I think most have heard the adage, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” A similar quote found in Scripture is, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 12:30). Yet as we look at our profoundly confused world where wickedness and evil are increasing at every turn, what can we possibly do?
Consider the recent senseless violence in Las Vegas, Nevada where 58 people violently lost their lives and about 500 more were injured in varying degrees, occurring just months after the Manchester, London massacre; the unprecedented numbers of natural disasters occurring back to back;and the continuation of wars and rumors of wars. These wage heavily on us all. What can we do?
Those of us who are rightly related to Jesus are the only ones who can offer the truth, power, love and hope the world desperately needs. And based on Matthew 12:30 along with the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) and the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-39), we had better rise to the challenge. The slower we are to respond, the more senseless casualties the world will suffer. First Peter 4:17 states that judgment will begin with the church—meaning all who profess faith in Christ Jesus. And since true Christians have more power today than at any other time in history, God has every right to expect us to redeem the culture.
I’m angry. I’m really angry. I’m angry at the devil and my fellow Christians who have not been effectively demonstrating the abundant, victorious power Christ died to give us. The Bible lays out what we can expect as the world continues toward its final destiny. God has revealed the future so that we would not be caught off-guard. Jesus said in this world we will have trouble, but to take heart because He has already overcome the world (see John 16:33). Additionally, Jesus declared that all authority had been given Him, which He in turn assigned Christians with the promise that He would remain with us until the end of the age (Matt. 28:18-20). It enrages me to hear professing Christians declare that the natural disasters we’ve suffered are judgment against the world. Judgment begins with the church.
I’m also tremendously grieved at the number of people who are deceived. Many profess to be Christians when in fact they are not. Researches report that out of the 75 percent of Americans who profess to be Christian, only one-third are actually born-again, committed Christians. Another third of this group is born again but lives more like the world of unbelievers. The remaining one-third simply call themselves Christian with no spiritual transformation. This means that the world of unbelievers observing Christians sees hypocrisy and impotency more than not. The reputation of Christians, not to mention Christ Himself, is adversely impacted and fails to attract unbelievers. Sadly, the world that desperately needs what the Christian faith uniquely offers is jaded and dismissive of anything Christian.
This has got to stop! With deep compassion and love of God, I am calling out to people everywhere to earnestly seek truth. If you call yourself a Christian, ask yourself what level of commitment to the faith and the commandments of God you really have. If you’re simply professing to be a Christian in name only, you are in a most dangerous place. You think you are safe when in reality you are powerless and ineffective to resist the evil plots of the devil. If you think there is no devil, you are woefully deceived by the very one who seeks to destroy you. All the evil and wickedness in the world is the work of the devil—a very real being with many followers who entice humans into their web of hate, division and destruction. If you are in fact a born-again Christian but you are not effectively living your faith, you are positioning yourself to be painfully corrected, if not judged, by God. If you have rejected Christianity but have a deep inner unction that there’s got to be answers to all the violence and suffering in the world, I ask you to reconsider and reestablish your quest for truth.
God’s love for humanity was poured out in the person of Jesus, who came to this earth to demonstrate the love of the Father for all creation. Jesus waked this earth healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, healing the brokenhearted and offering reconciliation with God to anyone who desires. Jesus lived a pure and sinless life as an example of how we can live if we do as He did. Jesus surrendered His life to the will of God the Father, and in that He was able to do great and mighty, supernatural things and declared that even greater works will we do in His name. Jesus was far more than a good teacher or a prophet. He was God in human form, the second person of the Trinity, who came to this earth to become the ultimate sacrifice to settle the debt of sin once and for all. Sin, which is the rejection of God, originated with the first man and woman God created, who were enticed to reject God by the very same devil whose evil continues to this very day. And it will continue until God’s appointed last day for creation.
But that doesn’t mean we are helpless or hopeless or victims until the last day. Quite the contrary. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection allowed a way for anyone who wants to be restored in the family of God and receive all the riches of Christ’s inheritance to do so. Christians—those who have been restored to God—are given an entirely new spirit. Christians are re-created and their naturally born dead spirit, inherited from the first man and woman, is replaced with a new, alive spirit allowing us to have unhindered communion with God. But more, once Jesus returned to His rightful place in heaven, the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, was released to indwell every believer. The Holy Spirit work is to overcame the enemy—the devil—once and for all .
- Christians, genuine Christians, have the ability to communicate with God—to seek His wisdom, strategy, plans, heart and mind to relieve people from suffering, as Jesus modeled.
- Christians have the promise and authority of Jesus to overcome the world, meaning the natural world filled with evil and suffering.
- Christians have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit—the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
- Christians have the mandate to love their neighbor as our selves.
- Christians have the ability to partner with God to bring those who desperately need truth and the life-giving power if offers, into the family of God.
There are many in this world who do not know the truth. They are deceived. And the problem with that reality is that they don’t know they are. It is the nature of deception that the victim is unaware. There are many who have been indoctrinated to reject all things Christian, who even believe it acceptable to demonstrate their rejection through hatred, division, violence and more. These too are deceived. But the few Christians who know the truth and whose faith is in Jesus carry all the answers and solutions to the pain and suffering in life.
With this post, I am appealing to all genuine, committed Christians to put on their protective battle gear, take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and led by God’s love, go out into the world and redeem what the enemy intends for evil, confident that God will turn it for good (Eph. 6:12-18 and Gen. 50:20).
I would love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a comment about what I’ve written. Perhaps you have questions. There are several generations now who do not have the grid to readily accept what is written here. Still, I hope this blog post has piqued your curiosity to honestly continue on your journey to find solutions for the continued division, violence and suffering in this world. My prayers are with the victims and their families all around the world who have been subjected to evil. My prayers are also for every committed Christian to respond to all that Jesus has commanded because together, we can bring the reform the world needs, one person at a time. {eoa}
Pamela Christian is an award-winning author whose recent three-book Faith to Live By series further explores topics directly related to her online articles. To inquire of her to speak for your church or organization, contact her through this Contact Us form.
This article originally appeared at pamelachristian.com.
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