It is so hard to watch people being led astray. It's even harder to watch people who profess to follow Jesus speak against the Bible as if their words are truth which then leads people astray (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). It is so hard to know that the hearts of people are becoming hardened and that an eternity spent in a devastating place is a real destination.
I know that there are those who will disagree with me. Who do not believe what I believe. And that's okay. I'm not here to argue with anyone. But instead, I'm speaking up and speaking out the same way those who believe opposite of what I believe do daily by instead calling out those of us who profess to follow Jesus but choose to sit back and stay silent. I'm calling us out because we are failing miserably at the mission.
Scripture tells us that none of us are good. Not one (Romans 3:10-12). That we all are sinful (Romans 3:23). But not just that that pretty much everything we do is sinful. Our lying, jealousy, foul language, selfishness, abuse, gossip, slander, pride, gluttony, divorces, homosexuality, abortion, adultery, infidelity, hatred, murder, discrimination, racism...the list goes on and on and it's all sin. Because it all goes back to pride and the selfish desires of our own flesh and for many the unwillingness to acknowledge sin (1 John 2:15-17). The truth is that sin is what causes us to "miss the mark." And the mark is the standard of perfection which God established and which was lived out by Jesus. Our inability or unwillingness to acknowledge our sin is where the issue lies. God wants us to recognize our sin because sin is what will distance us from Him and He loves us too much for there to be distance so He sent Jesus (John 3:16).
How do we combat all this? Scripture tells us that if we love God we will keep His Commandments (John 14:15). The simplest summary of the Commandments given by Jesus say that we are to love God and love our neighbor. And when we do that, when we love God first and above all other things including ourself and our own desires, we will obey God and be less likely to be taken captive by our sin and finally be able to acknowledge our sin.
God tells us what we need to be holy. Unfortunately because of Adam and Eve and the sin that entered the world through them...we are incapable of righteousness on our own and being in the presence of God because He alone is holy. This means that we need Jesus. This means that only Jesus and the blood He shed for us is what makes us acceptable and righteous to God who is holy. Who is our Creator. Who is our Heavenly Daddy. Once we recognize ourselves as sinners, Jesus will forgive once we repent and turn from our sinful desires and actions. It doesn't mean that suddenly we are perfect and will never fall into sin again but instead that we will now become aware of our sin and our need for Jesus.
I'm terrified for what this world will look like for my grandchildren. And as much as I don't want to take away from my own children and their future... I spend a lot of mornings praying that Jesus will come back soon. Very soon. I know that would mean there would be a lot of people who wouldn't come to know Jesus and I know that means I'm being incredibly selfish (sinful) but to see this amazing world that God created and all the amazing people in it continually reject Him and spit in His face breaks my heart. To see people mock the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. The death that He died for every single person so that all might know Him and spend eternity with Him often leaves me speechles. I ache for what this world has become and I believe that God has raised up a generation of people who will reflect His glory and not just their own. A group of people who will walk in His character and be vessels who bear His image.
For those who follow Jesus, it is time to stand up and speak out. It is time for Truth to be spoken with both love and grace. It is time to stop being afraid of who may hate us or call us intolerant. It's time to stop allowing darkness to keep us cowered in the shadows. A spiritual battle is taking place every single day in front of us and we are expected to be soldiers on that battlefield (Ephesians 6:12). We are fighting for the very souls of those people we work with, those we call friends and family, those who live next door to us and for some, spouses and children. We can't afford to be passive any longer. We're talking about the difference between an eternity spent with a loving Father or an eternity spent in a place of eternal damnation. How much do you really love those people around you? Lack of action and complacency speaks to our true loyalties and beliefs. And I'm just as guilty. It's time I check myself and start seeing the battlefield around me as one where I should be fighting. What about you?
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