What Is Happening?
The Lord is allowing military, economic, political, social and religious issues to strip away confidence in human government’s ability to make the earth a paradise.
With each reading of the headlines or listening to the news there is a “So what?” attitude. Whatever happens, the reaction is “So what?” The Pope of Rome makes Muslims mad. So what? North Korea is threatening a nuclear test. So what? Congress has a new scandal. So what? Gas prices are down. So what? Gunmen kill students in schools. So what?
It is not that we do not care, but we have come to expect the awful. The media presents the terrible in real time. Is there a group of people in the United States more decent and reclusive than the Amish? For what do they ask other than to live to themselves, worship God, and work conscientiously? Yet, disaster in their community has news media with a helicopter looking down upon their private grief.
Good grief! Is there no limit? We show mothers having babies on TV. We show murdered bodies. We show people weeping at scenes of tragedy. Photographers slip into private areas to take pictures of people doing private things.
Our minds are messed up. We are having ever greater difficulty separating the good from the evil. Our filters are clogged. We are weary with the bombardment of molestations, incest, and adultery. There was a time when we thought it a shame for unmarried folks to live together. But with movie stars who make millions of dollars not being sure who the daddy of their baby is, folks living together seems like a small sin.
Oprah. Ever heard of Oprah? She might be the world’s richest woman. So what if she gives to charity. This week she hosted a beautiful woman who said that after five years of marriage, pregnancy helped her to realize she is gay. The beautiful woman told her husband. Her husband told her it was OK, and that he would fully support a friendship to raise their children. The husband then admitted he is gay. Both “new” lovers were in the audience. So was the couple’s child, who has been programmed to affirm and support actions of gay parents.
Did Oprah show any emotion? Did Oprah pale? Did Oprah object? Did Oprah ask her hard questions? Oh, No! Oprah smiled her way to another million bucks.
Have you stopped to weep for the wife, children, and family of Congressman Foley? He sends a lawyer out to say that he is gay, alcoholic, and has written terrible emails to a teenager. That is his case. What about the fallout to his family? It will be a generational scar.
Let us not be naïve. Sin has repercussions. When a king sins, a nation pays a price. When leaders sin the people pay a price.
We have tolerated until we don’t know what tolerance means. We have opened our mouths like guppies and swallowed until we have immunized ourselves against sin.
I said it in a sermon. I repeat it. The next few weeks in the United States, and in our world, will rock with turmoil. This will be a political battle to the hilt of the sword. Blood will flow. America is at war with America. We are our own worst enemy. We are a divided nation whose members no longer work together for unity. Statesmen in Washington are scarce as hen’s teeth. Ministers who will preach the gospel and declare that sinners must repent seem to be in retreat.
But there are preachers who are concerned. There are thousands of others. Let the word go forth. Jesus will come! When he comes he will judge. He will judge by his Book. He will not judge by the so-called liberated standards of those who want fleshly sins without penalty. The judgment will be a righteous judgment.
This I promise you. As a pastor, preacher of the gospel, husband, father, neighbor, and community leader, it is my sincere desire to pray more, read the Bible more, go to church more, be around Bible-believing Christians more, and get involved in community issues with other Christians in meaningful ways to make a difference.
We cannot retreat. We must press forward. We need to clean the filters of our minds, sanctify our hearts, and check our spiritual compass to insure we are on course to meet Jesus. Let us be up and going together!
Please, let us not sit back and wait for the news. Let us go and make news as we take Jesus to those in darkness.
No Turning Aside…
No Turning Back…
What is happening? God is at work, and He is looking for some heroes.
With love--
Pastor Bare