Morality is being redefined every day. It is becoming normal for a marriage to fail. A vast majority of churches are shrinking. Corruption seems to be the norm for business and politics. Laws are being passed that support this paradigm. Our heroes are unscrupulous celebrities whose benevolent actions are publicized while their immorality is forgotten. The world has gone nuts.
Here is a rule of physics that should not be lost when considering what we should do about our world: An object shall stay in motion unless acted upon by an equal and opposite force. In other words, we must do something or things are going to continue in this direction.
The politicians tell us that the answer is for churches to get involved in politics. They claim things would get better if we would tell our people who to vote for. Can you tell me if one party has a corner or morality? The news seems to indicate that both parties are just as likely to take bribes,be unfaithful to their spouses and use government money for personal activity. I don't think this is the answer.
Parachurch groups tell us that the world will continue to go this direction until we start protesting and boycotting. They tell us to stay away from a certain company and they will feel the pressure and see the light. These groups claim victory whenever a company changes their policies. It looks to me that these protests and boycotts grabbed more attention for these companies and helped them more than hurt. Christians protested "The Last Temptation of Christ" and the movie made millions because of the publicity it got. It didn't matter that the movie was a stinker from the get-go. The publicity that Christians gave it sent it into the black. Boycotting and protesting are not the answer.
The answer is closer to home. We Christians are not acting like Christians. The world doesn't know there is something better. We have become incredible hypocrites and the world knows it. We have depended on our own power and this is not strong enough to overcome the world. We have hidden in our churches and become the "nuts" to the world. We have not lived out our faith in a loving way. They see us as a bunch of people who want to force others into a way of living.
The answer is close to home. We must be genuine, authentic believers who love the world like God does. He does not love the things in the world. He loves the people of the world. He has given His greatest sacrifice so that the world would know that He loves them. This means we must also make sacrifices rather than protests. We should see the vision of reaching a world we can take with us rather than molding a world we are going to leave behind.
We do not have the right to bicker in our churches while the world is lost. We do not have the privilege to wander from church to church to have our needs met when the world is going to hell. We are not owed the right to have our needs met first. We are called to join others who will worship our Lord, grow in Christ and go serve until the whole world comes to know our Savior. We must focus on surrendering all that we are or have to become disciples of Jesus. We must become a people that are so radically and positively different from the world that the world notices. Our marriages must be solid and exciting. Our joy must be evident to all. We should avoid every appearance of evil.
The answer the madness of the world is found in our own relationship to Christ. The madness will end when our own madness ends.
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