this is a perfect description of "the good ol' USA" right now. However, I also agree with what I've heard several recently say:

"America is in the shape it's in right now because the church is in the shape it's in right now."

Simply put, it's not fair for the church to complain about America "calling evil good and good evil" when it seems many churches can't tell the difference themselves anymore. It's not fair for us to expect people who make no claim to be Christian to live up to a standard that we aren't living up to ourselves. I believe we are at a place in American Christianity where the words of the apostle Peter have never rang truer:

"For the time has come that judgment must begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (I Peter 4:17)

What am I saying? Simply this: If you believe that this country needs a Heaven-sent revival (and it does,) then the starting point is obvious: 
It's time for the church to get on our knees. 
It's time to get our noses back in the Word of God - and then actually live out what it says to us. 
It's time for the church to understand that God meant what He said about both salvation and the cost of rejecting it. 
It's time for the church to be more concerned about offending God and less concerned about offending people. 
It's time we asked God to help us genuinely love each other, care about each other, and show true Christ-like compassion to those who need it, but it's also time to call sin by its rightful name and confront it - as long as we FIRST do it in our own lives. (Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:3-5 about getting the beam out of your own eye before getting the speck out of your brother's.) 
It's time we stopped SAYING that we want to see God move in America and start living like we actually believe that He's looking for a people who will pay a price to see it happen.

Simply put - it's time.