Following Jesus the public enemy
So here we are. Distinctly Christian morality has become socially unacceptable, and it is wise in some workplaces to keep one’s Christian identity in the closet.
There are some whose thoughts will fly to the Lord’s Second Coming. That is “our blessed hope” (Titus 2:13, ESV), but it is speculative to think it is near. People were sure of its imminence during the Black Death in the 14th century and during World War I and II. But it is possible that we are still in the early church.
So how then shall Christians conduct themselves in the 21st century? Accepting the new moral and cultural norms is the easy route, but it’s apostasy:
“… what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? …” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, ESV).
Christians must take their holiness more seriously, their difference from the world around them, their life as sojourners (Ephesians 2:19), or they will go the way of the 20th century’s respectable churches: from mainline to sideline to flatline. Taking ourselves seriously as children of light in a time of descending darkness involves six commitments:
Trust our sovereign God calmly. Christ’s church has persevered for 2,000 years through persecution, heresy, schism, worldliness, as well as Muslim invasions and modern rationalism because it is not a human movement but a divine work of God’s Spirit. “Fear not, little flock,” says our Lord, “for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32, ESV). Preach the Scriptures faithfully. Carl Trueman writes, “Those who are deeply grounded in their Christian identity by their churches on a Sunday will think more clearly about how to respond to the challenges they face Monday to Saturday.” Our Lord prayed for us: “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17, ESV). Cultivate our families wisely. Neither the public schools nor the neighbor child’s parents—much less teen lit, the internet, or anything on TV—will support your efforts to disciple your children in Christ. Tell your children who they are and that they are different. Tell them, “These are your people,” then demonstrate your commitment to your Christian community and conduct yourself in a way that testifies to their indwelling Lord and Savior. Evangelize the lost consistently. Christ will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Concede no ground. David did not cower with the others when pagan Goliath appeared dominant. He defied him and “ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:48, ESV). Engage the culture joyfully and boldly. It’s easy to condemn drunkenness when everyone, even the drunks, knows that it’s wrong. But it takes courage of conviction to call people out of the jealous embrace of their right to self-creation. Suffer for Christ patiently. You cannot expect the fanatics of modernism to respond softly to your winsomeness. They crucified our Lord, though He was perfectly lovable, because He denied their right to set their own course (Psalm 2:3) and make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4).
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