Politically and socially, these are crazy days. Chaos on both sides of the political spectrum, with popularism and emotion running the show. Somehow it all seems to play into the hands of a new radical secularism, where individual "freedoms" are placed before any kind of moral restraint. So suddenly wave after wave of basic social norms are upended. Gay marriage. Transgender high school bathrooms. The expansion of abortion.
It sure looks like Christians are getting the worst end of the stick, as their influence wanes in the Republican party, as they get chased out of scientific fields, as liberal branches of denominations hold sway, and as their lack of cohesion allow them to get isolated and marginalized. Looking at the matter can be a frustrating, demoralizing, and discouraging process. What's a Christian to do?
I'll tell you what a Christian is to do:
Keep
being
Christian.
We are not some persecuted backwater religious sect. We are not some historical relic. We are children of the Almighty God, involved in his work as we expand his Kingdom through our church communities. Our churches are not merely the places where we meet on Sunday to hear a sermon; they are holy edifices, incubating disciples to love God, love one another, and bringing new people to the knowledge of salvation. We have as our ultimate leader Christ Jesus himself, given all power and honor and glory and majesty by his Father.
We are the apple of our Father's eye. Everything that transpires is not only known by Him, but much more it's for our good, for our maturity, for our glory. God will by no means pardon those who abuse or dishonor his children, but as he has said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." That's not a threat against the ungodly -- what need has He for threats? -- but it's for our comfort. We can release all these things to God, knowing that we have neither the ability nor the responsibility to right all wrongs.
To the contrary, we know that in the past some of the angriest voices were once our very own, when we were still steeped in our rebellion against God, and so today some of those angry voices will one day sing His praises.
So we fight not against flesh and blood, not against rude or abusive individuals, but we do certainly fight against strongholds of unbelief. We speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and we stand for truths revealed in the infallible scriptures of our Lord. Speaking about current events, we should certainly be known as being against the great national abomination of abortion. We should be known as standing against physician-assisted suicide. We should be known as believing that marriage only exists between a man (born as a man) and a woman (born as a woman).
We don't rage over these sins -- we weep over them. Do you, Christian, truly believe that these sins are to the detriment of those who engage in them? And does your chest tighten as you think of the damage people are doing to themselves? We know that our sins are great, but we also know that God has graciously allowed his Holy Spirit to reside in us; revealing sin, restraining sin, and giving peace and hope that we would otherwise be strangers to. Think of those who don't know Him! Think of those whose emptiness drive them to run from one empty well to another, desperately trying to find a place to quench their thirst. Most of us can clearly remember a time when we were likewise without help, without hope, without Him. That should spur us to involve ourselves in the lives of others, both Christians and not, to speak the truths about our great sin and Christ's great sacrifice.
So as we look around at these turbulent days, we should remember that we have a uniquely eternal, constant, never-failing, and eternally-faithful Lord Jesus Christ. Our greatest strength is His strength. Our greatest hope is our hope in Him. Our greatest treasures are stored up by Him in heaven. Our greatest work He has set before us today!
