Systemic Problem
The news is filled by talk of a new health care bill that will soon be added to our government’s responsibility to manage. I believe this is a bad idea, but if you want that debate turn your television on. We’ve heard the word “systemic” used to describe our government’s woes and debts, and I believe that to be the case, but I think it goes deeper than most choose to go.
1 Samuel 8: 11-18 records the prophet Samuel addressing the Israelites. They wanted a king to rule over them, like the other nations that surrounded them. God saw this as rejecting His rule over them, but he told Samuel to tell the people they could have a king. In these verses Samuel warns them about what having a king will cost them. Among those costs he tells them that the king will take a tenth of their earnings and what they own. This was considered tyranny because the king would be taking as much as God required from them. In this sense the king, the new government, would be putting itself in the place of God, which is essentially what the people were demanding.
Genesis 47: 13-26 tells of a time of famine in Egypt. First the Egyptians give Pharaoh all their money to survive, but the famine continued. Then they gave Pharaoh all their cattle in exchange for food. The famine continued so they sold themselves into slavery to Pharaoh in exchange for the means to survive. (Never waste a crisis). So Pharaoh made a bargain with them. You work all the fields, and take care of the cattle and pay me (Pharaoh, the government) 20%. This is twice the amount that God required, this was tyranny times two.
“…Matthew 24:38 states that the world will be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” until the Lord Jesus Christ returns. The world will be building their families, houses, and businesses. The world will be chasing the free enterprise dream until that day. We will not be made slaves of a communist system. That was a scare tactic to make trillions of dollars. We will be slaves of a democratic socialist type of free enterprise very similar to what we have right now in the United States. Right now we are working 40 percent or more of every year to pay our taxes. Are we going to lose our sense of being our own masters if the New World Order requires 51 percent or 60 percent of what we produce so that they can redistribute it as they see fit? I don’t think so. As long as they keep us comfortable and entertained we will go along. Do we feel like we have choice with a two-party political system where, no matter what, whoever gets in maintains the status quo of the shadow forces? Apparently, since that system has been working well for almost two generations. As long as we sense we have an opportunity to improve our individual lifestyles we will work for our masters.”
Robert E. Herndon Sr., Shadow Forces: A Short History of the Fallen, p.181.
Today, in the United States of America, we are giving more to Pharaoh than the Egyptian slaves gave. It is tyranny (10%) times four (40%) or more. I would say our problem is a systemic one. We are not using God’s Word to judge righteously. I do not like the message in John Lennon’s song “Imagine”, but let me use it just this once. Imagine the government took no more than 9.9% of what you earn. It’s easy if you try. Imagine those in our government of the United States of America trimming back their power and influence to fit in the confines of our Constitution and the intentions of our founding fathers. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Perhaps one day you will join us and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” will have won.
Do you really believe?
For the last several weeks our church has been presenting “The Truth Project”. A question is put forth in the first lesson of the series that really sums up where the rubber meets the road in the Christian’s walk with God: “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?” Their point is this; our actions are the most reliable indicator of our beliefs.
The question brought to mind something else I read recently about a young soldier in the Russian army in the early 1970’s, Ivan Moiseyev. He was a Christian, and he had a passion for the lost, so he let those around him know what he believed. Because of his open witness he was tortured and abused by those in command over him and those around him. They tried for two years to make him renounce his faith. They were not successful, they eventually killed him. At one point Ivan explained himself as follows:
“A lark threatened with death for singing would continue to sing. She cannot renounce her nature. Neither can we Christians.” DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs, Jesus Freaks. Stories of those who stood for Jesus, the ultimate Jesus Freaks. Page 34
I submit to Christians that if you renounce your nature, you do it at your own peril. Jesus said, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you really believe that the gospel of Christ is really real? Do you? Do you really believe that Jesus meant what he said in the above scripture? Do you? Do you really believe that hell is really real? Do you? If the answer is yes, what is holding your tongue? Fear of rejection, fear of losing your job, fear of losing your material things? Look at what Jesus said in Luke 9:25, just before what was just quoted, “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”
I have heard for years that we as Christians are the only Bible many will ever read. What is the message that you are giving your sphere of influence? My pastor recently said that if we are not reaching out to those around us with God’s love then we are basically saying, I’ve got mine, you can go to hell. The Apostle Peter said faith without action is dead. I have come to believe that faith without action is impossible. If you believe it, really believe it, you will act like you believe it. You cannot renounce your nature.
I want to encourage the “Church” to be ready for the second coming of Christ. Our readiness for His coming is demonstrated by us doing what we were commissioned to do. To occupy, be the light of the world, a city set on a hill, to love others. With love comes passion, we need a passion for the lost. Be gentle, be patient, but be visible and steadfast with you faith, and faith equals action. Believe that your Biblical worldview is really real.
Watch and Occupy
My message to the body of Christ can be summed up with two words: watch and occupy. I sense that “the Church” in the United States is going through some changes. The study of the end times over the last forty-plus years has focused primarily on a premillennial/pre-tribulation scenario. What I believe started out as a well meaning effort by Christian writers to sound the alarm that today is the day of salvation has digressed to sensationalism. Writers predicting the year of Christ’s return, or taking nearly every world event and desperately trying to make it fit their understanding of the scriptures has done damage to the reputation of the Gospel message.
For the most part, it has been the dispensational premillennial pre-tribulation genre that has pervaded the discussion of end-time scripture, but there are other interpretations that many Christians have been unaware of such as amillennialism, postmillennialism, and preterism. Even within the premillennial position there are variations such as historic, dispensational, pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation.
It is not my goal to convince the Church of one or the other. My goal is to encourage the Church to turn the television off, open their Bibles and study to show themselves approved and be ready to defend the hope that is in them. Study the Word, then study what others have written about it, and then study the Word—continuously. When you have done this, you can “watch” (1 Thessalonians 5:6) for Christ’s return far more effectively.
My next goal is to encourage the Church to “occupy”:
“…the Bible teaches us that we should “occupy till I [Christ] come” (Luke 19:13). We are instructed to be “the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill... Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:14 and 16). We are to be “the salt of the earth,” and Christ warns, “But if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). That is exactly what is happening and will continue to happen unless the church stands up to be the salt of the earth. The postmillennialists want us to stand up for different reasons—to take over culture, politics, etc. They, too, complain about the premillennialist apathy. But the millennial theory is only indirectly responsible. The real responsibility falls on our tendency to be lazy.”
Robert E. Herndon Sr., Shadow Forces: A Short History of the Fallen, p.289-290.
I believe it is time for Christians to come out of the closet. Our culture has become tolerant of everything except Christianity because we have allowed it. We are now being “trodden under foot of men” because we are not doing our mission. We are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. When I think of the millions who have lost their lives for the cause of Christ and His Gospel, when I think of the millions more that have lived and are living in poverty in Muslim and Communist countries because of their witness for Christ, I wonder what our problem is. We don’t express our beliefs at the workplace because we don’t want to lose our jobs, or worse, we don’t express our beliefs in social settings because we don’t want to offend anyone. If we believe that the Gospel or what is in our Bible is offensive we should not consider ourselves Christian. If it is offensive to unbelievers, oh well, that is to be expected (Romans 8:7).
I am not asking Christians to be rude, or overbearing. We should be patient and gentle with all men (2 Timothy 2: 24). My point is that I have never met a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a New Ager ashamed to tell me that they are a Buddhist, Muslim, or a New Ager. They are generally not eager to argue for their beliefs, but you know where they stand. Homosexuals have become proud and loud. We as Christians need to stand up and stand out, and “…having done all to stand. Stand therefore…” (Ephesians 6: 13-14).
Paul’s letter to the Romans was written in a pre-Christian culture, before Christianity was widespread. When we read the first two chapters it sounds familiar because we find ourselves moving into a post-Christian culture, where Christian principles are not regarded. We need to be watching for Christ’s return, but we need to occupy our culture until Christ does in fact return. That could be the next moment, or a thousand years from now. We need to keep our hearts as through our next breath is our last, but we need to provide salt and light to our culture as though several generations in the future depend upon it. We need to watch and occupy.