The hope that is to come
These last two years have seen some “interesting” events to say the least. We have suffered financial crises, wars and even more social trials culminating in the outlook for 2010 being “gloomy” with a slow recovery, massive tax hikes and general mire on all fronts with the only bright spot being an election that might see a peaceful regime change (if only in name) in the UK.
It seems that even more so now, worlds, cultures and ideals are colliding and there are always “wars and rumors of wars” on most continents.
Add into this mix the seemingly unstoppable drive towards a secular liberal society that excludes any reference to right or wrong, sin and repentance, justice and truth, and you have a cocktail for a future that is not so much bright as mired in darkness, a world where personal feelings are more important than personal responsibility and, where justice is a fiction based on the rule of money.
In all this tumult, pain, anguish and the failure of man there IS a beacon of hope, a place of refuge, one body that SHOULD rail against all the world can throw at it, our church (I mean the body of believers, not any one particular denomination).
They say “You never know a good thing till it is gone” – how true this is for me. I love where I worship now; I love my church and the people within, the passion of their faith the joy of their hope. But like one’s first love, the church family that nurtured me as I took my first faltering steps down the Christian road, the people who encouraged me, prayed for me, loved me…these are the ones who have a special place in my heart. Those brothers and sisters who stood with me as I grappled with the darkness of doubt looking for the light of truth in Him, they are and will always be part of the heart of my faith because they have the heart of God.
In these times and the times to come it is our CHURCH family who are be called upon to stand firm together and proclaim the truth, hope and love of Jesus to the world, it is the CHURCH who will stand with you, we will all be asked to stand together for something bigger than social rights or wrongs.
Like all families, in the church we have our squabbles, our disagreements and our fights, our dotty relatives, wayward siblings and hopeless dreamers but in all this there is something that binds us together as a single unit – the love of Jesus Christ.
“Blood is thicker than water” and there is no greater bond than the blood of our Saviour.
In a world that condemns faith as bigotry, that condones murder and calls it choice, that seeks to destroy the cornerstones of a society built on faith and calls it liberalism, WE, the church WILL be persecuted. WE the body of Christ WILL suffer, WE who are servants of the Most High God WILL prevail in His name, we WILL preach the Truth, we WILL love and seek to save all even as we are hated.
Ours in not a Politically Correct message but the truth is that ALL are sinners and fall short of the glory of God, that Jesus died for us, to pay the price for our sins and our salvation, for the world that hates Him, for the people yet to yield to Him.
There IS a promised land for there IS a promise, not of safety and security but of redemption and eternal joy in the house of our Father.
Why am I saying this now you may ask? We in our comfortable little worlds, with our big screen TV’s, our mortgages, our holidays, our hopes and dreams, the money we win, and the futures we lose, the things we go without – are we so wrapped up in our lives that we forget? There are brothers and sisters in the world today who are DYING for Christ, who refuse in the face of certain death to renounce their Saviour. Who when faced with the stark choice of “convert or die” choose the latter knowing that in death they become truly alive. We, who worry about our pensions, our savings, our bills….but we do not have to worry about the choice of life or death. I like you I am sure, despair at where this country and the world is going, but look around you and you will see that here in the west…it has not even started….
So, as we look forward to the new year, as we have just celebrated the birth of our King, we remember with Joy the hope that is to come, and we must with great earnest seek to serve our King in more ways, we must pray for our brothers and sisters, we must in our comfort remember those who have no comfort, in our joy, remember those who have no such joy.
As Brad McFadden once said to me via twitter:
Life in the service of a King is a good one.
As we read our Bibles and meditate upon His word, think on this, that there are others in the world who do not have the luxury of time….remember and pray earnestly for our brothers and sisters overseas as well as your brethren beside you in your church.
As we look ahead to 2010, we must hold steadfast to that Hope, to the promise and we must keep the faith.
Now more than ever we need to bond and build as a church, without compromising on biblical truths. Let us go back to our own churches, small-groups and homes rejoicing in the gift of fellowship and build each-other up, let us continue to rejoice, let us put on the armour, let us remain faithful to our King and let us prepare for a battle that is to come.
Your church is carrying the Word of God into the darkness where it can shine and change people. When you are attacked, vilified, abused or “in chains” call upon your church to stand with you, but always remain in peace with your brothers and sisters. The importance of a stable and loving family is well witnessed in our society and that truth, that a stable bonded family is stronger than anything, is especially relevant to us today in the Church.
A loving church community is a dynamic representation of the ethos and love of Christ, it is a force for good…we should maintain and build it….we will need it in the days to come.
When you are called upon to make a leap of faith in the face of something you might now think impossible to comprehend, know that it is a faithful God you serve, and it is a faithful church that stands with you.
Let me leave you with this thought from Erwin McManus:
Christ came not only to die for us, Christ also came to show us how to live
Lift up you eyes, lift up your hearts and KNOW that God is with you now and forever.
May you continue to live in the Light of Christ, who WILL come again.
Pax
