Helen Louise Herndon, in an article at the American Thinker today reminds us all that there is a right way, a Christian way, to act in times when the world seems to spin out of control. The article is titled Resist Evil Without Pride and Without Hatred.
I must confess that too often I have been guilty of pride and of hatred. I am sometimes proud that I have a greater understanding of the Biblical truth of Jesus Christ. But of course, what I have is what I have been told and taught. I have a great body of people who share and reinforce the same ideas. Someone born in, say, Iran who finds the truth of Christ has much greater faith and greater courage than I, who just follow where I am led. Is it any wonder that they believe as they do when they have been taught to believe that way from the day they were born? Clearly I haven't any reason to be proud since this great gift has been handed to me. I have done nothing to earn it.
Few Muslims are willing to debate, and frankly, why should they. Christianity has been put through the ringer by both atheist and Christian scholars, and has come out the other side stronger than ever. Islam is only now under the same scrutiny, and it is showing itself to be utter nonsense. I take some pride here too, but again, I have not done anything of which to be proud. And archeological evidence keeps turning up that show that events mentioned in the Bible happened where and in the way that the Bible says they did. Now knowing that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed as the Bible says they were does not prove that God did it. That is a matter of faith. It always comes down to faith, and even that I have only because He blessed me with it. So, I have no reason at all for pride, no reason to boast. It has all been given to be as a great gift.
I have also experienced hatred for things done to others by Muslims. When Raymond Ibrahim mentions the burning of Coptic churches in Egypt for instance, I feel my sense of indignation rising. When I hear of 70,000 Nigerian Christians being tortured and killed, I feel hatred for these people. It is the same when I hear of Syrian Christians being tortured and murdered. But then, how can one blame others for believing what they are taught. Do I not do the same? Indeed, my real hatred is for those who continue to push a Leftist agenda, when history shows that it has failed each and every time. Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, Mussolini, the Castro brothers, and Venezuela, it always ends in misery. It even failed in the United States in places like Oneida, NY. And yet the Marxist dream seems to find willing adherents in every generation. But hatred is not the answer.
In the book of Luke, Chapter 22, verse 36 Jesus tells the disciples to sell their cloaks and by a sword. The disciples respond that they have two, and Jesus says that is enough. We interpret this to mean that we need to combat the evil in this world on two levels. One is on this plane of existence with the material weapons of this world, the other is spiritually with the weapons of the spiritual world. We should certainly have and be ready to use guns and other weapons if needed. But more often, we must act, as the villagers in the story Herndon wrote about acted, to defend and save others through the giving of ourselves "for the glory of God."
As these two concepts progress in my own thinking, both lead to the same goal: “To the glory of God.” Whether Christian or Jewish, as people of faith, seeking to save a race of people chosen for extermination, an unborn child from premature death, a society from bigotry and racism, and antisemitism, the family unit from extinction, or current political violence, we must be ever mindful that the battle of spiritual warfare can only be waged with spiritual weapons and spiritual wisdom.
I was a Baptist Deacon and attended Bible College way back in the 1980's. I remember a missionary to Togo, Africa. He was a pilot and his wife was a nurse. I gave him some Ham Radio equipment since he was working on getting his license.
ReplyDeleteHe told me that the people there who were converted to Christ didn't ask for our prayers. Instead they prayed for us. Because they recognized that we had been given so many blessings, including material wealth compared to just about every other country, that we were not as prepared as they were to fight against the oppression of Satan.
In the past 40 or so years, it would appear as if nothing much has changed, other than it has become even more acceptable to openly fight both Christianity and individual Christians themselves.
Yet among all of this, I am still encouraged. We are witnessing a return to Christ by what is termed Generation Z. Many churches are seeing a large number of young people along with their children coming to the churches. But they are not just going to look good, or like so many of my Baby Boomers did, because it is just what they have always done.
I see much being made of an approaching Rapture event. With the study that I have done over the years, I do of course that Christ will come in the clouds to bring His people home, or Rapture them, before the final battle.
I am now seeing what I missed before. That God is patient, and giving more and more people the opportunity to accept Christ before He begins the so called End Times to unfold. In that, I am glad and more convinced than ever that not only is our God a God of judgement, but a loving and caring God, whose only desire is for all of mankind to return to Him.