We can all feel it. Seems like the world is out of tilt, or there’s some sort of unseen cosmic level disturbance that’s making everything feel chaotic, on the verge of collapse.
It hasn’t always felt this way either, has it? I remember a time when it felt like maybe the world was getting better.
We have two sides telling us “the others” are the villains. But it seems like something more than that, doesn’t it?
No wonder conspiracy theories are going wild, they stop seeming quite so unfeasible when you start looking at the mayhem brewing around the globe.
I know I wake each morning feeling like, “okay, so what’s next?”
It’s easy to fall into the outrage cycle spurred on every minute of every day by a new crisis, new injustice, and new sign of moral decay and hypocrisy.
Some say that it’s just always been like this, we are just more awake to it because we are so connected. Some people say that the billions of individual platforms throughout the world that people are screaming from ARE the reason for the discord.
Maybe you’re like me and getting tired of being told who you’re supposed to hate.
In truth, I do believe that we locked in a battle. It is a battle of good versus evil. I don’t think that’s really all that controversial of a sentiment anymore. Evil doesn’t seem to hide in the shadows as much as it once did. The problem is that it’s not always easy to figure out who the good ones and the bad ones are.
And believers have the added quandary of knowing that they themselves are “the bad guys” too. We know that it was our own sin that nailed Jesus to the cross. We know that we all have the capacity for great evil.
But we also see glimmers of goodness in surprising places. We see common grace sprout like spring flowers from barren soil.
We also see once peaceful meadows turned into scorched wastelands.
We see people we once venerated fall and scratch our heads when someone we once considered an adversary take a position that we should applaud.
What is happening? It’s all very confusing.
At least we have one constant, perfect standard that is always good, Jesus.
And it’s His words that I find most comforting in times like these.
There will be false teachers
“many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matt 24:5)
So many fallen “leaders” have come and gone in recent memory that I can’t keep track anymore. This is a symptom of a greater problem. We don’t recognize truth. The world doesn’t seem as cut and dry as it used to. Simply reading your bible, or taking an ethics class won’t solve this problem. Our ability to discern the truth is beyond the grasp of human intellect.
Jesus told us that knowing truth is actually having His knowledge, and that comes from the Holy Spirit:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”
John 16:13-15 NLT
Wars and Rumors of Wars
Jesus words are as prescient now as they were 2000 years ago: you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matt 24:6-7), however, “All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matt 24:8).
This seems to be the state the world is in now, but it has seemed that way to generation after generation before us. What we can know from this is that these are the beginning of the end. Not that the end is soon. One could never know that, but having a posture of readiness for it, with a heart set of God’s priorities, living for Him, and serving and loving one another are some of the ways we do that.
Backstabbing and Betrayal
This one is uncomfortable to talk about, but we all know it’s real. Ignoring it or minimizing it doesn’t make it go away. This is a truth that is no anachronism.
“they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Matt 24:9)
I didn’t grow up in the Bible Belt, so I really don’t know what a world that is particularly favorable to believers looks like, but I can tell you that it certainly doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Not that I’m claiming opressed status. I just know that being born again in the Spirit makes me different. This place doesn’t quite feel like home, and I hope it never does. I wasn’t made for this world. I was made for victory over sin and death. In a world filled with sin and death, how can I ever expect to not be a resident-alien. I accept what consequences and suffering that brings, in anticipation of the glory and peace that awaits.
Obscurity
This is something that we can’t argue. I read somewhere that something like 63% of people that regularly attended church before the COVID-19 pandemic started aren’t coming back. That is an absolutely staggering figure. Even if it’s off by 20%, that’s a huge loss of numbers.
And we have probably all witnessed the phenomenon of people that are disconnected from a community of believers tend to fall away.
Jesus told us what this would look like:
“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt 24:10-13).
And so did the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons?”
I’m not trying to be an alarmist. In fact, my point is to bring some hope, clarity and purpose here. I’m not arguing for any sort of armed resistance against a culture that would seek to silence and weaken the church. I’m not even arguing for a particular political stance. I’m inviting you to consider a purpose that transcends tribal affiliation.
I do think that the majority of us are unprepared for this though. We have no grit anymore. If we feel threatened, instead of falling to our knees, we run to our guns, or launch our own crusades.
Let us remember Paul’s words on this:
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12)
We aren’t going to win the battle with our cunning and physical might. Only by relying on the Lord.
The Global Gospel
Here’s the hope, and here’s a place we need to be digging in:
“this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14)
This is OUR job. Spread the good news of salvation. Things seem to be going pretty well here.
I’m hearing stories of salvation all over the globe everyday.
As the theologian John Stott once said, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because we serve a global God.”
We can no longer be content to reside in our holy huddles. Nor can we run away from the coming turmoil. We must run into it, in faith, speaking truth.
The more used to comfort we get, the more uncomfortable we are going to be later.
We don’t know who God has marked as the person whom will be the finish line, so we must keep running the race of mission work.
I’m stating this as boldly as I possibly can, because I want there to be no mistake, no misunderstand, and no misconceptions.
I am for the spread of the gospel. Nothing can heal a broken world BUT Jesus. All of our political activism, charity, opining on social media, and flag waving is meaningless apart from His purposes and His power.
Don’t fall victim to post-modernist thinking that the truth is subjective. Don’t fall victim to post-enlightenment materialism, that only what we can see and touch is real. Don’t fall victim to narcissistic apathy. Don’t fall victim to cultural trends and evolving ideologies.
There is but one truth, and those who are opposed to it find it the greatest offense.
I take comfort in some of Jesus’ parting words to his disciples:
““I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.”
John 14:27-31 NLT
Come, let’s be going… game on!
