I wanted to start with this humorous anecdote because the rest of this blog addresses a more serious topic. It is of little surprise to anyone who is paying attention to world affairs that this world is more divided than ever before. I'm not talking about politically, socially or even economically. I'm talking about the great divide, between those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and those who do not. There appears to be three cultural camps holding sway in the world, two of which are opposed to the truth of Jesus Christ. This puts most of the world in direct conflict with everything I believe.
The first camp is made up of those who are openly defiant of God and His truth. They either claim to be an unbeliever, atheist, or they claim to lack the knowledge needed to know God, the agnostic. But there are so many others in this camp as well. Several religions that appear to be immersed in their quest for God but in reality are props for the father of lies. Islam, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Scientology, and many more disguise their true intentions behind false books, attractive spokespersons, and movies designed to sway your opinion in regard to their beliefs. Though some in this camp will claim that they believe in Jesus Christ, you don't have to dig far to discover their true beliefs about Jesus. A great percentage of the corporations and people creating entertainment content fall into this camp as well. Lovers of self and prideful of what they have accomplished they are in direct opposition to the humility that Christ longs for each of us to possess.
The second camp is even tougher to discern. These are self-professing christians who toss the name of Jesus around like He is their personal friend but just like the first camp, they lack a true devotion to Jesus Christ. Some of these people have even published books using Christian publishers, made records using an Christian label, and created movies using Christian funds and spokespeople. Some of this people make their mark by claiming that God is universal, that salvation will come to all, and that judgement and hell are out-of-date concepts. This camp lives out the expression we started this blog discussing, "they are just missing it by that much . . . "
Some of these people are creating content that sounds really good. They toss around terms describing the importance of loving one another, not judging each other, borrowing several phrases from the teaching of Jesus himself. This requires a careful discernment of their words and life that is impossible without relying on the Spirit who resides in all true believers. You will notice an tremendous emphasis on "self". Self love, self forgiveness, self awareness and much more. You will hear phrases such as, "You deserve happiness", "Don't settle", "Look deep within to discover the person you are", and my favorite, "Discover the power that lives within". These words will reign hollow to a true believer, as you hear them you will realize that there is something just not right. And you will notice an absence of some other terms and words, especially not in their proper context. Words like holiness, sin, devotion, self-sacrifice, loving others rather than yourself. These old-fashioned precepts are considered an anchor on those who are seeking their own will and desires.
And that is the true issue. A child of God does not live a life devoted to his/her own's pleasures. We are to live a life seeking to advance the Kingdom of God. And no, we are not perfect and we fail on a daily basis. But our faith, even when we fall, is in the One who restores and longs for fellowship with each of us. So do not be fooled. "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." (1 Corinthians 2:14) Please understand, this verse plainly illustrates a cultural divide, a battle that is raging between God's children and the children of the world.
The third camp is made up of a very small group of people. These are the devoted followers of Jesus Christ, seeking His will above their own, and working out their salvation versus following the broad path the remainder of the world is traveling. Remember, we are not fighting a battle with our fellow humans, "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Our warfare is spiritual, and our enemy occupies a different dimension. But take heart, God, our Father, is always fighting for us, Jesus is always interceding for us, and the Spirit is always equipping us to live a life of victory, even in this age of darkness.
In Ephesians 1:3, listen to the promise that we have in Christ, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places . . . " We are not alone in our battle, in fact, we will never be alone, even if all our friends and family were to desert us." We are not alone and we are not powerless. "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4.
A day is rapidly approaching where the lines of conflict between God's children and the world will be clearly drawn. Even now the persecution is being intensified. 1 out of every 9 Christians experience high levels of persecution in the world. If we are not prepared now, what hope will we have when facing the intense warfare to come?
