Most Americans are Not Saved (Revised)

Nearly a quarter century ago, Yale’s Harold Bloom famously described America as a “dangerously religion-soaked, even religion-mad, society.”  Well, how the worms turn.  Here are two proofs that America is NOT “religion-soaked” anymore.  Number one is the latest twist in the Planned Parenthood case.  You know the one.  Through hidden videos, they were found to be selling aborted fetal tissue for a profit, which is illegal and disgustingly immoral.  This even goes beyond the murder of the infants in the first place, horrendous as that is.  So now they’re saying, let’s make a profit on the fetus’s body that we just killed.  How bad can our country get? Well, this bad.  Even after learning of this, our worthy Congressmen, voted to continue to fund that same organization. Talk about amoral cowards.  Is this horror story over?  No; here’s another item, per Reuters:

In a surprise move disclosed on Monday (January 25, 2016), a grand jury in Harris County Texas not only cleared Planned Parenthood's Gulf Coast affiliate but also indicted the two anti-abortion activists, David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, who had prompted the probe in the first place.  They have both been charged with using fake driver's licenses and Daleiden for violating Texas' prohibition on the purchase and sale of human organs - the same law he accused Planned Parenthood of breaking - when he sent an email to Planned Parenthood seeking to buy fetal tissue.

No one could touch Planned Parenthood now. Our culture of death seems fixed in stone.  We need to apologize to Adolph Hitler.  His genocide was only 1/10 the size of ours—and ours is still growing.  Besides that, all our victims are the most innocent that society has.

Here’s reason number two of why America is anything but religious.  An article from Zionica.com, busy taking the pulse of American’s religiosity—or lack thereof:

LYNCHBURG, Va. — A reality star hipster “pastor” who is known for marrying Playboy cover model Kim Kardashian to blasphemous “I Am a God” rapper Kanye West, and for collaborating with West on the script for his “Yeezus” tour and other projects, was welcomed Wednesday by Liberty University, which heralds itself as being the world’s largest Christian university, to address students during convocation.
As previously reported, Rich Wilkerson Jr’s reality show “Rich in Faith” began airing last month on the Oxygen channel and follows Wilkerson as he launches a new congregation called “Vous Church.”
“I come from a different perspective. I don’t think people are interested in a bunch of religion, like tell me what I can and can’t do,” Wilkerson says in the promotional video for the show. “But I think people are interested in having a relationship with a higher power.”
The preview shows Wilkerson getting a tattoo, lying on the beach with his bikini-clad wife, and telling his parents that he plans to hold his first service at a bar.

“In recent months, the themes of Wilkerson’s sermons have been based on songs from the Top 40: Drake’s ‘Worst Behavior,’ DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s club thumper ‘Turn Down for What,’ Beyoncé’s ‘Drunk in Love,’” the Miami New Times reports.
“His messages take surprising detours on their way to the gospel. He might roll out a story about pissing his pants as a kid, talk about marital sex, or even point out the church’s proximity to Miami’s strip joints,” it outlines.
Wilkerson, who previously led a 1,500-member young adult group called “The Rendezvous” at his father’s Trinity Church, was put into the spotlight in 2014 after he officiated the wedding of profanity-laden rapper Kanye West, known for songs such as “I Am a God,” “Drunk and Hot Girls,” “Hold My Liquor” and “Jesus Walks,” to Playboy cover model Kim Kardashian, the step-daughter of Bruce Jenner.

He had met the couple two years prior after they visited his father’s congregation.
“I just talked to Jesus/He said, ‘What up Yeezus?’/ I said, “[Expletive], I’m chilling/Trying to stack these millions,” West raps in his song “I Am a God.” “I know He the Most High/But I am a close high/… I am a god.”
“It began a relationship; we (Wilkerson and West) started emailing and calling each other. We collaborated on a few things: art, fashion, music, Jesus,” Wilkerson told People Magazine last year. “He invited me to write a few things for his tour, and I’ve been able to counsel him on a few  things.” 

There are so many things wrong with this, that I just don’t want to begin.  There is more of this information on Christiannews.net, if you’re dying to read. 

If you poll Americans, they think they are Christian.  Yet we allow sin-sick stuff like this to go on, and don’t lay a public ruckus about it. Such complacency!  Such lack of fire against sin!   Jesus has a word about this lukewarm complacency, in Revelation 3:14-18:

 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness… ¹⁵ “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

You vomit something that doesn’t belong in your body.  Jesus knew who is part of His body, and it doesn’t include lukewarm folk like many American “Christians.”  So here is the announcement I boldly make:

Most Americans are not saved.  Most Americans are going to hell, barring a revolutionary event or revival.  That includes many “evangelicals.”  So, you want to know, what proof do I have for such a bold statement?  Well, besides the above, the proof is a numbers game, based on Matthew 7:13-14:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction (hell), and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life (eternal life), and there are few who find it.  

Well, how many is “few,” the ones to be saved?  I welcome you to take a survey to see if you agree to my results.  Invite someone to close their eyes.  Tell them to imagine viewing from overhead, 100 people milling together on a person’s extended lawn. Then say, “OK, picture in your mind that a few of those people cross over a bridge to a gazebo.”  Then you ask, “How many people, to your best knowledge, did you imagine doing that?”  I did ask people that, and the answers were 3 to 7.  Let’s be generous and say the average is 6.  By that measure, Jesus is saying 6% of the people are going to heaven—so 94% are going to hell.  There is no third final location.  I think 94% fulfills the word “most” in my headline.

Now, you might argue that Americans are “different” than these depressing numbers would suggest, that we’re “better than just a few.”  Well, I boldly assert that quite the opposite may be true. Again—besides the above two citations above--consider this well-known fact:  America is the richest large society in the world, and has been for several decades now.  Our middle class is huge, and our middle class—including you and me, most likely—is “rich,” measured by any standard in world history.   Now here’s my point:  Jesus condemns rich people (and that includes you and me) several times in Scripture.  When Jesus said, the chances of a rich person going to heaven are worse than the chances of a camel going through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:24), that suggests to me that even less than the “few,” the 6%, are saved in our country. So America’s saved folk wouldn’t be greater than 6%—we might even suggest that it is less than 6%!

What do Americans do when they read that their chances of being saved are like “the camel going through the eye of the needle”? Do they experience a fear of God?  No; they either say “I’m not rich” (which is easily disproven in the vantage point of the world and of history, as I’ve pointed out above), or they call the phrase hyperbole—and dismiss it.  But folks, Jesus’ point in hyperbole is, it contains mostly truth.  And you never dismiss what Jesus says.  Well, people may ask in pride, what is  our great evil here, that makes Jesus pick on us, that makes it extremely hard for us (Matt 19:23) to be saved? It’s this: If you kept your wealth (we’re talking larger houses, a 401k, stocks and savings)--and lots of Americans have wealth, not just the upper class—you kept it by ignoring your suffering brothers. I know, an extreme statement, but please read on, please.  The Scriptural fact is, we are supposed to use money on ourselves to fulfill basic needs only—and give the rest away, to the desperately poor and needy of the world.  If we make the mistake of accumulating wealth, Luke 12:33 tells us what to do: 

Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them.

Scripture makes it clear what defines “need”:  Food, basic clothing and basic shelter.  Every dollar you make above the ability to meet your needs, as so defined, you have a choice:  Do I give this to a brother or sister in the world who is starving, even to death, who is repeatedly terribly sick because he is drinking contaminated water, who doesn’t have a decent place to live—or do I just keep it, buy another toy, or throw it on my pile of savings to make my future easier?  The fact is, most middle- and upper-class Americans choose the latter—without a single pang of conscience.  But we must learn to know and think like God; He loves every person, especially defending the neglected, and hates to see people suffering.  His saved ones are supposed to think like Him and make a difference in the world for the poor and the oppressed. As Jesus did.  But we are complacently ignorant, consuming our extra money selfishly on ourselves.  God will judge us for this—perhaps more than we know, because our pastors have been on a kick, far too long, of teaching us that God is a grandfatherly fellow, not a Judge.  We assume we got the extra wealth because we’re smart, or God gave us this wealth because He loves us; but the reality is, He gave us this extra money for us to share it with His suffering children, thus Scripturally bearing fruit.  But we spend it on ourselves, and do not bear fruit.   

So what have you done with your extra dollars in the past?  We’re talking about the difference between eternal life or eternal death.  Returning to Scripture, surely you’re aware of the parable of the man who used his extra earnings to build better storehouses. A simple impulse to save, right?  Well, that “godly” saving impulse had a shocking effect from God.  It drew His judgment—He took the man’s life away.  His sin?  Clearly stated in Scripture (Luke 12:20-21)—he was adding to his wealth.

 ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” “Rich toward God” means using your treasure for heavenly purposes, as outlined above.

We have a serious problem in consumer America:  Hey, accumulating wealth is an American goal, “everybody” does it—well, keep in mind--“everybody” is on the broad path; a hellish goal. 

Returning to Scripture again:  What about the story of that rich man, who passed by the beggar Lazarus every day (Luke 16:19ff)?  What was his sin?  He didn’t oppress him; he just ignored him.  What did God do to him because he ignored the poor?  Sent him to hell.  And that’s also what most of us better-off in America do.  We are rich, but we buy, buy, buy, gotta have more things. We gorge our lusts so much we even get into debt, so we are trapped with huge payments—we get ourselves in a position that we can never help the poor. Meanwhile, our sick and poor brothers often die due to our complacency.  God will judge us. 

Here’s another radical verse to think about: Jesus says in Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...”  That is a crystal-clear command not to accumulate wealth.  Frankly, I’ve never heard a single pastor—and I’ve heard many—teach this simple truth of Jesus’ statement:  DO NOT accumulate wealth.  And Jesus says why in verse 21: Because the desires of your heart will be thinking about wealth, rather than on what God wants you to do for His kingdom.

Also think about the Sower sowing seed into the thorns:  “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).  Guess where the unfruitful usually go?  Hell (see John 15:5,6).  What is the “deceitfulness” of riches?  Maybe it’s this:  Wealthy people assume they’re rich because God loves them—so they conclude they are assured of heaven.  In America, even the large middle class is rich by world (and history) standards—so lots and lots of people feel assured of God’s love, assured they’re going to heaven. They want to believe this—so they ignore what Jesus says about rich people who hang on to it in Scripture. 

Surveys back up this confidence that people feel, since surveys indicate that 76% of Americans say they’re going to heaven (Gallup poll).  But a more accurate number is 6%, as we’ve said--or even fewer, considering our richer people—so that means the other 70% are deceived, probably by their riches in most cases.  So if 76% of Americans say they’re heaven-bound, but the real number is 6%, there’s a whole lot of deceitfulness going on.  Another way of putting it is, of every 12 people who think they’re saved, 11 of those are going to hell.  Only one is going to heaven.  Only one is truly saved.  Think of the odds against you, my friend.  The fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10), might actually enter your heart. 

So, have you been deceived? Out of the 12, are you in the 11?  Or are you the one?  If you assert that you are the one, what did you do to deserve being the one?  The odds place you in the 11.  Are you one of those, in judgment day, pleading like in Matt 25:44,

‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

Will you be one of those hearing these sad words-- 

⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment…

Could hell be your destination, and you don’t even know it?  What would you do to avoid that horrible possibility? 

Let’s assume you believed in Christ as Savior, you felt assured of heaven; but this paper, and your Scripture reading (like John 15), are eye-openers; they show you that your “belief” might have been a false intellectual belief, not of the heart.  And you wonder what to do.  You might read your Gospels intensively, make a list of the sins you never thought about, make a list of Jesus’ commands—ask the Spirit to help you to be forgiving, to help the oppressed, to turn the other cheek, to love your enemies—and repent and confess to God your sin.  If you haven’t been baptized, then do so.  Develop a fear of God’s judgment on the unfruitful.  After you do this, God may still discipline you (that will help you to remember things better), but He will forgive (I John 1:8,9).  If you fall back, out of weakness, get up, dust yourself off, and re-establish contact with God through fresh repentance and confession.  God has patience, but it’s limited patience. 

Believing in Jesus as God, Who died on the cross to save us, Who rose again from the dead, will give you the Holy Spirit and is a good start. Your subsequent action will prove that you were truly saved, not just intellectually enlightened.  Scripture says we must endure to the end to be saved (II Tim 2:3,12).     As the book of James says (especially 2:14), you must show your intellectual faith is real by bowing to His Lordship, by being His servant, ready to read His commands in Scripture and repeatedly work on them.  If you are gifted with income above what you need (please prayerfully consider what the word “need” entails), would you change your lifestyle?  Sacrifice is part of being a Christian.  Would you move into a smaller, less costly house?  Would you sell the second car?  On that second car:  Think about it—you should be happy to do this for your Lord. He died for you, the ultimate sacrifice, you can’t do a little thing like this for Him? Yes, there would be inconvenience, but the money you save and can give is huge; you could save many lives.  Your reward is in heaven, your reward is eternal—that’s a much longer time than your “reward” for keeping the second car on earth. 

God has promised to return our investing in heaven’s treasures 30, 60, 100 times (Matt 13:23)!  We’re talking 1000% return! And you’re fighting for a 4% return on your investments here, which keep you “happy” for a vapor in time, comparatively.  Why fight for scraps on the floor, when if you look to the table above, a feast awaits you!   If you’re married, would you make it a dedicated goal to see your spouse change his/her mind, so you can do this effectively, together?  Would you carry out a tight budget for a long time, ride over debts, and go on to help the Lord?  It would take a lot of “no we won’t buy more.”  Would you go online to get websites of relief organizations that are run efficiently (those that spend little money advertising or trying to manipulate people)?  Google “charity review sites” and get a long list.  Please, please consider international organizations, not just your local church.  I’m not sure God approves of all the money we spend on making our buildings comfortable and beautiful when there are people who cannot meet publicly, who cannot even get enough Bibles to go around. Will you help these people? 

Yes, obeying some of Jesus’ commands is tough.  Lifestyle changes are tough. I know how you want to dismiss His clear command to give away assets, thinking that Jesus doesn’t want us to be so “imprudent.”  You have a million excuses to keep piling up savings: for your retirement (does the Scripture talk about retirement--no), for your kids’ college (where they will learn how to defy morality and turn away from God).  But we must discipline ourselves, turn away from self, and sacrifice.  Because Scripture says if we don’t obey His commands, we’re not saved (I John 2:4).  It’s being obedient on a difficult command like this that we really learn the real meaning of faith. If we begin obeying here, then if we lose our job and have no savings because we gave it away to a needy brother, you can bet on this--God will help you find another job.  It will be far better than what you could get on your own. None of His children beg for food, He promises (Psalm 37:25).  I pray your answer is Yes to Jesus and No to the world.