Ezekiel 16.49 describes, Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.

For those who read the Bible regularly and know the story of Sodom, the description of that city’s sins is probably shocking.

Most would describe the problem with Sodom as sexual immorality. Their immorality created our word sodomy which has always held a negative connotation in our society.

God’s description of Sodom’s sins are different than the face value understanding of their story. Lying deeper is a root of pride (I’ll do whatever I want), gluttony (I’ll use whatever I want to comfort myself), and laziness (I don’t care at all what you want or need).

We often define our sin by what we do and if we don’t do certain things we consider ourselves good and upright. God defines sin more often by what we don’t do; the failure to engage His will and His work, His way for His glory.

The American Church might be experiencing its own judgement because it too is participating in the sins of Sodom. On the surface we are running rampant with sexual immorality. But under the surface, the Church is suffering from pride, gluttony and laziness.

We are proud that we are children of God, we are the good people, we are the one’s God likes best. We portray to the world a come to us if you want to be better attitude rather than a go into the world and suffer as a servant for righteousness sake.

We are gluttons for we feast on every manner of Christian teaching Sunday morning then turn on our Christian radio as we head to the Christian bookstore. We have so many resources to help us live the Christian life that we are overwhelmed to the point of being able to behave as finicky and picky eaters, only nibbling at the nicest of pleasantries.

Meanwhile we are lazy, lazy at loving our neighbor as our self so that we leave most of our society walking down their road to hell. We are not workers with our hands firmly fixed upon the plow seeing people as harassed and helpless in need of a Savior.

The culture’s increasingly evil nature is a reflection of the poverty of the leaven to influence the entire loaf. God desires the entire world restored to Himself. Until the Church engages the world the world remains in poverty, darkness and death.

We must love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as our self then we will work hard, serve often and give generously to see God’s kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.