There was a course I took in college that was pretty much, at the time, a throw away. It was in the civil engineering college. The purpose of the course was to read the newspaper and report on current events. It reminded me of elementary school, but it filled some of the requirements for graduation.
I was not much interested in current events or politics. I did not see how they impacted me either as an engineer or a pilot in the Air Force. Naive, huh?
I have since learned that current events and politics impact every facet of our lives. Today was no exception. There are going to be – I was going to say unintended, but reality is – intended consequences of what has happened.
Thinking through what happened today, it would not surprise me to see the government demanding churches and Christian businesses to engage in activity that are clearly defined as sin. What has been done in the name of “freedom” for a small subset of the populace, has potentially removed the freedoms granted by the Constitution to the vast majority of the people.
I foresee huge difficulties with maintaining churches rights under the first amendment. Businesses will not be able to practice freedom of speech.
As believers how do we respond? How do we process these current events with our children through the grid of Scripture? I would suggest that Ephesians 6:10 – 20, may be a place to start, along with 1 Peter 5:8; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.
This may be full circle back to my attitude in the CE class, but at a significant level, these events are immaterial. They do not change or diminish the truth. They simply codify and justify abomination and perversion for those who are committed to life apart from God. It does not change God’s view of sin. Nor should it change the believer’s view. Our task remains that which Paul described in 2 Corinthians 5:14 – 21; the love of Christ controls us and we beg sinners, all sinners, to be reconciled to God.
I have since learned that current events and politics impact every facet of our lives. Today was no exception. There are going to be – I was going to say unintended, but reality is – intended consequences of what has happened.
Thinking through what happened today, it would not surprise me to see the government demanding churches and Christian businesses to engage in activity that are clearly defined as sin. What has been done in the name of “freedom” for a small subset of the populace, has potentially removed the freedoms granted by the Constitution to the vast majority of the people.
I foresee huge difficulties with maintaining churches rights under the first amendment. Businesses will not be able to practice freedom of speech.
As believers how do we respond? How do we process these current events with our children through the grid of Scripture? I would suggest that Ephesians 6:10 – 20, may be a place to start, along with 1 Peter 5:8; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.
This may be full circle back to my attitude in the CE class, but at a significant level, these events are immaterial. They do not change or diminish the truth. They simply codify and justify abomination and perversion for those who are committed to life apart from God. It does not change God’s view of sin. Nor should it change the believer’s view. Our task remains that which Paul described in 2 Corinthians 5:14 – 21; the love of Christ controls us and we beg sinners, all sinners, to be reconciled to God.
I realize that for a very long time my view of "spiritual warfare" was very deficient. Growing up post Great Depression and WWII there was a general optimism and expectation that things would get better. And, at least for me, they did. Who needs spiritual warfare? That happened 4000 years ago in ancient Israel.
ReplyDeleteNow I feel a lot like Gandalf in "The Desolation of Smaug" (movie): "We've been blind; and in our blindness our enemy has returned!"
No wonder the Bible warns over and over to be alert, see and observe what is going on. One of the great values of the Prophets. And those of us who are fathers and grandfathers should tremble at where our society is hurtling and the kinds of consequences our children and grandchildren will face.
That's one reason we need you, Mike! Keep banging away on our need to go ever deeper into the Word of God, and communicate it effectively, persistently and practically to our children and friends!