26 February 2010
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. 1 Peter 2:7
I am writing this on my return flight from a conference that I just attended. While I was there, I heard much said about our mission—penetrating the culture and our world with the Gospel. I agree, yet I came away feeling that the emphasis was on the wrong thing. The real problem is not a culture that is hostile to integrity, decency, family values, and so forth.
Yes, we know that naturalism (explaining everything in human terms), nihilism (nothing makes sense), relativism (I’m not any worse than you are) and a host of other negative ideologies and philosophies are out there. TV, our kid’s teachers at school, the attitude so prevalent in our secular society, are often reflections of a culture that is at war with spiritual values, yes, at war with God. But I am not convinced that the real problem is out there in the world, but, rather, in here, in the Church, in the family of God. The more I think about the cultural war as it is often described, the more I realize it isn’t the strength of the enemy which worries me as much as the weakness of us who are combating it.
I believe the real need is strength and maturity in our churches, our personal lives, and our homes. When we are strong spiritually, know to whom we belong, and are committed and uncompromising, we will make a difference out there in the world, where we work, where we live, and where we go. The least bit of light drives back the greatest darkness.
Guideline #1: Renew your personal devotion and commitment to the Lord. This is the key to the whole situation. The deeper your commitment, the greater will be the impact of your life on the world. Focus on what’s right more than what’s wrong.
Guideline #2: Determine that you will have more time to enrich your personal life by fortifying your soul with the Word of God. Long ago, God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). It is also true today. Needed today is discernment—knowing when to speak and what to say.
Guideline #3: Focus on holiness in your life, not happiness. God wants you to be different—not because of what we wear or the kind of music we listen to, but because of what we are. Let your life (integrity and commitment to God, family and values) make a statement. When a church was invaded by gay activists who threw eggs and obscenities at the pastor who, then, refused to retaliate in anger, a newspaper reporter asked why he didn’t get mad and answer his attackers. He replied, “I no more fault them for what they did than I would a blind man who steps on my shoe.” Noisy rhetoric is not the answer, nor is silence; but a life which reflects the values a person is willing to die for is a force which cannot be countered.
Guideline #4: Be heads up and alert. This was a recurring theme in Paul’s letters, one that I believe we need today. “Be on your guard,” Paul wrote to the Philippians. To the Thessalonians he said, “But of the times and seasons, brothers, there is no need for me to write to you.” But He did so, just the same. Jesus urged His followers to read the signs of the times, and not to be taken by surprise by the conditions of the world.
Guideline #5: Practice love, the unique kind that the world neither knows nor understands but cannot ignore. The world understands force, cunning, and deception, and when we utilize these weapons of warfare, we shall always be defeated, but retaliating God’s way will ultimately win the day.
Resource reading: 1 John 2