Hi everyone I felt led to write this blog because of the recent incidents that have happened in our country and the world. COVID-19 lock downs, election result accusations, government over reach and private company oppression. I can go on and on with so many more concerns that were born out of the year 2020, but I am sure you get the picture. How do we as Christians navigate these times? How do we maintain our hope and faith when we see the spiritual darkness increase around us. The stress levels of everyone is increasing causing more confrontations and the potential for lashing out violently. More and more people are refusing to listen and don’t want to talk, they want action. Where does this leave us as a Christian? We are to be in the world, but not of it, but being in it is enough to be affected by these issues surrounding us. There are so many injustices being carried out before our eyes, do we stand up for fairness and truth, fight or flee the onslaught of persecution?
In times like these I like to silence my thoughts and go to God. His word has all we need, to deal with any situation we encounter in this world. Christ did say we would experience persecution, the bible also said for a time evil will prevail over the church until the Acient of Days, Jesus Christ, returns and passes judgement. So with this foreknowledge we should not panic, but be prepared placing our trust in the Word of God. In my prayer and reading time I came across the following veres in the book of 1 Peter.
1 Peter Chp 2:11-25
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
12 Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, wether to the king as supreme,
14 Or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
16 As free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For this is commendable, if because of consicience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully,
20 For what credit is it, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in his mouth.”23 Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but “committed Himself to Him who judges reighteously“;
24 “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righeousness – by whose stripes you were healed.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
After reading the above scriptures I can see in my mind the hands and heads of many Christians drop. I am sure not many of us expected that response from the word especially with the mounting injustices going on in the country. Our emotions on high, how can this be the instruction? How can this be the answer? The next question could be, that these verses are being used out of context. Well before we explore the scriptures lets eplore the context in which Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words?
According to biblical researchers, this letter written by Peter was sent to the Christians in Asia Minor (Modern day Turkey). They were suffering persecution from neighbors and government authorities in the quest to spread the Gospel. This letter came to them as an encouragement. What is even more ironic is that Peter is assumed to have written this letter while he was in Rome. Due to his reference of being in Babylon to the end of this epistle. According to historians Rome was recongnized in that time as the center of opposition to Christianity. They believe Peter wrote this epistle around A.D. 62, just before the burning of Rome in A.D. 64 which ushered in a more draconion form of persecution for Christians. Now that you are aware of the setting that caused Peter to write these words, can you not say that these words are applicable to us today? The persecution of Christians has increased today in this country. Around the world our brothers and sisters are experiencing atrocities for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. People no longer want to hear truth because they desire lies that allow them to continue to live in sin. We are becoming the salt that burns the wound trying to sanitize and preserve the world around us. In the old and new testament, the prophets that spread the word of God always pleaded for people to repent. When scriptures from the word of God is read, preached or sang, it causes conviction lead by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of saving souls. God desires redemption of souls from sin that leads to eternal death, to life everlasting by accepting his Son Jesus Christ as savior. People derive their morality of what is right and wrong, from worldly wisdom, which according to the bible is foolishness and the evidence is in the current condition of the world today. Man has chosen to govern by their own wisdom and exclude God from all areas of society. There has never been more worldwide chaos and uncertainty. Rumors of wars fill the news, sexual immorality and abnormality has become the accepted norms. The truth is now a lie and lies are the truth. God is proven right, only his Word is truth, given to us to obey and live in peace through salvation.
Now that we established why Peter’s letter applies to us Christians today, we can begin to look at the verses above.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
12 Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Here we see Peter rightfully categorizing our worldly status. Pilgrims and Sojourners which reinforces our temporary residence here on earth, just traveling through, leading to our life everlasting. Wether this life everlasting is to be with God or separate from him in hell, is due to our choices here on earth.
We are to be in the world but not of it. This means we need to divorce ourselves from the current affairs of this world that easily entangles us in arguements, unfruitfull debates, sinful acts that lead to discord and division among our brother’s and sisters in the Lord. After shifing our perspective on life here on earth, he then refocuses our purpose. Peter is saying to unify under the one purpose that God has given us all as his children. As Christians we are to be a witness to the goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the Glory of God. Our conduct and faith are on display as a testimony to the power of God through Jesus Christ, to renew, restore and save man from destruction.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, wether to the king as supreme,
14 Or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
This is the tricky part of this issue. It appears we are being asked to suffer under the laws of men and kings installed by God, but keep doing good even in the face of their persecution. When I read this the first thing that came to my mind was every ordinance? An ordinance means;
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a piece of legislation enacted by a municipal authority.“a city ordinance banned smoking in nearly all types of restaurants”
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an authoritative order; a decree.synonyms: edict, decree, law, injunction, fiat, command, order, rule, ruling, dictum, dictate, directive, mandate, enactment, statute, act, canon, regulation, ukase, pronunciamento
Today their are so many ordinances that are being issued that directly contradict the word of God. Are we to submit to those ordinances as well? I guess it will depend on the meaning of the word submit in this context. Has this idea of submission to man’s authority ever been put forward in the bible? Let’s see what Apostle Paul has to say about this topic?
Romans 131:5
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake
Apostle Paul’s rendition of this requirement to submit is a bit more concerning. He likens our submission to the ordinances of governors and kings, to being obedient to God. He states that God’s power over all, has ordained our rulers in their positions. To resist or rebel could mean directly resisting the wisdom of God, who installed that leader in place and could speak damnation on us as well. If both Apostle Paul and Peter are admonishing us to submit ourselves to the current leaders rule and their ordinances. How do we reconcile living our biblical beliefs, while preaching the word of truth i,n a society where speaking truth could mean breaking their ordinances? To be specific a true believer will not condone the act of homosexuality even if its legal by ordinances, but loves the individual that is lost in such sin. A true believer will not condone transgender theology or beliefs, but loves the individual that is lost in that sin. A true believer will not condone fornication, but loves the individual that is caught in such sin. I can go on and on listing issues that our rulers have legalized through their ordinances that are in direct contradiction to the word of God. How do we move on in a society where we comply with such ordinances, and not compromise our faith and belief in the Word of God?
In the final verses of chapter twelve, Apostle Paul provided some direction on how we are to achieve this. Why should his words bear weight on this topic, because he was a former persecutor of Christians in his old life. Before his encounter with Christ, he walked in the shoes of the type of people we will face and has a unique perspective on reaching them. So what does he suggest?
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good
I believe Apostle Paul gave us so much in the above verses on how to be in the world but not of it. Even as the world grows dimmer and our lights begin to shine, he provides direct instruction case by case on how to live out our lives. To be honest verse nine is a summation of all his suggestions and is all we need. Love without dissimulation, Abhor sin and cleave to that which is good.
- Love without dissimulation: In other words don’t display lovingness while lacking love in your heart. During these times true genuine love and concern is required or people will see through you and it would be of no effect. The act (action word) of loving people should not be done with an agenda. Your response to their gratitude and confusion, as to why you are sacrificing for them, should be a cordinated redirection to Christ. According to Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40, the second greatest commandment is to Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
- Abhor sin: Detest sin and its fruit. Anything you hate or detest you remove yourself as far away from it as possible. You don’t compromise with sin or excuse away sin, you call it for what it is and stay away from it, encouraging others to do the same. It may mean we have to relocate our families from certain sinful cities or end some friendships. The key is rejecting the co-exsistence of man’s sinful nature, with the redeemed creature you’ve become in Christ Jesus. I use the word creature because fallen man is ruled by flesh and sin nature. Their thougt process, desires, impulses, ideologies, everything is as different as dark is to light. A redeemed man has been washed clean of sin, made whole in Christ and has become a vessel for the Holy Spirit. As a new man in Christ we have gained the Holy Spirit that lives in us 24/7. Therefore our aversion to sin would be strong, because the Spirit of God that’s living in us rejects sin. To the point it can sometimes cause a physical reaction of disgust. These are the signs that the Spirit of God is renewing our minds, transforming us as we work through our salvation, conforming to the will of God in his word.
- Cleave to what is good: This is the question of the day. What is considered good? Well I believe Paul anticipated that question and proceeded to list a number of things a Christian should do that is considered good. I believe after researching what is good and perfect for Christians to do in this world it comes down to a loving out reach to people who are hurt, sick, down trodden, orphaned, widowed and lost. Isaiah 58:10 (10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:) That is the King James version which speaks of pouring out of your soul into another’s soul that is afflicted. I thought that this version was very intimate and describes perfectly what it means to love without dissimulation. When you give of your self and become emotionally invested in the well being of another, God calls this good. The verse also says your light will begin to shine brighter in the darkness. All over the bible there are verses that speak of feeding the hungry, taking care of the orphans and providing for the widows. Why? Because that is what Jesus wants us to do as the body of Christ, fulfilling the mandate of God through us. Christ did all these things during his years of ministry on earth without hesitation. His heart was for the lost and down trodden. I truly believe doing good requires us to refocus our gaze from selfish desires to the lives of others. Let God take care of us while we take care of others. That is doing good.
We talk of letting our light shine in the world, but what exactly is this light that gets brighter the more we pour our souls out to help others? It is the love of God. The love of God flowing through the Holy Spirit in us, as we live and preach the Gospel. It is what attracts sinners to us. Not who we are or what we do per-say, but the way we love people is what affects people’s hearts. This is what we are ordained to do now as the body of Christ. The title of this blog was a question, “SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW”. I believe this question was answered above.
To summarize,
- Our goal is not to enter the fight of politics or worldly matters as things fall deeper into darkness. We are to subject ourselves to the rule of law, without compromising our allegiance to the word of God. Any contradicting ordinances can be rejected in love and pointed out as sin.
- This may invite consequences which we should gladly bear, because it is on behalf of our savior Jesus Christ. Incurring persecution for doing what the word of God says is good. It should encourage us to press on because it is evidence we are being effective against the darkness. God’s authority superceedes any man made laws.
- While we bear our burdens we need to continue to do good and that is to share our souls loving and helping the sick, hungry, orphan, widow and poor. We are called to stand up for and protect the weak, even our enemies. This will counteract the slander from evil men that would try to paint us as heartless and mean because we are not accepting of their sinful lives and carnal nature. Once we continue to do good, the love of God will shine into the darkness of the world and attract the lost giving us the opportunity to lead them to Christ.
I don’t want anyone to get the idea that we are to become push overs. I remember in the scriptures Jesus standing up against the law makers to defend a guilty woman. See below
John 8:3-12
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Here is a perfect example of Christ standing up to those who enforced the laws at that time. They could be considered the political elite that made laws to oppress and control the people not to follow them. Jesus’s cunning answer is a perfect example of how we can resist the wrongs of the laws and decrees issued by the ruling class.
- Christ first took some quiet time ignoring their desire for him to make a snap judgement. He showed patience and restraint as he deliberated his response. To do this we need to take time to ponder on the word and how it applies to the pressing issues at the moment. That requires us to know what is going on around us, to be informed enough and studied in the word, so we have an appropriate response to our oppressers and accusers in the moment.
- Then using his knowledge and understanding of the law of Moses, he responded to them with wisdom. It is wisdom that breaks the back of pride, vengence and any evil desire behind oppressiveness. We can only attain this wisdom if we seek it by searching the scriptures and asking the Holy Spirit for understanding. This is why our walk so crutial in these times.
- Christ’s response was not designed to attack the pharisees personally, but the ideology that drove them to this action. The pharisees were quoting the law of Moses correctly, but without Grace. His words exposed the hypocrasy of their perspecive, that as pharisees they were qualified to be judge and executioner. Yet they themselves could be convicted by the sin in their lives. At which point, they too would hope for grace rather than being judged.
This is how we will need to function in today’s society which seems to have been handed over to a reprobrate mind. Cunning as wolves as we use the word and its wisdom, but innocent as sheep in our intentions. I truly believe putting on the whole armor of God mentioned in Ephesians prepares us daily to fulfill God’s will in this world.
While writing this article, it came to my mind that the Jews in the time of Christ, were looking for a political savior to overthrow the current government that oppressesed them. In their time it was Rome, but Christ was not here for an earthly Kingdom and so they rejected him. The Jews missed the savior of the world focusing on their worldly desires. In our time nothing has changed, it is the ruling elite that are the oppressors. We are looking to political figures and establishments to save us. God’s purpose has nothing to do with man’s institutions, ambitions and establishments. Christ made it clear, he came to heal the sick, restore the broken and save the souls of the lost.
Mark 2:16-17
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
That’s what he did every where he went. He proved that you can be in the world’s system and adhere to the local ordinances, while winning souls in the process. The question is now that we have an idea what needs to be done in today’s wordly circumstances, what will we actually choose to do? Will we follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and our brethren? I guess the true question is not what do we do, but what will we do now? Now that we have received revelation, on what is our role, will we obey?
