For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light– Ephesians 5:8 NKJV
We live in the best of times and the worst of times.
Our generation has been blessed with comforts, luxuries and technological conveniences previous generations would have had a difficult time even imagining.
However.
In many regards, life is getting worse not better.
We are slowly devolving into the reality the apostle Paul predicted we would have someday in 2nd Timothy 3:1-3. Through the power of the Holy Spirit he foresaw the day when most people in this world would become lovers of themselves, ungrateful and unholy, bitter and completely unwilling and unable to do any kind of good or love others selflessly.
Sigh.
There are some reasons for this sorry state of affairs and at least a few of those reasons have to with how Christians have conducted themselves for the last couple of decades. Following are three of the biggest problems:
Men have left every significant social fight of our time to women-
I watch the news. A lot. Recently, there has been a number of stories about school board meetings. Many parents in around the country are fighting for much-needed changes in the history and sex education curriculum in their districts. In every one of those meetings women outnumber men by at least 3-1. Every. Single. Time. Don’t get me wrong. I applaud the women out fighting the battles of our time. Furthermore, I categorically do not believe the only realm a woman should have a voice or play a significant role is in the home. I do not believe men should do all the work while women bake the cookies. Men and women are both soldiers in a spiritual battle. We are all called to the fight for righteousness, truth and the souls of the lost (2nd Timothy 2:3-4). Women and men were created by God equally but differently so that they could join forces and work together to bring about God’s purposes in the world (Genesis 1:26-28). Anytime men or women silo themselves and attempt to do anything significant without the other sex we lose half our fighting force and all the uniqueness the other gender has to offer. That being said. It is a fact that many of the Christian men in America are MIA. Many men are sitting at home watching whatever stupid game is on T.V. while their women go to school board meetings and volunteer in soup kitchens. The men sleep in on Sunday mornings while their wives take the kids to Church, they drink beer while their wives pray with the kids. Until more Christian men are willing to get off their rumps, get in the game and start fighting alongside the women for what’s right we will continue to lose more battles than we win.
Christians have routinely put preferences over principals-
The average woke heathen would rather poke out his or her own eye with a dirty stick than purchase a product from a company that espouses traditional views on marriage, sexuality or gender. This is true even if there is no equivalent alternative to the product they want. Woke heathens care enough about their principles to just go without rather than spend their hard-earned money at a business that doesn’t share their values. Here’s an even harder truth: the average committed Christian will cheerfully buy from the wokest of corporations, even when there’s an alternative product available. Most Christians buy what they buy simply because they prefer the products, cost or convenience the woke company provides. I hate boycotts, they rarely work and sometimes they even backfire. However, I do think we should think really hard about where companies like Starbucks, Target and Amazon donate their money before we contribute anymore of our money (God’s money) to companies that are actively attempting to tear down our values.
Our theology has made us spiritually lazy-
The idea of a pre-tribulation rapture has taken root in most Christian denominations. I am not necessarily opposed to this theology. However, I hate the fruit it has produced. This theology has convinced many Christians that there is no need to work to reform our educational, political or social systems because we are all going to get raptured out of here before anything really terrible happens. Well. That theory is being tested at this point. There are a lot of really terrible things going on right now. It’s time for Christians to stop praying for the rapture and start working for a better world because if we don’t God’s not going to be too happy with us when does He get here.
Not all is necessarily lost.
We are still here and so there is still hope. It’s all still fixable. God has not abandoned us. He still has the power to change circumstances and even entire cultures. All it will take to bring about much-needed change is for all of us to take our calling as Christians a little more seriously. Then we will see the darkness retreat.
