But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God
rather than men.” (Acts 5:29 ESV)
In each time and place in
history, God raises up “heroes,” persons of courage who will forego the path of
least resistance in service to God’s Kingdom on Earth. And it seems that with
each passing day our world has become more dysfunctional and disordered. To
wit:
From a Boston Globe newspaper
report last October: True, anger and prejudice live within us. But polling confirms
the obvious — more Americans despise other Americans they will never truly
know. Extremism proliferates; public figures traffic in rudeness and contempt;
loudness and demonization obliterate reason, coarsening our society and
poisoning our politics… We feel it around us. Among erstwhile friends,
political argument becomes reflexive vituperation. Racial and religious hatred
burgeons; violence rises; schoolyard hazing accelerates. And so the face and
temper of our country changes.
I could provide more 21st
century issues that challenge the courage of our Christian convictions—abortion,
LGBTQIA (this distended acronym is a sign of the times) rights, illegal
immigration, increased apathy toward church, and atheism, to name a few—but,
really, Christian convictions have been challenged from the git-go. And even
from within the Church itself have come enough controversies, scandals, and
divisiveness to make Jesus weep.
So what can we do? We the Present-Day
Christians enduring a world where the sanctity of life is on the extinction
list, where psychotic outbursts—shootings and other violent acts—are on the
rise, where even our civil laws have redefined morality?
I found this quote from nondenominational
pastor David Gundersen on The Gospel
Coalition website: “Darkness has
never stopped the dawn. So we have every reason to fix our eyes on the far
horizon. We have every reason to hope that God ‘will himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish’ us. We have every reason to anticipate our ‘eternal
glory in Christ.’ Jesus is coming back. So when the night deepens, stay on the
trail, and look to the east.” This pastor also posted a list of 10 ways
Christians should respond to the world:
1. Don’t Be Surprised - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery
trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were
happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12)
2. Calm Your Outrage - Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.
(1 Peter 3:14)
3. Repent When Needed - But let none of you suffer as a murderer or
a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. (1 Peter 4:15)
4. Keep Loving Each Other - Above all, keep loving one another
earnestly. (1 Peter 4:8–10)
5. Love Your Enemies - Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for
reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called. (1 Peter
3:9)
6. Trust God and Do Good - Therefore, let those who suffer according to
God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter
4:19); For this is the will of God, that
by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (1
Peter 2:15)
7. Share Your Hope - But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as
holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a
reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15)
8. Be Respectful - Yet do it with gentleness and respect.
(1 Peter 3:15)
9. Remember Your Christian Family
- Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing
that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood
throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:9)
10. Look to the East - And after you have suffered a little while,
the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will
himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10); Set your hope fully on the grace that will
be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)
I would add a number 11: Speak up/out
when the circumstances warrant - But
Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
(Acts 5:29)
The truth of the matter is that as
Christians we are called to remain faithful to Scripture in all we do and say
in response to the issues of our day, to stand firm on God’s design for Creation,
the sanctity of life, the marriage covenant between a man and a woman and God, to
love those who would persecute us, to show mercy and forgiveness, to obey the
laws of a just government, to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's.”
God’s Word! It’s where we find the
courage of our convictions. It’s where heroes are made!
That’s it until next month…
In the meantime, may the Lord
bless you and keep you,
Pastor E.B.
