WHAT CAN WE DO? Part 8
Isaiah 59:15 “Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.”
In Tim Stafford’s book SHAKING THE SYSTEM he does a study on some of the great reform movements here in the States (prohibition, abolition and civil rights movement) and presents some interesting thoughts on what we can do.
Things will not change until people change. To me one of the most important things is to be able to present the gospel to 21st century man so that it is understood in such a way that he can make a choice on whether to accept or reject it, because that is his choice to make. So often we leave it up to the pastor to bring the gospel to people that we want to see changed instead of realizing that we have a circle of friends and co-workers that need the gospel and that this is our congregation.
Some of the great movements here in America have come about by evangelical Christians working under Christian principles. However, it would seem that from 1930 to about 1980 our evangelical faith became separate from public affairs and we developed what Francis Schaefer called the upper and lower story with the upper story being our religious life and the lower story our secular life – and there are no stairs in between. With that type of mentality we will never shake the system. We will have to see that our religious life affects everything we do, decisions we make, etc. We cannot withdraw from society, but must be involved in the place where God has placed us in our society.
We start with truth about abortion, family, marriage, society, the environment and above all, man’s reasoning versus God’s revelation in the pursuit of gaining knowledge.
However, we need to realize that there will be resistance especially when we stick to principle and not sentiment. We will find that people will resist and do not want the truth. One of the things that will happen (and we see this today) is that when we present the truth people will begin to resist in a way that will be similar to a school-yard bully. They do not have any recourse to what is being presented so they resort to the only thing that they can do and that is to “bully.” We must be ready for that and expect it.
The prophet got a glimpse of our day when he said: “So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.” Isaiah 59:14-15
Tim Stafford said in his book SHAKING THE SYSTEM that he insists on public debate. I know that most of us will not be in a position for public debate, but there are some who will be. One thing that we can do is stand with those people and let them know that they are not alone. We will be with people in our circle or sphere where we can calmly present the facts. Because of the bullying tactics of the enemy we cannot allow the ‘spiral of silence’ to take over. This is what the enemy wants. The bullying tactics of the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus time did not stop the blind man who was healed. His knowledge might not have been great, but like he said “this one thing I know, once I was blind, but now I see.” We too can do the same thing. This one thing I know……
We know that truth will set us free, but it is only through the crucible of suffering. Freedom may come, but not without the cross. We live in what the theologians call the “fallenness of humanity” and the direction of man is downward, not upward, but God in His great grace can change the downward plunge of a fallen man.
We realize that there are things like ‘institutional sins’ that consist of laws, habits, customs, etc. that make it difficult for us to break free. Satan has built little kingdoms that hold the prisoners, not in bars of steel, but through the basic human needs of being accepted and to belong, because no one wants to be rejected, but accepted.
On some of these institutions there may be the need for what Tim Stafford calls “pressure tactics” which might consist of boycotting some of these institutions with strikes and protests. The plagues of Egypt were a protest and used to set free a nation within a nation. Plagues of Egypt were a direct protest from God, but usually God uses secondary means: His people. In other words, the struggle against sin involves confrontation.
Most churches have their people broken up into cells that meet weekly for fellowship, Bible study and holding one another accountable. What would happen if these cells or little groups were taught to take on some of the issues that we face in our society today like abortions, sex trafficking, gangs, etc.? They could begin to pray, do research, and see how they could be involved in seeing something done to bring a needed change. By being in a small group they already have the support of one another, which is important. In the small group they could work out the tactics of what could be done and more importantly they could have focus in breaking through the culture barrier into society as a whole. It is also one way to get the small groups involved in something more than just meeting together once a week. They would have involvement which helps their own spiritual growth.
One thing is certain. We live in a world that is changing rapidly and we the church must learn to adapt in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead. We have some great days ahead of us, but we need to be ready.
