What is more Important?

I have been back in America for almost a week now, and unfortunately I have been sick for three of those days. I am starting to do some minor work and put in a movie, Blood Diamond. This is a very powerful movie, and very heart wrenching. What happens in this movie is dispicable by anyone's standards. It certainly makes me look at the diamond industry in a whole new fashion, not hat I am one of their biggest customers anyway.

More then that, I was distraught by the human condition demonstrated in this movie. I realize that there was some things done to stop this violence, at least partially, but what about their eternal destiny. In the movie they talk about God for a minute and Dicaprio says, "God left this place a long time ago." If so, why? Who is being Christ to these people?

I am not sure even why I am writing this, but I feel compelled to write something, an act in volition. But here is the conundrumn, why do we as Americans act as if we have all the answers when our society is really no better then the third world nations. We just hide our internal wars better. There may not be blood and gore, at least on the surface, but there sure is underneath where it really matters. We are not suppose to care about those that can kill the body, but the One that can kill the soul.

We are not killing ourselves by having revolts within our country as in Blood Diamond, but we are certainly doing just as much damage by what we are teaching as acceptable today in the United States. We cry out about social justices: poverty, slavery, and revolutions, which are all great and should be done. But where is our cry about Christian values being deteriorated: no prayer in school (even if it is voluntary), churches teacing sin as alright (homosexuality, sex before marriage as alright, "pastors" teaching heresy and being deemed as good (Rob Bell, Brian Mclaren, and pretty much every Word of Faith teacher).

We are losing the souls of the American society and there is very little cry about it. Instead we are worried about diseases and issues that destroy the body instead of the soul. I will be curious to see how many come to Christ through Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan. Great to solve AIDS problem, but what about salvation? Do you think in partnering with the people he does he will be witnessing like he should? Do you think AIDS will drop because of man or God?

Maybe if people come to Christ they will stop having sex before marriage and with prostitutes, raping people and using drugs. Maybe if people accept Christ as Lord and Savior then there would be less child violence and poor moral behavior because they would see shows like Family Guy, Simpsons, Southpark for what they are: trash; they would see games as Grand Theft Auto, all the gangster games, and Sniper for what they are: corruption in a package.

Same would go for other countries. Why aren't we teaching people how to preach the Word of God? Focus more on making doctrinally sound disciples, and then see God move in their lives and those around them. Save the soul and watch the Holy Spirit move in the body.

What is better? Going to other countries to help them cure AIDS and then see something worse because sin continues, or teach them about the truths of Christ and watch AIDS diminish because of the change in men/women? Sure the first lets us give ourselves a pat on the back, because we think we did something and it was us; but which would you rather stand before God and answer to. That I helped save the body, but lost the soul or saved the soul and quite possibly saved the body as well.

Again, I am not speaking against social issues, and believe we should strive to find ways to heal the sick and help the poor have better lives. What I am saying is where is our priority? Heath or Holiness, Salvation or sickness, Christ or causes? Unfortunately I think today we are more caught up in health, sickness and causes then the salvation offered by Christ. We are more about physical health then spiritual health.

It is time to change our priorities, not eliminate them. We need to move salvation above all else. Yes, help the sick, help the poor, help your neighbor, but do it by offering Christ (eternal health) first then if possible temporal health. What good does it for a man to have all the money in the world and then lose his soul? What good does it to be cured of AIDS, cancer, or poverty then die and lose your soul?

What is more important to you?