Suffering--it's not a topic we like to discuss. We cringe to hear the word, and by nature we are prone to try and avoid it at all costs. Yet, as ones living in a fallen world, it is an inevitable part of every life to one degree or another. No matter how much we want to run away from suffering, it is sure to find us out multiple times as we journey through this life. This is the human condition.
As a young, married couple eagerly anticipating the birth of our first child, we could never have imaged the level of suffering we were about to walk through with our son's traumatic birth, life-threatening health conditions, and diagnosis of Down syndrome. We never expected to be living in and out of hospitals for the first few months, or handing our tiny infant over to a surgical team for open heart surgery. The pain and suffering were real, and that season confronted some unconscious life expectations we unknowingly held--"Something like that could never happen to us." Yet happen it did, and we had a choice to make as to how we would respond to the unexpected suffering that had turned our idealistic world upside-down. We could have chosen to retreat into anger and bitterness, allowing it to fester until it poisoned our lives and relationships. We could have chosen to simply shut down emotionally, becoming mere shells of who we once were. OR, we could choose to give our pain to the Lord, inviting Him to heal our hearts, reveal more of Himself to us, and fashion us more into His likeness. I'm so thankful He protected us from staying on the first two paths but instead drew us close to His heart, teaching us to find joy in the pain. He is good!
Yes, we will all encounter suffering in our lives, but I want to focus our attention on a different type of suffering than those things that are simply common to the world in which we live. We have no doubt heard the stories of saints of the past who endured suffering and even martyrdom for the sake of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, we are aware of the incredible suffering Christians are experiencing around the world in our modern times. For many this is a daily reality. When they make a decision to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, they are fully aware that they are placing EVERYTHING on the line, including their own lives. Yet the beautiful reality of the Gospel, the TRUTH that salvation is only found through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for sinful humanity, compels them to risk it all for that which can never be taken from them.
In the Western world, we have long been shielded from much suffering or persecution for the witness of the Gospel. America has long been considered a beacon of religious freedom, personal liberty, and freedom of speech. Yet we find ourselves now in an unprecedented hour in which these very freedoms are under attack. Sadly, many do not see it. Maybe they are unwilling to see it. After all, this is America! "Something like that could never happen to us." However, the handwriting is on the wall, and we ignore it to our own peril. The Body of Christ in America needs to wrestle through the reality that if we truly desire to live faithfully before the Lord without compromise; if we truly desire to stand firmly grounded on the truth of His Word, we must be prepared to endure suffering. It is at our door.
For decades now, secular humanism, often referred to as progressive liberalism or "woke" culture, has been gaining inroads in pretty much every facet of our society. It is now entrenched in media, entertainment, education, Big Tech, government, corporate America, and sadly, even in the church through the increasingly popular trend of "Progressive Christianity." This worldview stands in stark contrast to a truly biblical worldview (a worldview that believes the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative Word of God which should be the plumb line of truth for every aspect of life).
Consider the trends we are seeing...The progressive left is constantly claiming to be for "unity," "diversity," "tolerance," and "love." Yet what are we witnessing? If one dares to stray from the acceptable "group think," if one does not adhere to the ideology of "woke" culture, they are under threat of the mob. Cancel culture has be exploding past any standards of reason or merit, demanding the destruction of those who dare to hold a different perspective. Dissenters must be intimidated, silenced, shamed, de-platformed, demonized, and delegitimized, so that they are prevented from speaking in the public square or operating within society. Instead of unity, the demand is for conformity. While diversity of race, sexuality, religion (except biblical Christianity), etc. are celebrated, diversity of thought and ideology is quickly condemned. There is absolutely no "tolerance" for those who do not bow the knee to their agenda. And while there is much talk of "love," we see increasing levels of hatred being spewed across the spectrum.
Now, I realize that these are blanket statements, and I want to clarify that I am not claiming that they accurately characterize the heart and mentality of every individual who has chosen the path of liberalism. I know many genuine people, who do their best to love others, regardless of beliefs, and who sincerely want the best for others. In the same vein, there are certainly people who identify as conservative who are hateful, demeaning, and intolerant of those who disagree with them. At the very root, the problem is sin in the heart of man, and the only true remedy is the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What I am addressing, however, are the societal trends we are witnessing right now in our nation.
Another alarming trend is the Critical Race Theory that has taken center stage, corralling every one into categories of the oppressor or the oppressed. Martin Luther King Junior's famous quote, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," seems to be increasingly falling on deaf ears. If you are a white conservative, how quickly you may be labeled a "white supremacist," "racist," "sexist," "bigot," "Nazi," or whatever "phobic" the mob decides to pin on you. Black conservatives are often times labelled as "traitors," or "Uncle Tom's" for the sin of rejecting progressive liberalism. And while not all conservatives are Christians, many Christians are conservatives. We seem to be the biggest target. But should it really surprise us?
While the shocking events that unfolded at our Capitol on January 6 were completely wrong and without excuse, the tsunami of response in the wake of that event has in some ways been equally shocking and alarming. There will certainly be many unanswered questions and interpretations as to what truly unfolded on that day, possibly for years to come. However, two things should be clear: One, the VAST MAJORITY of the nation stands in condemnation of what transpired. Two, the unacceptable actions of a few (comparatively speaking considering the hundreds of thousands who truly came to peacefully assemble) is in NO WAY an accurate reflection of conservatives and/or Christians as a whole. Not even close. Yet this is the dangerous message being sent out to the nation ever since. We saw immediate and widespread censorship of, not only the sitting President of the United States, but also of multiple conservative voices across the social media world and the airwaves, and then the shocking destruction of alternative platforms through the partnership of Big Tech and Amazon. Freedom of speech is under unprecedented attack.
This recent article highlights the dangerous trends we are witnessing and highlights many of the incendiary statements that have been made by leaders in government and media in recent days. The writer then summarize it all...
There you have it, in their own words, what they think of conservative Trump supporters. We are religious extremists, cultists, radicals, and domestic threats that need to be deprogrammed, deradicalized, and reeducated. Then if that doesn't work, we must be cut out like cancerous growths.
Or consider recent statements by CNN's Jim Acosta, claiming on national television that Trump supporters and conservative news outlets are an "existential threat to this country." These are just a few examples of the sudden push to paint conservatives and Christians as some sort in interior "threat" to the nation. Never mind the summer of widespread violence, destruction, and murder that was unleashed across our nation through BLM and Antifa. We could easily spend an entire blog post discussing the discrepancies here, but I'll simply say that the double standards are truly astounding.
As I stated earlier, the writing is on the wall, and we ignore it to our own peril. Those claiming to be "anti-fascists" are increasingly employing fascist strategies against any who would dare to oppose them. And regardless of how you may have felt about Donald Trump, the reality is that we now have a federal government that is by and large controlled by progressive liberal ideology. Many of the values and goals stand in stark contradiction to biblical truth, and they are being implemented at lightening speed through a flurry of executive orders. Legislation is in the works as well, such as the Equality Act, which will result in direct attacks on religious liberty, threatening the freedom of many to live by their biblical convictions.
The Bible tells us in Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." Can any born again follower of Jesus Christ deny that we are seeing this magnified in our day? Supporting the "right" to slaughter of innocent babies is "compassionate" while standing up against the bloodshed is "oppressive." Sexual immorality and perversion of all kinds is celebrated, while sexual purity and biblical marriage are scorned. Gender confusion abounds, and those who would dare to stand on biological reality are accused of "hate." Romans 1:22 comes to mind, "Claiming to be wise, they became fools."
We are at a crossroads in our history as a nation, and the true followers of Jesus Christ have a choice to make. Will we stand firm in our commitment to Jesus Christ and stand unapologetically on the authority of His Word, conforming our lives to His ways? Or will we allow ourselves to be intimidated into silence by an increasingly hostile culture and even government? Sadly many will probably follow the siren song of the Progressive Christianity movement, which will comfortably allow them to embrace and be accepted by the culture of the day while still claiming to love Jesus and His Word. They will exchange the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ for the politically correct social justice "gospel." They will trade the authority of the life-giving Word of God, by which we are conform our lives and transform our minds, for the emotionally and fleshly appealing practice of re-interpreting, cherry-picking, and otherwise twisting the Bible to fit their preferred worldview. These are indeed dangerous times in which we live.
However, for the Bride of Christ, those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and are committed to following Him faithfully no matter the cost, there is hope. We may be heading into tumultuous times, but the Lord Himself goes before us, and He will sustain us. As pressures mount, I believe glory will be released. As the world rages against Christ and His followers, I believe that the Gospel will go forth with power. I am praying that we see a great revival--a great ingathering of the precious souls Jesus shed His blood to redeem. We were chosen to be alive in this chapter of history, and God does not make mistakes. This world is passing away, and eternity is before us. Let's renew our commitment to "seek first His Kingdom and His righteous." Let's commit to pray with greater focus and purpose. Let's commit to worship and praise, no matter how dark things may get. Let's commit to love and serve, even the face of hostility. Let's commit to readily forgive, and not allow offense to take root in our hearts. Let's commit to boldly share the hope we carry with a lost and dying world. Let's commit to trust unwaveringly in the promises of God, no matter what it looks like around us, for our God is FAITHFUL. Let us rejoice if He should count us worthy to suffer for His Namesake as we "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart," (Hebrews 12:2-3)
COME LORD JESUS!
