Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us;
look, and see our disgrace!
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our homes to foreigners.
We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are like widows.
We must pay for the water we drink;
the wood we get must be bought.
Our pursuers are at our necks;
we are weary; we are given no rest.
We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria,
to get bread enough.
Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
and we bear their iniquities.
Slaves rule over us;
there is none to deliver us from their hand.
We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
because of the sword in the wilderness.
Our skin is hot as an oven
with the burning heat of famine.
Women are raped in Zion,
young women in the towns of Judah.
Princes are hung up by their hands;
no respect is shown to the elders.
Young men are compelled to grind at the mill,
and boys stagger under loads of wood.
The old men have left the city gate,
the young men their music.
The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
For this our heart has become sick,
for these things our eyes have grown dim,
for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
jackals prowl over it.
But you, O LORD, reign forever;
your throne endures to all generations.
Why do you forget us forever,
why do you forsake us for so many days?
Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored!
Renew our days as of old—
unless you have utterly rejected us,
and you remain exceedingly angry with us. [1]
January 6th of this current year was a dark day in the history of the United States. Supposed supporters of a sitting President stormed the Capitol on that day, entering the Senate chambers and even occupying the office of the Speaker of the House. The events of that day were not so disastrous, but the response from those opposed to the President was swift and unprecedented. The House voted in record time to impeach the President—for a second time! He was banned from Twitter and Facebook, which precipitated a purge of multiple conservative thinkers and politicians. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Amazon united to kill off Parler, an increasingly popular site with conservative thinkers who sought to share information.
Democrat senators and representatives unleashed incredible vituperation against conservative senators and congressmen. Conservative thinkers were demonised, and liberal politicians repeatedly suggested the need to create a star chamber, a quasi Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and some even suggested the need for re-education camps where conservatives could be reprogrammed to think “right thoughts.” In short, we witnessed something akin to the Stalinist purges in the Soviet Union, or something resembling the days of the Red Guards of Communist China during the 1960s. What we witnessed echoed Kristallnacht under the national socialists of Germany in the dark days preceding the Second World War. Whatever we witnessed from twisted minds of Big Tech titans differed greatly from the America that most of us had known.
The United States witnessed descent into raw tribalism during the past four years. Broadly speaking, people are being segregated into tribes, either as supporters of former President Donald Trump or as opponents opposed to him continuing as President. Among those opposed to Trump’s presidency are doctrinaire Democrats and others identified as “Never Trump” Republicans who presented themselves as true conservatives. These opponents of the former President are so intent on disparaging him that they are prepared to ignore violent groups that eagerly, persistently seek to destroy the social fabric of the nation.
Thus, we witness the growth of Antifa and BLM, groups that promoted social disorder, fomenting and participating in riots that destroyed vast areas of major cities, destroying the livelihoods of innocent people. Large numbers of people appear willing to encourage the mayhem if they imagined such violence will result in destruction of rational thought. These sentiments moved through a disastrous election that many, even many among opponents of the former President, believed was rigged by fraudulent means to elect a man who appeared to show signs of incipient dementia.
The forces ravaging the United States have not spared us in Canada. Canadians increasingly isolate ourselves into tribes in these dark days. And though the tribes are not necessarily warring at the moment, we appear barely able to avoid precipitating a deadly internecine war. Our divisions are often political, but the fault lines may just as easily separate us by race or language. It is distressingly easy for us to look upon fellow Canadians as “others.” To our detriment, what is taking place in society has to a distressing extent infiltrated into the Zion of Christ. We seem increasingly prepared to treat fellow Christians as enemies because we differ on some secondary issue or another.
AN APPEAL TO GOD —
“Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us;
look, and see our disgrace!”
[LAMENTATIONS 5:1]
Perhaps one would be inclined to argue that the time for appealing to God was long before the present crisis had come upon the nation. However, the crisis had come because the social network had become corrupt. Looking out over the society in which the Assemblies of the Righteous first ministered, the Apostle to the Gentiles charged,
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
[ROMANS 3:10-18]
Under such putrefying conditions, few would be seeking God. The godly had become consumed with trying to survive while maintaining a semblance of righteousness. They had become exhausted and paralysed, unable to pray as they ought. In retrospect, that was precisely the time the godly should have been pleading with the Lord for mercy! We are generally masters at sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the temporary. Christians are just like our godless neighbours in this respect. Our focus is on the immediate without thought of the consequences of our choices.
Don’t condemn Israel for their failure to plead with God; modern Christians exhibit the same attitude, and few of us cry out for mercy. Tragically, many of the faithful are so focused on the affairs of this world that our focus is on the political theatre. We are more concerned with staying abreast of the latest titillating news about the latest economic fiasco or the latest social insult to be trumpeted from whatever news site is able to capture attention. Christians that actually invest time in prayer, time seeking the face of God to confess the sin of the nation and to plead for Him to hold back the judgement that must inevitably come, are so rare as to be almost unseen. Most of us will spend more time in a given day perusing favoured political commentators than we will spend reading the Word of God. Consequently, we are more conversant with the political thought of selected political junkies than we are aware of the mind of the Living God.
When a nation begins to slide into oblivion, do you imagine that God is unaware? You may be certain that the Lord is fully aware of what is happening as a nation turns from righteousness and begins to tolerate wickedness. A few of those who speak on behalf of the Living God will speak up; but they are generally disregarded because they do not join in the raucous cries of fear and hatred while focused on the moment. Let me challenge you with an example of what I am talking about.
Each year for the past several decades we see news items about culture mavens who want to stop anyone from saying “Merry Christmas.” Christians take umbrage at these efforts and assert their right to say the words, “Merry Christmas.” Few of these same Christians would ever ask, “Have you believed the Christ? Are you saved?” Yet, which is of greater importance? Wishing someone a merry Christmas? Or asking if a person is saved? You see, we have allowed ourselves to become masters of minutiae.
Don’t we recall Jesus having something to say on precisely this issue? We read, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel” [MATTHEW 23:23-24]! Think about what Jesus said, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Surely, the Master is saying that the issue for us is not either/or; rather it is both/and!
I have told before of my first trip back to Dallas shortly after moving to Canada. It was necessary to go back in order to pick up an automobile that had been left behind, plus gather some household goods that had been overlooked. I took advantage of visiting with colleagues at the school where I had taught. This trip was during the Presidential elections in 1980, and there was considerable excitement among my former colleagues. Theology professors and professors of biblical languages were actually stopping people in the streets to ask if they were registered to vote. It was astounding for me to see this.
When I had been engaged in research at the medical school, I had been among colleagues who were of a decidedly liberal bent. They were feverishly excited on a somewhat regular basis as they condemned conservative thinkers and cheered any who were of a liberal bent. Engaged in preparing men for the ministry, the political climate was reversed one hundred eighty degrees from what previously had been the case. I had not changed, but the environment in which I was immersed had changed dramatically.
A group of former colleagues and staff had gathered in the coffee room as we drank coffee and reminisced. At that time, I made an observation that stirred considerable controversy. Friends repeatedly asked if I was registered to vote; they were concerned that I register with the proper label. I replied, “Of course, I’m registered. I registered as a Libertarian because I read in the Bible, ‘The liberal soul shall be made fat’” [PROVERBS 11:25 KJV]. I was teasing, but my statement generated a great deal of pushback, and even genuine horror in the faces of some of my erstwhile colleagues.
It was obvious that my former colleagues were deeply exercised about that election. I seized the opportunity to challenge those ten or twelve people gathered in the coffee room to say, “I never saw even one of you stop people in the streets to ask if they were born from above. Yet, since arriving here, you have not stopped accosting people to ask if they are registered to vote. I never witnessed such devotion to fulfil the Great Commission; but you are exceptionally eager to promote an election. Which is greater? An election that will be repeated in four years, or the eternal souls of lost people?
“I have no doubt that the election will turn out as you hope. And when the election is finished, what will have changed in light of eternity? The lost will still be lost and the people of God will still be focused on the moment rather than being focused on fulfilling the will of the Lord. When the election is over and a President is inaugurated, know that He is not the Messiah. The Millennium will not have begun. You are placing your hopes in a man rather than in the Lord whom you profess to love and seek to serve.”
My rebuke apparently was not appreciated by those among whom I had laboured. It broke up the coffee klatch, with only a couple of staff members lingering to speak further. One woman thanked me, stating that she had been caught up in the excitement communicated by faculty members. Consequently, she was chagrined to admit that she had focused on the moment forgetting what was truly important. Dear people, we do live in the present—I don’t deny that. However, we must never forget that we stand on the cusp of eternity. The saints of a bygone era were correct when they recited the couplet,
Just one life, ‘twill soon be past,
What’s done for Christ is all that lasts.
When a society is consumed with divisiveness, anathematising one another without regard for the lasting impact, perverting justice for a momentary advantage, that society is moving rapidly toward the limits of what God can permit, if it has not already crossed that line. When the voices of the righteous no longer call people back to the righteousness of Christ, it is as if the Spirit of God has ceased pleading with that generation. When those who profess the Faith are more focused on a political outcome than they are focused on the righteousness of God, what can halt the decay? Have we forgotten the challenge our Lord issued when He warned, “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” [MATTHEW 5:13].
My great concern is that we Christians are sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the temporary! We are fighting battles that are not profitable; these battles drain our energies and keep us focused on issues that ultimately are meaningless. If we fight against the government, arguing that we are battling to preserve religious liberty though losing our integrity in the process, we will have lost the war. When I was enlisted in the Marines, we were taught that not every hill was worth shedding our blood. Some battles are not worth the fight. We imagine that our tactics are sound; but without a winning strategy our tactics are self-defeating. We need to learn to take a long view of this war.
The Apostle cautioned each of us who follow the Risen Saviour to never forget, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore” [EPHESIANS 6:12-14a].
If we should fail to keep our eye on the prize of the high calling in Christ, we have no hope of victory. We need to hear the encouragement delivered by that writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians. This writer had encouraged the saints to remember the price they had already paid. He spoke of those who preceded them in the Faith. Then, he urged them to take one further step. Listen as I read what that godly writer has written.
“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” [HEBREWS 12:1-3].
Our Great King, Christ the Lord, has gone before us. Christ has conquered death and revealed to us the way in which we should live. We can choose to continue to live as the world lives, and we will share in the destruction of the world. Perhaps you imagine that since you are saved, it does not matter if you live a life that is indistinguishable from the world. However, worldliness will invite divine discipline if you are a child of the Living God. He will not permit you to disgrace His Name; He will call you to account.
SOCIAL DISINTEGRATION — The individual who looks to the elements of this fallen world for justice will surely be disappointed. Job asked the question that should be asked by each one who has placed hope in government, hope in the processes of this world, hope in mankind. Job asked, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean” [JOB 14:4]? Jeremiah witnessed the devastating consequences of a society that had forgotten God. The people he loved, his people, had presumed against Holy God, concluding that God owed them ease of life, comfort and protection against all the ills of the world.
Pleasant though our life may seem as we enjoy what we believe to be the benefits of our technological age, too late we discover that the information age in which we live has buried us in data that is largely errant and detrimental! Consequently, our souls are devoid of grace and we no longer are able to show mercy to others. We have made ourselves the centre of our universe. Yet, we are desperate for grace and goodness. Years ago it was said that though we had split the atom we are unable to control our own appetites. Now, it could be said that though we can access any information we desire, we are unable to utilise to the benefit of our own souls what we think we know. Our souls have become wastelands, deserts bereft of love or grace, as we are intent on compelling everyone to agree with us on every issue without regard to the cost of our effort.
Whereas those younger than forty years of age or so have never known what it is to live without the modern information highway and the smart phones and notepads that provided access to that information highway, I was witness to the advent of the Internet. I actually remember what it was to read a daily newspaper and to receive weekly news magazines in the mail. I knew what it was to seek out a phone booth to phone home and to be restricted by a cord of no more than eighteen inches while I was speaking on that phone. I knew what it was to sit in front of a television that required me to stand up and walk six feet if I wanted to change channels—and I was even forced to watch the ads.
Unlike Al Gore, Jr., I didn’t invent the Internet, but I was one of the early users of the system while engaged in doctoral and post-doctoral studies. What great promise the Internet held! Tragically, as with everything that human hands touch, that which should have been a blessing too often has become a veritable curse. The Internet, promising to become a superhighway for the Information Age, has become instead a sewer of rumour, superstition, conspiracy theories, malice, bitterness, hatred. Among the charges Paul brought against the ancient culture in which he served the Risen Saviour was this:
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood;
In their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
[ROMANS 3:14-17]
What a vivid description of contemporary society! Wed as we are to social media, the sweet aroma of grace is tragically absent from our lives—we who profess the Saviour! Rather than grace and mercy wafting over our lives, the stench of death clings to us as we jettison the teachings of the Word and adopt the attitudes of the world. If Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts of far too many Christians in this age are an accurate guide, the faithful appear to have renounced the instructions Paul delivered in the Letter to the Christians of Ephesus. In that letter, you will undoubtedly recall that the Apostle admonished followers of Christ, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” [EPHESIANS 4:30-32].
On ministry sites that I visit regularly, I have all but ceased reading the comments posted following articles because so many of the writers—writers who in many instances openly represent themselves to be ministers of Christ—are obviously intent on destroying the one who has written the article. There seems to be no particular desire to contribute to a discussion, only a rabid intent to promote a particular point of view. Rather than presenting a position, the purpose of the comments too often appear to be a blatant attempt to build up the commenter by tearing down the writer of the article. Many of those commenting leave the impression that they are not capable of writing an article, but they readily convince me they have become experts at tearing down those who do write.
We Christians seem to have forgotten how to answer a position with facts that will counter the conclusions and opinions offered in what has been written. Instead, an overwhelming number of commenters choose to attack personalities. The vituperation, the venom, the viciousness included in comments will drain the soul of one who desires to honour God. I have an admonition from the Word of God, commanding me, “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things” [PHILIPPIANS 4:8 NET BIBLE].
Perhaps there is a time to attack a person, but surely such attacks, if they can be justified at all, should be the exception and not the rule. The anonymity of the Internet brings out the worst in humanity. Too many of the professed people of God are ignorant of the Word of God, having only a thin veneer of religiosity to mask the fetid filth that lies hidden by their meaningless profession. Our culture is descending into tribalism, and tribalism always masks the truth. Identifying with your preferred tribe requires you to focus on the evil of those affiliated with another tribe, ignoring whatever truth may be presented in their message so that you can promote the favoured message presented by your own tribe. And while promoting the message of your preferred tribe, you will ignore or excuse the flaws that are inherent in the message of your own tribe. There is but one message that is true, and that is the message presented by the God of Truth.
Undoubtedly, the pandemic unleashed by Wuhan virus has contributed immensely to disintegration of whatever social structure we may have previously known. During the years of my pilgrimage, politicians have worked overtime to create a divisive social construct built on “diversity.” Today, we are driven to emphasise our differences. This means that anything that distinguishes us from others must be displayed prominently in our lives, except if we are white, male, or Christian, in which case we must be shamed and censured because of who we are. People are segregated into ever smaller groups identified by skin colour, sexual predilection, or any of a number of other meaningless criteria. Imposed upon this contrived segregation of society we may now include those who are consumed with fear of death. Everyone must signal their fealty to faux governmental authority designed to deceive us into imagining that we will never die by wearing a piece of cloth over the face and eschewing social contact. The person who doesn’t wear this cloth or the individual who refuses to isolate herself or himself will be pointed out and shunned as surely as if she or he had leprosy.
I know that it flies in the face of the prevailing concept that government must never allow anyone to die and we must all live in abject terror of death, but we who know the God of Life have been taught to live without fear of death. Scripture teaches us, “Since the children have flesh and blood, [Christ] himself also shared the same things, so that by his death he might destroy the one who has the power of death (that is, the devil) and might free those who were slaves all their lives because they were terrified by death” [HEBREWS 2:14-15 ISV]. Christians don’t live in fear—Christians overcome fear by looking to Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith!
We have read the prologue of the Fourth Gospel, and we believe what is written. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it” [JOHN 1:1-5 NET BIBLE].
“In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.” That is such a powerful affirmation! We who follow the Saviour are in the presence of the Lord of Life. And the Life we witness is our Light. And the Light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness can never overwhelm the Light that guides our steps, ensuring that we shall not stumble. Hallelujah!
Step back from the daily review of the latest media blast, step back to a quieter time when we were united as a nation, and take stock of the transformation of society. Though you are disquieted and disturbed as you observe the disintegration of contemporary society, you will be shocked when you actually review the transformation that has occurred in the past half century. Whereas we were once united with a common goal of creating a more perfect union, we now witness a raging sea of voices demanding greater personal wealth—wealth seized from others who invested their lives in making life better for everyone. Rather than hearing the hum of multiplied voices united in an effort to build the country and to strengthen one another, we hear the discordant sound of multiple voices whining out their personal displeasure, complaining that life is too hard for them when they can’t have the latest iPhone or because someone hurt their feelings. Each person spends all her time demanding that others serve her and enrich her.
Princes and princesses televise performances in which they openly complain how hard their life has become because they must pay their own way rather than living off the largess of their subjects. They whinge and whine that their families hurt their feelings. What is absent from their whine-fest is the thought of obligation, of duty to the nation that has given them such great privilege.
Privileged, pampered children riot and demand that the nation that has given them such wealth must destroy itself, though they have no concept of what will happen when they have at last gained what they imagine they want. They use the latest Samsung Galaxy iteration to record the destruction they are causing while wearing $3000 Nike Dior x Air Jordan 1 sneakers as they demand that the world listen to them while they bellow out their folly.
Racial groups are fed propaganda telling them how disadvantaged they are, even as hoards of people from truly underprivileged nations clamour to come to live among us because they understand what it is to be oppressed. Because slavery was once practised in the United States, some prominent politicians argue that any one with a trace of Negroid ancestry must receive reparations from those who are Caucasian. In response to this constant drumbeat insisting on racial discontent and punishing the white people, within an astonishingly brief period of time we have created a nation in which the races distrust one another as each group or tribe attempts to climb over the lives of those with skin of a different hue.
And through all the turmoil, through all the tumult and the turbulence created by those who seek disorder and chaos throughout the nation, the voices of society continue to demand that we tear down the nation our fathers built as the various groups all dismiss one another and attempt through social media to shout down anyone who disagrees with them. The cacophony of their unreasonable and unjustified demands drowns out what little reason may be voiced on the various social indoctrination sites.
It was said of the early churches that though they were many, they had one heart and one Spirit. To our detriment, the spirit of this dying age has flooded into the churches so that today though we are fewer and fewer we possess many hearts and scream out our defiance with many voices. It is time for Christians to unite in praying as did Paul, “Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice” [ROMANS 15:5-6 CSB].
A PLEA FOR RESTORATION —
“But you, O LORD, reign forever;
your throne endures to all generations.
Why do you forget us forever,
why do you forsake us for so many days?
Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored!
Renew our days as of old—
unless you have utterly rejected us,
and you remain exceedingly angry with us.”
[LAMENTATIONS 5:19-22]
I’m increasingly aware of the limitations imposed on my service before the Lord. I’m ageing more rapidly than I would have thought possible even a few years past. With each passing day I see the messengers of death more clearly evident on my visage; they testify against me as physical disintegration progresses. The lines on my face testify to a life that is nearing the sunset when darkness shall at last prevail. The grey hairs testify that the blond locks of my springtime lie far behind me in the distant past. Whatever I will accomplish for the cause of Christ must be accomplished soon, or it shall never be done. Whether you recognise the course of your life or not, you, also, are moving toward a date with death. Whatever you may accomplish must be done soon or not at all.
Jesus taught, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” [JOHN 9:4]. The Apostle to the Gentiles heard this admonition, and thus wrote, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” [EPHESIANS 5:15-17].
Western culture is decaying more rapidly than I could ever have imagined. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, observed the decay that had permeated the Roman Empire. His observation has often been cited in this day, but almost always with an emphasis on the sexual degradation evident in society. The sexual degradation witnessed in contemporary society is real, but it is symptomatic rather than causative. As Paul exposes the decay of that ancient society, he makes a statement that helps us see what is happening in our own world today. Paul wrote, “Since [people] did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done” [ROMANS 1:28].
We have come to a day in which the President of the United States observed the National Day of Prayer by reading a prayer that didn’t even mention God! How does one leave God out of a prayer? We have witnessed a dissenting opinion written by a United States Supreme Court justice refer to the phenomenon of “ceremonial deism,” but to not even name God as the one addressed in prayer is unimaginable. It is as though that “devout Catholic” prayed “To Whom It May Concern!”
In these opening verses of the Roman Letter, the Apostle cautioned that a mind that refuses to acknowledge God and His will must inevitably distort all values that are good and honourable. Thus, the dark catalogue of evil attitudes and actions listed in this first chapter of the Letter to the Christians in Rome simply reveals the movement of mankind toward destruction when God is denied—and that is the movement we are witnessing in western society today. When the Lord God is no longer the ultimate source for societal values, what is evil (idolatry, sexual excess, pride, etc.) becomes not simply good, but the ultimate good. In similar fashion, what is good according to the will of God (worship of God, chastity, humility, etc.) is portrayed as evil. Society is transformed into a place without moral restraint, a world in which everyone does what is right in his own eyes. This is what we are now witnessing!
Before society ever reached the depths revealed in our contemporary culture, people had determined it was no longer necessary to know God. God was seen as a hindrance to personal happiness, and thus, knowledge of the Living God was jettisoned for exaltation of the self. What we witness today is not unlike the assessment of the Psalmist when he wrote,
“My people did not listen to my voice;
…
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
[PSALM 81:11a, 12]
Western society has become a dangerous place to live, both mentally and physically. We have begun to rely on our own capacities; therefore, our minds tend to become distorted and we are susceptible to believing every sort of perversions and ridiculousness. And if we who are followers of the Risen Saviour adopt these attitudes that are regnant in contemporary society, we, also, will suffer mental distortion and discover that we are open to believing every imaginable perversion and foolishness. Tim Clinton perceptively observes, “If this is not indicative of where we already are as a society, it surely seems to be our inevitable future—a place where the unthinkable becomes tolerable, then acceptable, then legal, then praised.” [2]
Clinton continues by noting, “Today, we are at the point where a man who dares to stand up and be who God created him to be is considered toxic and evil, while a drag queen who reads books to young children and teaches them detestable movements is lauded as brave.” [3]
It may be too late to redeem western society. Thought I pray such is not the case, it is possible that Canada and the United States have travelled too far down the road toward ruin to expect that God will spare us from the consequences of the choices we have made. Whether we survive or whether we destroy ourselves lies within the imponderables of the Lord our God. What I do know in that context is that we who follow the Saviour are charged to be holy and godly even in the midst of society’s mad plunge into dissipation and irrelevance. We are responsible to tell as many as possible of the salvation of Christ the Lord of Glory, calling all who will heed our words to believe on the Lord Jesus. I know that we are responsible to pray for mercy, asking that the God Who holds the future will be merciful to us by raising up men and women of character who will boldly stand against the growing madness now witnessed. These things have not been done to the degree they should have been done. It is time for us to repent of our own sloth and to do first things once again.
Our children are indoctrinated by the world in the worldview of this fallen age, the same world that controls public education and which also controls the social media platforms and even the newscasts. Thus, Christian parents must accept responsibility to teach their children to think critically, to think biblically, to think righteously. Godly grandparents must consistently speak with their grandchildren, assuring them that they are loved and urging them to listen to the Spirit of Christ. Though your grandchildren and your children resist your efforts to train them to be godly, your responsibility is to prepare girls to be women of character and boys to be men of virtue. Your responsibility before God is to teach your children to know what is good and to courageously do that which is good, and to recognise what is evil and to scrupulously eschew all that is evil.
Years ago, an American politician, a liberal progressive for the time, though he would not be recognised as such in this present day, wrote a creed that sounds quaint, sadly out of place in this present world, and certainly something that would not be acceptable to the attitudes of the mobs that demand greater ease of life and greater control over everyone else. His creed was written as an American, but his ideas would surely fit Canadians. It is not Scripture, but the views could certainly be supported by Scripture.
My Creed [4]
• “I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon.
• “I seek to develop whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.
• “I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.
• “I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat.
• “It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say – ‘This, with God’s help, I have done.’
• “All this is what it means to be an American.”
Never forget—we are in a war. It is not a war fought with physical weapons, but it is a spiritual war. And at this moment, our culture is losing battle after battle. We are losing these battles because though we profess to follow the Christ we have failed to permit Him to reign. However, the war is not lost. The war is already won because our great Leader has conquered death, hell and the grave. Therefore, so long as we are in this world, we must resist the urge to give up. We must not allow ourselves to give way to spiritual fatigue. We must recognise that behind the surrender of western society to antigod forces, surrender to forces opposed to righteousness, stands the evil one. We must stand for righteousness and faithfully represent Christ as Lord over our own lives. We must lay claim to the lives of our children and our loved ones, refusing to surrender them to the world. Rather we must prayerfully urge them to stand for what is good and for what is godly. Stand firm, knowing that in His time, our Lord will give us victory. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Tim Clinton, “A Lesson From Ancient Israel Demonstrates The Decline of Manhood in America,” Townhall, Apr 21, 2021, https://townhall.com/columnists/timclinton/2021/04/21/a-lesson-from-ancient-israel-demonstrates-the-decline-of-manhood-in-america-n2588264, accessed 21 April 2021
[3] Ibid.
[4] Dean Alfange, 1952, Quoted in April Matthews, “Must Read: Progressive ‘Unkept’ American Creed From 1952… How Did We Fall So Fast?” CDP, 20 APR 2021, https://conservativedailypost.com/must-read-progressive-unkept-american-creed-from-1952-how-did-we-fall-so-fast/, accessed 20 April 2021
