Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…This is another subject that has been rattling around in my head for a while (in fact, it’s actually pt. 2 of blog #282), but I’ve held off because I understand that some readers might be offended by my thoughts on this subject. While I have never been one who considers myself “politically correct”, the “new me” (the transformed me) is more interested in drawing people in, rather than driving my point home at any cost (the old me 😊).
Let’s take today’s title as an example. I struggled with whether I should use “Church” or “Body of Christ” to make my point. While “Church” is all-inclusive, to me it is a bit too inclusive. I say that because not all churches present the same message: we have the prosperity message, replacement theology, New Age cult-like messages, and churches that even question the Trinity doctrine and the deity of Christ. Since followers of Jesus Christ are referred to in the New Testament as the “Body of Christ”, I chose that as my title. After all, I am writing about Him and His teachings.
I love the question “What would Jesus do?”, especially when it is asked by someone who is smugly setting a trap and looking forward to tripping the “jaws”. I have experienced that in many conversations, but these two examples will clarify my point. The first was a conversation about armed guards in the church, of which I was in favor, and my adversary was against. The second was a conversation about the caravans at the southern border and my adversary could not believe our government’s lack of compassion for these “poor people who struggled so hard to get here.”
It has been my experience that the motivation for that “favored” question seems to be rooted in a veiled attempt to discredit my Christian beliefs rather than engaging in any manner of sane discourse. “What do you mean you ARE in favor of armed guards in a church? I thought that as a Christian you were supposed to turn the other cheek!” Or, “I thought that as a Christian you were supposed to be against violence!” And concerning the caravan issue, virtually the same position: “I thought that as a Christian you would be kind and compassionate! I thought you would want to help those in need!” No doubt Christians are called to stand against violence and no doubt we are called to be kind and compassionate, but being a Christian doesn’t mean we should be blind to the snake when we see him.
No doubt, this approach, and many like it, are wrapped in agendas that are, in turn, shrouded in evil. Unfortunately, the spokesperson for the agenda-driven side seems to be unaware of that truth, which makes the original question seem all the more trivial. Those of us who do know the truth about Jesus, know this would be His response: He would stand against evil whenever or wherever He saw it. And as we know from His encounters with the Pharisees, He was anything but politically correct. For instance, “You brood of Vipers” (Matthew 12:34), “Hypocrites!” (Mathew 23:13), “Everything you do is for show.” (Matthew 23:5), and He called them “Blind guides and blind fools.” (Matthew 23: 16, 17) No doubt Jesus stood firm against deceitful and despicable behavior.
So, Body of Christ, what about us? Are we (as a Body) willing to stand in unison against evil whenever or wherever we see it? We are in the midst of a culture that is morally and spiritually bankrupt, a culture that has embraced secularism and is willing to marginalize or ridicule the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus at every opportunity. And just when we think it can’t get any worse, we hear more and more talk about America becoming a socialist country, which means less and less personal freedoms; we’re expected to accept the new norm of same sex marriage as “freedom of expression”; we’re expected to accept new parameters for gender identity as “enlightenment”; and most recently we’ve heard of a radical new abortion law that not only permits abortion up to the day of delivery, but if the baby should survive the botched abortion attempt, it can be “terminated” (KILLED!) once it is out of the womb. This is touted as a woman’s right!
We certainly hear, loud and clear, the voice of the radical Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA) who unabashedly shout their intent to fundamentally change America. And from every indication, there is no place in their plans for God or Jesus. The enlightened teachings of man have been exalted by the LPA, and that is what guides their path!
So, what does that mean to the Body of Christ? Where is our voice? What do we have to say about all of this? So far there hasn’t been so much as a concerted whisper. Now I’m sure there are many individual churches that talk about these matters within the safe confines of their walls, but what I’m talking about is a counter movement from the Body of Christ against the evil that is engulfing the minds and hearts of our society. It’s wonderful that week after week we can preach to the faithful congregations we have built up over time, but they’re already believers. We’re preaching to the choir, so to speak.
Jesus was very explicit about His plan. He told the disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18-19) The word GO is very specific. It means to take the message wherever you have to take it in order to share it with unbelievers. Remember, “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Unless we carry this message of love and hope to them, it is very unlikely that those who need to hear it most will ever cross the doorway of your church seeking enlightenment.
As I mentioned earlier, our culture is spiritually and morally bankrupt. Since we have expunged God from our midst, we have lost our moral compass, causing some to even drift toward depravity. All the while this is happening, the voice of the LPA is increasing in volume, supported unfortunately by the billion-dollar entertainment and media industry that keeps bombarding our souls with more violent, sexual, extraterrestrial, and demonic themes. With a steady diet of these atrocious messages, it doesn’t take long for our senses to become numb to what was once considered horrific. (Hello! That is precisely the intent!)
Body of Christ, our only hope is in the power of the Gospel of Grace. No other message offers hope to the brokenhearted like this message of love, forgiveness and freedom. Unfortunately, that whole message is being silenced, or even worse, snuffed out by the evil agenda we see being firmly planted in our culture. Unless we make a concerted effort to move in unison now, I predict it won’t be long before we could be considered an enemy of the state for making such radical claims. The time is now! As it says in 2 Corinthians, “God has given us the task of reconciling people to Himself. This is the wonderful message (the Gospel of Grace) He has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to the world. Be reconciled to God!” (vs.18-20)
I am part of an active intercessory prayer team at Grace Church St. Louis. We meet regularly to pray for people, places and things. We pray consistently for our culture, for our government, and for those who are hurting. We are part of a larger network of intercessory prayer groups doing the same thing with the intent of laying the groundwork for another Grace Awakening. If you are reading this and you don’t know if your church is part of this endeavor, ask. If they are not, encourage them to add their voice to our voice. OUR MESSAGE MUST BE HEARD! We do what we do standing on these truths: “The righteous ones cried out, and the Lord Jehovah heard them and delivered them.” (Psalm 34:17) “The prayers of a righteous man avail much” (James 5:16) “Nothing is impossible with God!” (Luke 1:37)
Remember, as the Body of Christ, our primary duty is to follow Christ’s example of confronting evil wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head. When considering the challenge our culture presents, “The harvest is plentiful; the workers are too few.” (Matthew 9:35)
Feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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