The Response

This has been stirring in me for weeks. It is written in response to the current state of our world. If you’re interested, keep reading.

Hear me out for a second.

I am about to make a few bold statements in love. 

{Disagreeing is to be expected. Engaging in kind, life-giving conversation is welcomed. However, attacking anyone else in the comments will not be tolerated.}

There are many bandwagons people are jumping on right now- politically, socially, and personally. There are lines being drawn in the sand, megaphones being shouted into, and information of all kinds being hurled around like a violent storm. People are scared. People are confused. And people are searching; searching daily for truth surrounding the current state of our world.

Should believers in Christ seek to uncover truth and dispose of twisted lies? Always.

Should believers in Christ engage in political and social discussion and use their platforms to share information? Absolutely.

But never at the expense of swallowing up the message of the gospel whole.

What is most important here? Uncovering a conspiracy? Eating inside your favorite restaurant and going the mall again? Yelling from the rooftops about how our “christian rights” are being taken away and how we deserve to gather in church buildings again? (which by the way, this is so far from the persecution some of our brothers and sisters are actually facing around the world.)

Forget the building. We are the church. Let’s actually be it.

We are all hurting in different ways. We all miss normality. Some of us are mourning the loss of loved ones, navigating sickness, or missing out on graduations, weddings, and planned events.

Listen for a second, though. A lot of us are stuck fighting a selfish fight that Christ would never fight.

Here is where all of this is becoming extremely convoluted and twisted. We are misunderstanding the goal. We are confusing our goal to participate in righteous, justice-fueled discourse with the actuality being selfish, prideful, argumentative quarreling.

Let’s talk about Jesus for a second. He certainly flipped society of his  day directly on it's head. He did the unexpected. He healed many, he loved many, he taught all sorts of new concepts, and do you know what else? He was right at the center of politics. He was the subject and the cure for constant differences of opinion. Politics surrounded the story of Jesus. His life ended with a political execution. Jesus submerged himself right in the midst of the hard conversations. He fought were was right and true. He was zealous and passionate in all of the right ways, fueling Him to share redemption with all He encountered.

Do you know what Jesus didn’t do, though? 

Fight for SELF.

He didn’t stand on a platform and rattle off a string of language about “His rights”.

Did he care about justice and the right treatment of others? Yes. This is all throughout the gospels.

I am not saying we shouldn’t be bold. I am not saying we should all have the same opinions about COVID-19 and what all of this means. I am not saying we should duck-out of hard conversations and cease fighting for truth.

What I am saying is this:

despite the differences of opinion, despite the potential conspiracies, despite the evil acts, despite the hardship, despite the obvious need to uncover truth and expose evil-our response as believers in Jesus Christ should ALWAYS be the same.

In the middle of the chaos, confusion, conspiracies, political and social disagreements- the answer and the cure remains unchanging. Our hope in the gospel and rapid desire to share salvation with others should be spreading like wildfire even more than ever before. 

Our response needs to be steadfast because He is steadfast. 

Christ is sure, secure, unwavering, unshakable, and never moving.

Our response is Micah 7:7-8-

7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,

    I wait for God my Savior;

    my God will hear me.

8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy!

    Though I have fallen, I will rise.

Though I sit in darkness,

    the Lord will be my light.

We will look to the Lord and wait on Him always. We will have confidence that He will hear us and we will have faith that the enemy will not prevail. We know that when we feel defeated, through Christ we will rise. Darknesses encompasses every corner of the earth right now, but the Lord is our light in the midst.