Don’t Crumble Along With The Rest Of The World
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Paul wrote,> Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel (28) without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.’ (Philippians 1:27-28); ‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.’ (1 Corinthians 16:13)
We often look at today’s world and I’m certain that some of us think we are by ourselves, or that people don’t see or perceive what is coming. The rise of globalism, a ‘New World Order’ by way of a ‘Great Reset’; the repudiation of Christianity for a humanistic-based religion; the division of people by provoking race and ‘wokeness’, and the collapse of democratic republics for oligarchic (elite) rule, with two-tier justice (‘rules for me but not for thee’). Though our last election has provided us with a sense of hope the pendulum may swing the opposite way, the ‘NWO’ is still alive and well in Europe and in many ‘blue’ areas within the US.
The next American Presidential administration may bring some changes, but in all likelihood will not be able to completely clean the nation in its 4-year term from all the corruption and decay built up over almost a century. The US and Europe is still in turmoil from large illegal immigration, the religious zealous of ‘Climate Change’ affecting both industrial and agricultural productions, and other anti-capitalist agendas still in progress. In the Middle East, what looks like progress, with the fall of the Syrian dictator to rebel forces, may actually become a step backwards for the region and for the world at large.
Many see the events of today, and think, ‘Why bother? Let it collapse and Jesus will take care of it. I’ll just sit in my house and collect mildew.’ We don’t know when Jesus will return for His people; we don’t know if these are truly the End-Times. Regardless, whether it is or it isn’t the beginning of the End-Times, we have an obligation as disciples of Christ to resist evil and tyranny; we cannot stop fighting for the cause of Christ.
Don’t give up! Stand for Jesus. Fight by supporting candidates who stand for our Constitutional rights, speak up against the ‘woke’ policies, donate time, treasure, or talents to pro-Christian organizations. Go to MBC or other Bible-believing Christian churches and show support for outreach. If you can’t make it to church (though you should if at all possible), watch it online. Continue to read Scripture and pray for strength and courage in these upcoming times.
It’s normal to be apprehensive or fearful of what is happening and what may happen in the near future. Tyranny is not normal for Americans, or what is considered ‘wrong’ thrown in our faces as ‘right’. We fear because what we inherently know is our mortal selves; we protect our mortal bodies because that protects our mortal lives, and protect our mortal relationships because that is what we face constantly from the time we are born to the time of death. Examples of this occurring in the Bible include Peter rebuking his relationship with Jesus when Jesus was arrested because of this fear, as Joshua did upon the defeat of Israel at Ai, and Elijah at the hands of Jezebel. We succumb to the pressures of the demands to ‘fit in’ the model the secular culture adopts because of this fear.
But Paul pleads that we not succumb to the culture, but instead succumb to Jesus. Peter, after Jesus’ Ascension, did this and did not follow the norms of the society but the norms of Jesus and the Gospel message, and Joshua and Elijah did the same. Being a non-conformist to societal norms, one must be a conformist to Jesus and the Gospel message, to God’s will. Like the Pep Boys (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), we can bend a little and following the will of man, but we must never break with God’s Word when the will of man attempts to supersede God’s will. At that point we must stand against that which is against or contrary to God.
The question each of us must answer to ourselves, and to Jesus, is will we be like Peter during Jesus’ trial, or will we be like Peter in Acts? Understand that in either case, Jesus loves you and forgives you, but that does not mean He won’t be disappointed in your actions if you choose self over Faith.
