Have you ever been on a flood watch? Laura tells of such events in her childhood. They lived up river in Idaho with each years spring runoff bringing a watchful eye on the river level since the area experienced annual flooding. The common question for children who live in flood plains is probably, “How high is the water, Mama?” Each year not only up river but in areas around the world where flooding is a problem, decisions are made as the river rises to either ride out the flood or evacuate and return later to see what damage has been done. Laura has told me of times when they would take the evacuation route, driving out of the area with the water having risen in places so that it touched the bottom of their car doors. Through it all, they never lost their home. It eventually did end up floating down river, or is that up river, but that was after they had sold and moved into town. Wise decision for them, a tough one for a relation who bought them out.
Genesis talks about rising waters, about tempting not only nature, but God, and the consequential results of those decisions. From Genesis until today, temptation has not escaped us. There is probably an area of your life where the water is rising and you are looking out to see how high it has gotten before you are swept away. Society has hit its high water mark and the river is running high. It is time to change the course, to dam up the flood and to rescue the victims before the door of the ark is closed for good.
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD . Tough words from Genesis 6. God, grieved He made mankind, men and women doing what they wanted with disregard to the Creator, disregard for their own lives. Then God notices someone who is going against the flow of the current, someone not swept away in the flood of humanity out for their own interests, God discovers Noah.
Genesis 6:9 continues 9 This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
We know the story, the ark was built, Noah took 7 of every clean animal and bird and 2 of every unclean animal along with himself, his wife, his sons and their wives, the door was closed and for 40 days and nights it rained and for 150 days the waters flooded the earth, the ark and its contents the sole survivor. God establishes a covenant with Noah, a rainbow, and states he will not entirely flood the earth again. God said I am making a change in how I will do things in the future. Sadly, man never made such a deal.
We read years later in Luke 17:26 a conversation Jesus is having with his disciples when he states "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."[4]
37"Where, Lord?" they asked.
He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
Church, the vultures are gathering. The water is rising, and where are the watchmen and women on the walls warning of this impending disaster? The flood waters are rising within Christianity and we have been inoculated from its effect. In a November study by the Barna Research Group they found in an evaluation of morality: Of the ten moral behaviors evaluated, a majority of Americans believed that each of three activities were “morally acceptable.” Those included gambling (61%), co-habitation (60%), and sexual fantasies (59%). Nearly half of the adult population felt that two other behaviors were morally acceptable: having an abortion (45%) and having a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex other than their spouse (42%). About one-third of the population gave the stamp of approval to pornography (38%), profanity (36%), drunkenness (35%) and homosexual sex (30%). The activity that garnered the least support was using non-prescription drugs (17%).
How then does it fair, how high is the water mama in the church? Of the seven faith groups studied, evangelicals were the least likely to accept each of the ten behaviors as moral. Less than one out of every ten evangelical Christians maintained that adultery, gay sex, pornography, profanity, drunkenness and abortion are morally acceptable. In contrast, every one of those ten behaviors was deemed “morally acceptable” by more than one out of ten people from each of the other six faith groups studied. (The other faith segments included non-evangelical born again Christian, notional Christians, adherents of non-Christian faiths, atheists/agnostics, Protestants and Catholics.)
“The data trends indicate that the moral perspectives of Americans are likely to continue to deteriorate,” predicted researcher George Barna. “Compared to surveys we conducted just two years ago, significantly more adults are depicting such behaviors as morally acceptable. For instance, there have been increases in the percentages that condone sexual activity with someone of the opposite gender other than a spouse, abortion (up by 25%), and a 20% jump in people’s acceptance of ‘gay sex.’
As in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. We have not learned.
It the midst of a godless society, one man rose to the challenge and said I will keep watch, Noah. It doesn’t say it was the lifestyle of his wife or his sons or their wives, it states Noah found favor in God’s eye.
The time has come to re-evaluate our lives, individually and as a corporate community of believers. As we watch humanity swept away in the flood waters of death, destruction and damnation, do we care, and if we care, what do we plan to do about it? One day the door is closing on our impact, one day the last trumpet will sound and hope will cease to exist for those caught in hopeless situations.
In a study of 2003 it was found that Contradictions and confusion permeate the spiritual condition of the nation. Studies conducted during 2003 indicate, for instance, that while 84% of adults say their religious faith is very important in their own life, 66% also say that religion is losing influence in the nation. While people are clearly spending less time involved in religious practices such as Bible reading, prayer, and participating in church activities, 70% claim that their own religious faith is consistently growing deeper. (Barna Research Group December 22, 2003).
We are a society of lots of religious activity and belief. Nearly nine out of ten Protestant churches claim to be “evangelical,” almost six out of ten born again Christians claim to have shared their faith in Christ with a non-believer during the past twelve months, and virtually every Christian church says it pursues the Great Commission (i.e., spreading the good news about the availability of eternal salvation through the grace of God via Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for those who embrace Him as savior). Yet, although just 38% of the adult public have confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior, 99% claim they will not go to Hell after they die. In fact, a majority of Americans do not believe that Satan exists and most adults are leery about the existence of Hell. ((Barna Research Group December 22, 2003).
The bottom line, are we seeking God or seeking our own created myth of God. Are we caught up so much in our own activity that our view of the world and its problems belong to themselves and we refuse to rise to the level Christ calls us to in reaching the world with the message of hope.
I for one still care for lost people. I for one still want to pastor a church that cares for the lost. I realize our focus needs to change. John Kennedy at his inauguration for president of the United States said “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” One of the results was the creation of the Peace Corp, Americans became more involved in politics and in other issues instead of just waiting for the government to serve them. It wasn’t everyone, but enough to create a ground swell of change.
Today we need said, “Ask not what Christianity can do for you, but what you can do for Christianity.” Perhaps we will see a new groundswell of enthusiasm for the things of Christ’s Kingdom, more people coming over and accepting Christ because it is all about Him and not about me, perhaps we can stay off death’s grip on people who are hell bound and get them headed to heaven. Perhaps.
I believe in the power of one magnified. Each of us, as one, doing our part, magnifying the effort a 100 fold. Wow. I think I can honestly say, for each one of us to accomplish the power of one magnified, it will require a change in our lives. In how we live and how we respond to the situations of life around us. And it will not be easy. Nothing in life worth anything is ever easy.
Laura and I have returned from our vacation to start a movement, a movement of one magnified. And we are looking to link up with people here and yet to come, hand in hand, to go against the flow and with the power of one, magnify Christ. Today is as good a day as any to let the Light shine into the darkness so the world can witness a great Light.
Closing thoughts
