America, This Is Your Wake-Up Call: God's Plan for Spiritual Transformation

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry. Pastor Greg? I wanted to say a special word of thanks to the Harvest Partners who make this ministry possible.

Next time you're online, check out Pastor Greg's personal blog at blog.GregLaurie.com. He's called us to permeate and to saturate our culture with the truth of the gospel. God has limitless power. He's omnipotent, but He often calls on His ever-so-limited children to help Him accomplish His kingdom agenda. We're limited not only in our abilities but also in our willingness. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us embrace God's plan for the spiritual transformation of our culture, and he shows us that God empowers those He directs. If He sends us to do a job, He gives us the tools to get it done.

I hope you have a Bible, and if you do, turn to Matthew chapter 5. So I heard a story about a woman that was walking down a beach, and she sees something embedded in the sand. It bends down to see what it is, and it looked like a lamp.

So she reached down, picked it up, brushes the sand off, and sure enough, it's a lamp, and a genie appears. And he says, oh, Master, I will grant to you one wish. She responded, one wish? What happened to three wishes? He said, oh, we've had to cut back.

You know, COVID-19, it's affected everything. You can have one wish. She thought about it for a moment, and she pulls out a map of the Middle East. She says, genie, there's always been conflict in the Middle East, and I would like them to have some kind of a peace agreement that they could live by. So genie, that's my one wish. I want peace in the Middle East. He said, are you crazy?

There's no way that's ever going to happen. You've got to come up with something else. So she says, well, you know what, genie? I've always wanted to find one good man, one that is considerate and kind and fun and loves to cook and help with the house cleaning, one that will smother me with affection and attention, and he won't just sit around on the couch watching sports all day long. Yeah, that's what I want, genie.

I want one good man. The genie says, let me see that map again. You know, sometimes things seem impossible, right? But the Bible says, with God, all things are possible. But doesn't it seem like America is unraveling before our very eyes? I mean, this is a nation that was built on the Word of God. We call it Judeo-Christian values.

And we really did build this nation on those principles. There was a time in our nation when we had the Ten Commandments on the wall of every classroom. We just talked about the Ten Commandments recently. Think about that.

They were everywhere. And even today, if you go to Washington, D.C., the Ten Commandments are there in the U.S. Supreme Court building. Imagine if we would follow those Ten Commandments.

It's so important. It could change our nation. But no, we got those Ten Commandments off the classroom walls, and we've disregarded them, and we're now seeing the effects of it.

The Bible says, when you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind. Think of the foundation of this unique nation that we have the privilege of living in. Our first president, George Washington, made this statement, and I quote, To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the even more distinguished character of Christian, end quote. James Madison, the fourth U.S. president, made this statement, quote, Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Jesus Christ. I like that. But some will say, oh no, America was not built on a biblical foundation or Judeo-Christian principles.

What are you talking about? Do you think you could protest like people are protesting in America right now in other countries like China or Cuba? They would be quickly stopped if not imprisoned and executed. Now the very liberty that we have to express our feelings and declare our rights was given to us because we built this on the foundation of a belief in God. So here's what it comes down to.

This foundation has eroded. It was John Adams, our second president, who made this statement, and I quote, The United States Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other, end quote.

This is why the idea of nation building has not worked as we have tried to do it in other parts of the world. See our nation was born out of the soil of revival. We have another George in our history.

Not George Washington but George Whitfield. He was an evangelist from England. And he came over to the colonies and preached the gospel. And thousands and thousands of people believed and it was in the wake of this revival that our nation was formed. So we're a nation built out of revival. And I think if we're going to continue as a nation we're a nation that needs to return to revival or a spiritual awakening. Or to simplify it we need to return to God. We have a choice as a nation. Two choices really. Judgment or revival.

Listen. Judgment is coming to every nation of the world including America. But we're praying that judgment will be postponed by God a little bit longer and that we might see at least one more spiritual awakening. Peter Marshall the former chaplain to the U.S. Senate once made this statement and I quote, The choice before us is plain. Christ or chaos. Conviction or compromise.

Discipline or disintegration. So do we have any hope in America? Is there anything we can do as followers of Jesus to help our nation turn in the right direction?

I think the answer is a resounding yes. And it's found in the words of Jesus right here in Matthew chapter 5. Starting in verse 13 he says, We may see your good works and give glory to your Father which is in heaven.

Salt and light. Why did Jesus use these two word pictures? Because the world is a very dark place and the world is an evil place.

And so Jesus uses two very intentional illustrations to explain to us what we need to do as his followers. To start the biblical world view of this culture is it is dark and it is getting darker. It's our nature as people. We always go in the wrong direction. We always default toward sinful things.

Never toward godly things. General Omar Bradley once made this incredible statement. We have grasped the mystery of the Adam but we have forgotten the sermon on the mount. The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants end quote.

And that is so very true. So as we look at America and we see that we are going the wrong direction we say, Well that's it. There is nothing we can do. I think there are things that we can do. Here is what we should not do. We should not try to escape the culture altogether or engage in isolation.

That's virtually impossible. But to make the point God has not called us to isolate. He has called us to infiltrate. He has called us to permeate and to saturate our culture with the truth of the gospel. He has not called us to evade.

He has called us to invade. To go into all the world and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Now it is a tricky balance because the Bible says, Don't love the world neither the things that are in the world. And we are also told in Romans chapter 12, Don't be conformed to this world. But yet at the same time Jesus says in John 17, I am not going to take them out of the world. I am going to keep them safe from the evil one.

And then He says to the Father, I am sending them into the world. Listen. The only way to change the world is to go into the world with the gospel. So we don't want this culture to change us. But yes, we do want to change the culture.

So let's not try to withdraw. Let's try to be a good influence. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We hear from so many people who find Christ through these studies.

Some in tough times. Pastor Greg, 32 years ago, I lost a great job, which included many material things. I was following my own path and not God's will. I ended up in jail and after being released, I became a trucker and have now recommitted my life to Christ through your ministry. Thank you, Pastor Greg, for your teachings. Since my recommitment, I've been able to lead my son and other children to Christ. I now believe that the things that happened in my earlier life have brought me closer to God. His will is better than mine. I will lift my hands high and thank the Lord every day for His word and for your teachings. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We're so happy that these daily studies are touching and changing lives.

And if your life has been changed, would you tell us your story? Call 1-866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144. Well, today Pastor Greg is pointing out how we're Christian soldiers and our job is to infiltrate and permeate the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He continues now. So this is a battle that we're engaged in and we're either winning or losing in this battle. We're either advancing or retreating. Because as believers we must realize that we are behind enemy lines. I was watching a World War II film recently and there's a scene where the commanding officer says to the paratroopers of Easy Company that we're behind enemy lines, a panzer division is about to cut you off and you guys are going to be surrounded. And the lieutenant in charge of Easy Company says, where paratroopers were supposed to be surrounded.

How true. You see we've been dropped behind enemy lines. We're surrounded by people that don't share our views.

We are in hostile territory. And not everybody is going to respond in the affirmative to the message that we give. Some will respond favorably to the message of the gospel that we're proclaiming and come to faith and others will not. 2 Corinthians 2.14 Paul says now, wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the good news like a sweet perfume. Our lives, Paul writes, are like a fragrance presented by Christ to God. And this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. So we're a fragrance to some and well a stench to others. You know some people wear too much cologne. And just a little tip for you people that love cologne or perfume. Less is more.

Just a little. You know I've seen people like have a pool of it in the palm of their hand. Throw it on and then everyone they come into contact with smells like that cologne.

So you don't want to be that person. But it can be a fragrance when you're a follower of Jesus. Something that's wonderful. A believer enters a room. A believer enters the conversation.

A believer in the culture. They can change the temperature of a room. They can change so many things. Sometimes it's their presence.

And then of course what they say makes a huge difference as well. But what is a fragrance to some is a stench to others. Take garlic as an example. Garlic is great on food. Garlic smells good when it's cooking.

But it doesn't smell so great when it's on someone's breath afterwards does it? So living godly will reach some people and other people will be offended by it. But look my job is to live and share the gospel.

But before I can effectively tell them I must first live it. Because nothing is a worse witness than a hypocritical Christian. You know I encourage believers to share their faith.

If you're a Christian I encourage you to engage people in evangelistic conversations. You know people are scared right now. There's a lot of uncertainty in the air.

A lot of uncertainty in their lives. As you know since the coronavirus hit us opioid use is up. Alcohol sales are up. Suicide rates are up.

Calls to suicide help lines are up. So people are looking for truth that this is a moment for us to step into that conversation. And talk about the hope we have found in Christ. But let me say something that might surprise you. For some people out there I would say please don't talk about Jesus. You say Greg you just contradicted yourself.

Now here's what I'm saying. If you're seeking to live a godly life. Not a perfect life. We'll all fall short.

We'll all mess up. But you're seeking to live a godly life. By all means look for opportunities to talk about Jesus. But if you are living a hypocritical life. If you are contradicting what the Bible says by the way that you live. Please do us all a favor and don't talk about Jesus. In fact you might just focus on repenting of your sin and getting right with God before you talk to others. But I think our culture today is looking for authenticity.

A.W. Tozer a preacher from days gone by made this statement and I quote, The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice. A voice from God. Not an echo from what others are doing and saying.

But an authentic voice. End quote. And I think that is so very true. So we want to be salt. Salt effectively earns us the right to be light.

Let me explain. You see salt back in its day was something of great value. And in fact Roman soldiers would sometimes be paid in salt.

Hence the term oh he is not worth his salt. Salt was valuable. Salt was something that stopped the spread of rotting in meat. They would cut the meat up in strips and they would embed salt in it so it could be preserved.

This was before refrigeration. And in the same way that is what we should be doing as followers of Jesus Christ. You know it is Christians that stop the spread of evil in our culture today. It is Christians that stand up for the rights of the unborn. It is Christians that speak out against racism and try to bring about reconciliation. It is Christians that are out there doing good works.

Helping people who are in need if they believe as we believe or not. That is what it means to be salt out in our culture today. And another thing that salt does is it stimulates thirst. You know remember back when we used to go to movies. Well you would get some popcorn. And you know all of those things you get at the concession stand were so expensive. It is like you can get a little popcorn.

A medium size. And then one the size of a garbage can. Right. And they fill it up. And you know you can get free refills. Ok.

Thanks. And you walk off with your giant thing of popcorn. But they over salt it. And you are thirsty. And you come and say, excuse me can I get a glass of water. I am sorry.

We are not allowed to give these cups out. But here is a little thimble. You can get some water over there from the hose. Or you can buy some bottled water for $40.

That is more than you would ever drink in a single lifetime. And that is just kind of the way it works. But salt stimulates thirst. Right. And if you are really living for Jesus as you ought to. And being the salt of the earth.

You will stimulate in others a desire to know God. Think of it as going out with someone to eat. Maybe someone invited you to dinner and you had already eaten. And he said, well I will go along and just sit with you as you eat all of a cup of coffee. And so they order their burger and their fries and their malt. And you are just sitting there drinking your coffee. And you say, hey man can I have one of those fries.

Sure. Take all you want. And you eat that fry. Why is stolen food so much better than food that you order yourself? You know sometimes when my wife is cooking she cuts things up in little portions. Oh here is the carrots. Here is the tomatoes.

And I will go over and take a little carrot. Don't take those. Those are the portions. You will mess up the portions.

But there is something very exciting about stolen food. Anyway going back to the fry. So you eat the fry and for some unknown reason that is the greatest french fry you have ever had in your life. And then you order your own and they are not usually as good as the fry you took from someone else.

Here is my point. When someone is enjoying a meal it makes you hungry. And in the same way when someone is walking with God and loves the Lord it makes you want to know Jesus as well. This is what won me over to Christ. You know I am sort of the exception to the rule of how evangelism works.

Because we generally say go out and share the gospel with people and they will believe. Maybe invite them to church or something like that. Nobody invited me to anything.

Nobody talked to me about anything. But I was on my high school campus and I saw these Christians. I had transferred over there from another campus. And we didn't have a bunch of Christians on my other campus. And these followers of Jesus are everywhere. And my friends warned me. Greg the Jesus freaks are everywhere here. Be careful. And I said oh yeah the last thing that is ever going to happen is Greg Laurie would become a Jesus freak.

Famous last words right? But here is what interested me about these people. Is they had this joy. They had this happiness. They had something I did not have.

Something I was trying to have through the use of drugs. And there was an emptiness in my life. And it was their walk with God that attracted me to them. So I ended up at one of their meetings and I wasn't even invited.

But I was sitting far enough away where I could hear what they were saying but not so close that people would think I was one of them. And that was the first time I heard the gospel. And when I heard what it meant to be a Christian that was the day I gave my life to the Lord.

But my point is simply this. The thing that reached me was Christians being salty. And by salty I mean it was Christians living as Christians ought to live.

And it was a very attractive thing to me. But you know what is sad is when Christians are not salty. Look at Matthew 5 13. Jesus says, You are the salt of the earth but if the salt has lost its flavor how shall it be seasoned? It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by man.

Wow. Heavy duty words from Christ. Good for nothing.

Basically Jesus is saying if salt isn't salty what good is it? I was with a friend some time ago and we went to a coffee place and I got my normal cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso. And he said he would like to have a decaf low fat latte.

And I just looked at him and said why? I mean why don't you just order an empty cup and pretend you're drinking something. I mean decaf low fat.

All the fun is gone right. And what we have today are decaf disciples. What we have today are Christians that aren't salty like they ought to be.

Or like when a Coke goes flat. Who wants to drink it? We have uncarbonated Christians. And Jesus is saying what good is it if you're not being the salt that I have called you to be. Pastor Greg Laurie pointing out that we need to be robust, full strength, productive representatives of Christ. Good encouragement today here on A New Beginning and there's more to come in this message. And by the way on today's podcast you can hear some additional discussion at the end of the program between Pastor Greg and our special in-studio guests. If you missed any part of today's insight you can catch up by going to harvest.org.

Just look for the message called America This Is Your Wake Up Call. Or for a permanent copy on CD call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. And we're here to take your call anytime 24-7. And then we want to mention a resource we're highlighting right now. The Jesus Storybook Bible A Christmas Collection by author Sally Lloyd-Jones. Pastor Greg's wife Kathy is with us today. Kathy you're a mother and a grandmother.

Years ago you read stories to your two boys and more recently you've read stories to your five grandkids. So when a certain resource gets the Kathy-Lori Seal of Approval it's worth mentioning. And you want to highlight such a book today don't you? Oh don't get me started on Sally Lloyd-Jones and her books. I discovered Sally's Jesus Storybook Bible, golly, so many years ago.

It has become a favorite in our home. It has ministered to my heart so many times. And I think that if I could say this, she is my favorite children's author.

I love everything she writes. And I think it's just brilliant how she has created a resource for families at this time. Because I believe that through this whole season of COVID we need to pour into our children. Parents need to take up the incredible privilege and responsibility of informing their kids. And it's been difficult through this because a lot of children's ministries through church have been shut down.

Now is the opportunity to take hold of that responsibility ourselves as moms, as grandmothers, grandfathers, that we would take on this. And can I just say that although Sally is writing with a child in mind, the truths that she is able to articulate are, they're just profound. They are deep, they are rich, and the story of Jesus coming into the world to fix his broken creation is so appropriate right now. Because we look at things all around us and there's such heartbreak and things have been taken and things have been lost that we held onto.

And we're thinking, is there a way forward? But we see that so beautifully played out in the story of redemption that God, this didn't take him by surprise. He knew exactly what we would be facing and he has shown us in his word that if he can take the brokenness of creation and restore it and redeem it through the work of his son Jesus and coming into this world, he can do that for us in our individual lives as well.

That's right. So if you want to bring that comforting message to your family, to your children, we are offering a resource we've never offered before. It's called the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas collection. Beautifully written, amazing illustrations, and a little button you can push on various pages to hear the voice of actor David Suchet read to you scriptures. Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from.

But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full, every bed was taken. It's called the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas collection. This would be quite expensive if you went out into a store and purchased it, but we are offering it to our listeners for your gift of any size. We ask you to send a generous gift because it helps us continue on to bring this radio broadcast, Teach the Word of God, Proclaim the Gospel, and for your gift of any size, we'll rush you your copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas collection written by our friend Sally Lloyd-Jones.

Yeah, that's right. We have a copy here waiting for you. Get in touch right away so we can get it on its way. And thank you for your generosity in investing so that these daily programs can continue touching lives. You can write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514, or call 1-800-821-3300. We're here to take your call around the clock seven days a week. Again, dial 1-800-821-3300 or just go online to harvest.org and look for the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas collection.

And we'll only be mentioning this resource a short time longer. Well, next time, Pastor Greg brings us more insight on how we can affect our culture and help begin a spiritual awakening. Find out the part you can play next time on A New Beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie. All right, we have some extra time here after the program.

Back to you, Pastor Greg. Okay, Sally, as an American, I love British people. I know we broke away from you and we had the Revolutionary War, but we're friends again. And so tell me, what do you think is the best food that England has to offer?

Oh, that's very hard. I know everyone will be laughing thinking that's not very hard, but it gets a very bad rap, British food. But one of the best inventions is scones. You know, I like those. You know, cream teas, which is, in case you don't know, hot scones, you do know, butter, and clotted cream, and jam all piled on top of each other. If I could have one dessert, that would be it.

It's really good. Yes. I think one thing that the Brits own is dessert. Oh, that's true. We call it pudding. We call it pudding.

And there's another thing they own. They own toast for some reason. Toast is very good. You can order toast in an American restaurant. It's soggy.

It's horrid. The Brits bring it, they have the little thing to stack it in, and you've got the butter. That's a toast rack. That little thing is called a toast rack.

The toast rack. So you know. So let me ask you things that perplex me. Why do you call a windshield a windscreen, and why do you call the hood of a car a bonnet?

That makes no sense to me. Well, we could just turn around and say, well, why do you call a bonnet a hood? Well, because a hood over an engine.

A hood is on your head. I don't know. You see? Hey, I'm asking the question.

I'm asking the question to your Miss Woman from England. I know. It's very funny, isn't it? And then also, you don't have a trunk, you have a boot. Is that correct? Yes. And then I heard this very funny joke. When a Brit says I'm mad about my flat, it means I'm really crazy about my apartment.

When an American says I'm mad about my flat, it means I'm really annoyed about my flat tire. That's very funny. Isn't that good?

Yeah. That's funny, Sally Lloyd-Jones. I like that. So what is your favorite food in America? And do you consider yourself more American now than British, or are you kind of caught between two worlds a little bit?

I'm a little bit caught. I think I always will feel British. I write in a British way. I have a British accent. I don't think I can ever really believe I'm not British. But I love that about America, that you can come and even be as British as ever and still be American.

That's one of the great things, I think. But in quarantine, in this pandemic time, I'm staying with friends who, one's from Cuba and one's from Mexico. And I have actually, this British person, has become quite an expert at, I've got to get it right, pulled pork carnitas. And guacamole.

Oh my goodness. Pulled pork carnitas and guacamole. I think we had that for dinner last night, Greg.

I think we did. Do you think clotted cream would fit on pulled pork carnitas and guacamole? I actually think it would. Don't you think? Because sour cream does. I think, basically, let's be honest, clotted cream could be added to anything.

Anything. Don't you think? It's sweet though, isn't it? No.

Oh, I thought it was. It's delish. It's hard to describe. You have different kinds of cream there. You have double cream and triple cream and clotted cream. And half cream and semi-cream, semi-half-skimmed cream.

Yes, we're cream obsessed. What is your favorite food in America that you can't really find in England? Well, I think pizza. Really, really good pizza. Well, you could get that in Italy, couldn't you? But I love New York for that. Really incredible pizza.

That's really true. And then very good burgers here. I'm not very healthy, am I? Look, all these terrible choices.

Well, no, you're choosing. You're picking the things that I eat. Pizza, burgers, and Mexican food. Those are pretty much my favorite things to eat. Don't leave her alone with a box of donuts. No, it's like, oh no, I can't eat one of those. And I look back and it's like, what happened to all the donuts? Yes, I was being very worthy and I said to Kathy, oh no, no, I won't have a donut. I'll just have one of those little sample donuts. And she said, no, no, I'm going to order two. Which ones would you have if you wanted a taste? And before she could finish one of hers, I'd had both of them. You know, it's funny.

You know, that is actually a favorite. Have we ever seen donuts in England? I'm trying to remember, have I ever seen donuts in England? They are in England, but there's one in New York called the Plant Donut Shop and they're square. And my mother is completely obsessed with donuts. You know, the ones you get in England.

She came to New York and she completely went insane about these square donuts. But I've never worked out how to bring them, smuggle them in. Not that I would smuggle them in, obviously. Of course not.

Never. So there you go, folks. Just a little talk about the different cuisines of America in England. With Sally Lloyd-Jones, who not only writes amazing children's books, but has very strong opinions about food. Including donuts. Yes. Thank you so much.