Thought's on the Reality of Living in this Fallen World

Since Charlie Kirk’s murder last week, I have been trying to figure out how to respond. It was only in the last four months that I started to follow Charlie on Facebook, so I certainly did not know him personally, but I liked what he was doing. If a person can get people to think and do it in a way that shows self-control and kindness, that’s awesome. I have seen a number of people talk about Charlie since his death and it sounds like he was one of the good guys: a young man who had a passion, not only for conservative values, but for God and His word. Was he perfect? Of course not, none of us are, but to dedicate your life to connecting and talking with others means something.

When deciding what to write about, I thought it best to honor Charlie by taking us back to God’s Word.

The Roaring Lion

Image by Robert C from Pixabay

“8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

— 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB 1995)

While we do have enemies made of flesh and blood, our real enemy is much more crafty than any human being. He was an angelic being, created by God to serve Him, but given a free will Lucifer decided he should be the one making the decisions and tried to take God’s throne. God banished him from heaven along with a large number of angels who followed him. Earth is their dwelling place, and Satan loves to play with God’s most precious creation, humanity. (See Ezekiel 28:13-17, and Isaiah 14:12-14)

As I have said before on this blog, what better plan could an enemy concoct, but that which makes the prey think he doesn’t exist, and that the thing that matters most is their own selfish desires. The problem is, Satan has his fingers heart-deep in so many people’s lives due to his adept skill at manipulating the truth.

Charlie Kirk spoke truth. He spoke ideas and thoughts that aligned with God’s Word, and many lives were changed because he had the bravery and desire to make a difference. Yes, a 22 year old man shot him, but it was the unseen enemy, Satan, who was moving and manipulating behind the scenes. He moves and manipulates every time there is a school shooting, a child is forced into the sex trade, families wonder where their next meal is coming from, bullies try to have the upper hand, church ladies gossip; the list is endless. Look at the darkness in the world and you will realize Satan is at the core of all of it.

Difficult Times will Come

Isn’t it interesting that the lion above and the man below have a similar facial expression?

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

“1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

— 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB 1995)

Why are we surprised by the responses that many people are leaving on social media in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder? These verses could not be any more accurate than if a news reporter wrote them this past week: boastful, revilers, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

The last sentence in this group of verses tells us to avoid such men/women as these. Charlie Kirk did not avoid them. He met them face to face, and head on he broached the hard topics - racism, abortion, gun violence, and others.

Living According to God’s Word will Bring Persecution

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“12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

— 2 Timothy 3:12-13 (NASB 1995)

We are told if we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus we will be persecuted. In addition, Jesus said,

“33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

In this world we will have tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world.

Our Purpose through it All

Image by Παῦλος from Pixabay

No matter what is going on in the world around us our identity and purpose does not change. We are made in the image of the almighty God (Genesis 1:26-27), and our purpose is to honor and glorify Him with our abilities, talents and our voices (Colossians 3:23). Charlie Kirk knew this and used the gifts God had given Him to lift up His truth and glorify Him. What is God’s will for us during these difficult times?

“14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 (NASB 1995)

These principles, are the same today as they were 2000 years ago. Evil has been here since Satan chose to defy His God and Adam and Eve chose to listen to his half-truth whispers. Thankfully our God has not changed. Whether you are angry at the injustice of Charlie’s murder, or you are rejoicing that his voice has been silenced, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and no one on this planet can change that.

Do Not Lose Hope

Image by Muhammad Haseeb Muhammad Suleman from Pixabay

I felt the aftermath of Charlie’s death as if he had been a close relative, and in a way he was. For those of us who believe, he was our brother in Christ and his wife is our sister in Christ. While I didn’t know him other than through social media clips, Charlie represented truth I believe in and qualities I want to have: love, boldness and joy.

My dear friends, do not lose hope.

“Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord.”

— Psalm 31:23 (NASB 1995)

“My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.”

— Psalm 62:5 (NASB 1995)

“Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”

— Psalm 119:116 (NASB 1995)

“1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

— Romans 5:1-5 (NASB 1995)

Our hope does not disappoint! We know that Charlie is now with Jesus, as are my father, father-in-law, and many, many others who have gone before. They are rejoicing in the presence of their Savior and the troubles of this world are dim compared to His eternal burning love.

Thank you Father for sharing your love with this world through people like Charlie Kirk, and thank you Charlie for being exactly who God wanted you to be.

Our Unseen Enemy - Part 4 - The Divider

Last week we finished looking at why Satan is called the Father of Lies. While I gave you samples of the lies he weaves about God, about ourselves and about others, my study was not all inclusive. There are many lies that Satan whispers about so many things. What I am trying to accomplish is to get you to think about this characteristic of our unseen enemy, so that you can be better prepared to “truth check” the messages that are constantly coming at you from all directions. Believe me, I know what it feels like to start questioning what I believe to be true and what I think is right, when I come up against pressure to believe otherwise. That is why it is so important to know your scripture and understand how Satan operates.

This week I want to look at another of Satan’s characteristics. If it weren’t for his ultimate goal of devouring us, I’d say division is of prime importance to our scheming enemy. Most of you will remember this famous quote:

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”

— Abraham Lincoln - address at Republican State Convention - 1858

You might also remember that approximately 1800 years earlier Jesus said the very same thing to the Pharisees:

“25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”

— Matthew 12:25-26 (ESV)

In my opinion part of what has made our country thrive and prosper has been the work of God who blessed us because we formed this nation using His principles and truth. Obviously, not everyone was a Christ follower. In fact Abraham Lincoln was a deist who believed in a deity, but never really made a proclamation of faith in Christ. Many of our forefathers were slave owners and obviously the Civil War saw true believers on both sides of the debate.

The other factor that contributed to our country’s strength was its ability to be unified even though we were and still are a conglomeration of differing beliefs, backgrounds and cultures. There has always been enough of an ideological crossover in our differences to keep us all pulling for the same thing. We idealized freedom and rights. I think we still have those things in common, but our enemy is striving to get our focus off of the foundational building blocks to create division and strife. Under these circumstances we will not stand.

I want to take a look at several areas Satan has targeted to bring about division. I will also try to explain why these areas are important to unity as a whole.

Politics

Gettysburg Battlefield

I put this one first because with our presidential election only a week past we are feeling the ramifications of the outcome, good or bad. The use of Abraham Lincoln’s quote was no mere coincidence with regard to the direction of this post. It is completely obvious that our country has not always been united. The Civil War in the United States produced one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in history. We were not fighting a force from outside our borders, we were fighting for a principle from within.

While we have always been a country with differing political parties, in the past we have not spent large amounts of money and time purposefully attacking the current incumbent. We have allowed the media to take over implanting opinions into the general public by vehemently suggesting we think a certain way. This is the work of a manipulative enemy.

Politics has always been an area of differing opinions and beliefs about how the country should be run and what ideals are of prime importance. However, with the evolution of media, freedom of speech and the lowering of societal norms and mores politics has descended into a muddied battle of cynicism and wit, and, unfortunately, this battle is out there for all the world to see.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

— Henry Ford

Henry Ford’s words make a lot of sense. Keeping our nation together as a unified entity is work and will only be successful if we are willing to make it work. Our unseen enemy will do whatever he deems necessary to cause division in this area.

Religion

Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

It is understandable that a country founded on freedom, which has opened its doors to immigrants from all over the world and has prided itself on being dubbed a “melting pot” of cultures, personalities and beliefs, will have division with regard to who or what to worship. The problem does not lay in our differences, but in the actions we deem necessary to live out those differences. In addition, our beliefs about the deity or deities we worship will make a difference in how we behave.

Unfortunately, it seems to me the greater problem is the divisions created in same-faith based churches or more specifically the Christian church. We have so many different extensions of the Christian church that is hard to keep track of them all. There are similarities with regards to doctrine: Jesus was born to a virgin, He died on a cross, He rose again, but we tend to get lost in the details. Do we worship with electric guitars and drums? Do we allow gay marriage? Do we believe in evolution or creation? There are multiple layers of points of view and opinions about how everything is suppose to work and what exactly the Bible is teaching about various things. It is normal to have differing opinions about things, but our enemy targets those differences and works to make us believe they are the primary point of contention.

God desires unity, more specifically, He desires unity among those people who claim the name of His son. Arguing about things like what color carpet to put in the foyer, whether to have wine or grape juice or whether or not to have an evening service are details that should not be creating division.

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ...”

— Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

— Psalm 133:1 (ESV)

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

— 1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

Family

Image by sathyatripodi from Pixabay

Unfortunately, due to the division in the above areas, we are seeing marriages and families falling apart at an alarming rate. It is too easy to allow differences of opinion to turn into hurt feelings, and years of dysfunction. Those of us who raised our children in the church are seeing them walk away from the faith and beliefs we tried to teach them as they were growing up. Family gatherings that were once happy and carefree are now fraught with tension over political and religious differences. This is the work of our unseen enemy.

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”

— Romans 16:17 (ESV)

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

— 1 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV)

While these verses were written specifically to the church as a whole, they certainly pertain to our families as well. God does not want us to be divided. Divisiveness is listed along with idolatry, immorality and other sins.

“19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ”

— Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)

I believe that those who purposefully create division are not looking out for the best interests of our country, our communities or our families.

How, then, when we are living in a world where the enemy is working overtime to tear us apart, do we keep our marriages, our families and our communities from completely collapsing. The answer is found in 2 Timothy.

Image by Angelo Giordano from Pixabay

“22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

— 2 Timothy 2:22-26 (ESV)

I did a study on these verses two years ago. There are several directives we can see if we give the passage a brief look.

1 - Flee

2 - Pursue

3 - Have nothing to do with

4 - Do no quarrel

5 - Be kind

6 - Teach patiently

7 - Endure

8 - Correct with gentleness

This is one of those passages that really packs a punch and if you are interested in seeing the original study you can click on the link: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7.

Our unseen enemy is doing everything he can to divide and conquer. Unfortunately, in many ways he is winning, but we know this earthly battle will not end well for the beautiful serpent.

Next week we are going to look at the beasts that Satan is compared to. I hope you are learning from this study. If you have any questions or suggestions, leave me a comment below, or shoot me an email.

Have a good weekend.

Mulling It Over - Part 4

Some time has passed since I worked on this passage in 2 Timothy, but I have the time, so I wanted to get back at it. If you remember we were taking a look at 2 Timothy 2:20-26. You can see the first three parts by clicking on each of the links: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Here is the passage again as a refresher. 

Pixabay

“20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

— 2 Timothy 2:20-26 (NASB)

Today's verse is quite pertinent in our society where social media dominates our time. Whether you are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other form of social media there is no doubt that these communication avenues are powerful both in a positive and a negative way. 

“23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.”

— 2 Timothy 2:23 (NASB)

As you know, I like to tear the verse apart. 

But refuse...

I think most of you understand the meaning of the word refuse. Words such as decline, refuse, reject, and spurn, all refer to the act of turning away by not accepting, receiving or considering what is being offered. I like the idea of not even considering. How often do we think about accepting an offer?

How many of you get sales emails in your inbox? How many of those do you read? Of those, how many do you actually click on to look at? If you are like me, you often find yourself clicking over to a site to see what new merchandise they have, and what the current sales offer is. Of course, it doesn't end there. I'll often put a few items into my shopping cart before I finally exit the site. Other times, I actually buy the items I put in my cart. I didn't refuse the offer and actually it started with just a consideration of the offer.

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Now lets move on to what it is we are to refuse, or even consider. 

...foolish and ignorant speculations...

I may get into trouble here, but I believe that a high percent of what is posted on many of these social media platforms are foolish and ignorant speculations. It is one thing to talk about what you did today, share an outfit or post a recipe you want to share, but when these platforms become soap boxes for preaching, arguing or spreading hate, I believe we have moved into the arena of foolish and ignorant speculations. 

Let me say at this point, I am not against having discussions about hard topics on social media platforms, but I believe as Christians we have to be extremely careful what we say and how we come across. Topics can quickly escalate from stating the facts to spewing hateful, emotion based opinions. When I think of what our Founding Fathers meant by Freedom of Speech, I do not know that they were thinking of photos sharing body parts or using explicatives like conjunctions to string sentences together. 

Let's take just a moment to look at the words foolish and ignorant.

     foolish - Webster's online dictionary uses phrases like - showing lack of good sense, absurd or       ridiculous, and marked by a loss of composure. 

     ignorant - Webster's defines this word in this way - destitute of knowledge or education, lacking comprehension, unaware, and uninformed.

Do we really want to look foolish and ignorant when we are putting ourselves out there on social media or any other communication platform. Whether you are having a discussion with friends at the local eatery, posting opinions on Facebook or writing a blog, use discretion when choosing your words. Remember words convey a message, both spoken and written. As Christ followers, we want our message to be one of hope, truth and love. 

Finally, 

...knowing that they produce quarrels. 

Isn't it amazing that Paul, who had no knowledge of social media, knew exactly the kinds of exchanges that could take place when we start rambling off our opinions and feelings without using forethought and caution? Obviously, the tendency towards volatile emotions and conversations has been around since Adam and Eve left the garden. We, by the sin nature into which were born, are protectors of our right to be right, even if we are wrong. 

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Why do you think Paul included these words in his letter to Timothy, who was a young man pastoring one of the early Christian churches? I believe it had to do with Paul's God given understanding of the outcome of such behaviors on the church. Dissension, arguments and quarrels will divide and destroy a church. They will divide and destroy a marriage, a family and yes, even a nation.

Let this verse be our standard when speaking or writing, for His glory and the encouragement of others.

“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

— Colossians 4:6 (NASB)