Today as I went about my business at the bank and the farmers market, I was repeatedly wished a happy fourth of July. I am afraid I do not have much to celebrate. I know God is on His throne, and His Word will not return to Him void; but I also know that those who endeavor to stand upon the full counsel of God are in for rough roads ahead.
What intrigues me most, though, are professing believers who are surprised when the humanistic culture that has rejected the God of Scripture and His law-word acts upon its presuppositions. The enemies of Christ are being consistent to their belief structure, while most of Christian America has been content to sit on the sidelines and wait for rescue from social disintegration. Thus, the battles that have been lost were not due to superior “firepower” from the opposition, but because many who claim to be on our team failed to show up for the contest.
The hearts and minds of the general population and the majority of Christian children were captured by the state school system many years ago. Just canvass anyone who attended public school during the last fifty-plus years. Ask what they were taught about abortion, taxation, morality, etc., and you will know why society accepts what it accepts. Those who set the agenda in government schools purposefully taught according to their beliefs. What is remarkable is how few professing Christians even blinked an eye as they turned their children over to those who made it clear that Jesus Christ was unwelcome in public schools.
If we want to see the tide turned, we must align our lives according to Biblical teaching and make sure we are not working for the enemy—actively or passively. Numbers and finances are not the deciding factors. Faithfulness is. Those who claim the cross of Christ must live consistently within their profession of faith. Otherwise, they are nothing more than traitors in our midst.
So, the next time your Christian friends bemoan the sorry state of the world, inquire as to whether or not they are part of the passive majority who have been working for the enemies of God. Ask them if they sent or are sending their children to statist schools. Ask if they abandon Godly candidates and vote in favor of unrighteous causes. If they answer in the affirmative, confront them, showing them how they are passive accomplices at best, and at worst, active supporters of programs/systems that are at war with Christ. If the Lord grants them ears to hear, you may win some new recruits to the dedicated minority intent on obediently and faithfully making disciples of all nations.
The Kingdom-Driven Family 
This is so applicable!
Yesterday afternoon, while speaking with the neighboring farmer’s market vendor (whom I hardly know at all), I didn’t know what to say when she expressed the strength of her opinion that Jesus is coming back soon — so soon that it really doesn’t matter what she does to try to improve her failing garden. (All the crops and gardens in this part of the country are not doing well this year due to excessive rain and unusually cool temperatures.) I wanted to say something, but I knew, due to the nature of the noisy and busy situation, that I would only have room for about two sentences — and I really didn’t know what to say in that space of time…other than something about how God has all things under his control and He knows what is going on (which is all I said). What do you think would have been a more appropriate reaction than my “stunned mullet” reaction? (I guess it could also be called, the “deer in the headlights” look for those not from the Gulf coast….)
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Thanks for sharing your experience. Let me say from the outset, that not all situations lend themselves to quick retorts. I think you benefited from the encounter, just for educational purposes — knowing what others think and how they order their lives.
That said, sometimes the best way to flesh out someone’s underlying perspectives is by asking a question that forces them to consider their presuppositions. For example, when the woman stated what she considered to be a righteous position, you could have responded with, “Where is the reference for that?” When she cannot produce one (which she won’t be able to do), you should be ready with passages that say the opposite of what she stated. That is what it means to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within you. It may lead to more discussion, or you may have just planted a seed — one that you hope will be nurtured, mature, and grow.
As an aside, we have the opposite weather issue in California. We have too little rain. Isn’t it great to know that the Lord has it all under control and that regardless of difficulties we may face, we still have our marching orders!!!
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Thank you for replying, Mrs. Schwartz! Yes, it is wonderful — truly wonder-ful — that we can know that the Lord is over all things, including my conversation with this lady yesterday. I will look for more opportunity to converse with her in future, now better knowing how she thinks and thus better knowing how I can speak with her….
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