When you See and Hear All of the Untruths and Evil in Today’s World – “for Heaven’s Sake” – Speak up! If God’s Truth, Salt and Light are to be Spread – It’s Up to YOU – and ME!
We have written about God’s prohibitions for Christians to engage in the world’s politics; however, as stated previously – and we emphasize here – this does not mean Christians are to be silent. Quite the contrary, having received the Great Commission from Jesus before His ascending into Heaven and leaving with us the Holy Spirit-Comforter, all Christians are to:
- share the gospel message;
- teach the essential truths of God’s Word; and
- spread His Salt and Light by both example and word, but know that in a day when words are both common and cheap – it is our example and acts which speak most persuasively.
For many years one could rely on the churches, priests and ministers to preach and teach the Word of God. No longer – as church attendance has declined greatly and many ministers have shifted from the hard truths once taught to the tickling of our ears with soft, seeker-messages. Likewise, America could once rely on raising its young through traditional family units with dinners, discipline, shared time, and prayer. Today, we have living units of all definitions, but mostly with absent Fathers and working Mothers, with young lives being educated mostly through electronic messaging among peers.
Finally, there is the abysmal failure of most Christians to have faithfully executed their generational Commissionings from Christ. Scripture teaches that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the third and fourth generations. Nevertheless, these individual responsibilities remain the last bastions for communicating God’s Truth and fundamental guidelines for survival in the world. Know well that oh Judgment Day our Lord will ask each of us: “What did you do to fulfill my command to obedience? In this regard, remember a lifetime in this evil world is but the blink of an eye compared to life in God’s Eternity and once we give our life to Christ w can no longer die. Accordingly, to sacrifice the remainder of one’s worldly life – whether in total or part – to the cause of Christ is no loss to us, but is gain to Christ.
All of these failures to date have contributed to America’s moral deterioration and decline of the Christian influence as we speed ever closer to major disasters (FN 2) and God’s taking direct control. In the meantime, all who know God’s truths and teachings must yet speak up and give witness to truth. Indeed, we are commanded to do so even in the face of the increased price and risk of doing so given the political world’s increasing “worship” at the altar of political correctness and acceptance of all deviate living styles while persecuting Christians. Many Christians defend not spreading Salt and Light for fear of “offending” others. Indeed, in place of our obedience to Christ’s command we heed the dictates of the lost who shout: “You Christians need to keep your beliefs and views to yourselves!”
Listen to Jesus’ words: “Blessed are you who when men hate you, exclude you, and insult you, reproach you as evil because of the Son of Man.” Instead, we take the easy path by rejecting such Blessings, violating our fundamental obligations as Christians and giving into the dictates of the evil majority. We even fail to speak Truth to our own children by allowing the issue of Creation vs. Evolution to be taught by the world’s liberal universities and progressive professors who distort science and argue for evolution. As a result we give life to our children only to allow other to teach them death.
Do we forget that Christ told us: I did not come to bring peace (to the world) but a sword. I have come to turn – a man against his father, a daughter against her mother – anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matt. 10:34-38)
While it is true that we will never reverse the current 90% trending away from Truth by our spreading of Salt and Light – think of even one (1) soul, whether family or stranger who will be lost for Eternity because of our silence. Our love for God and obedience must exceed our love of self, and our seeking to avoid persecution by the lost rather than being obedient to God and suffering for His sake.
Of course, in speaking out we must always do so with love and never self-righteously. No sin of another is greater than our own, nor must our demeanor ever betray our sincere love – even for our enemies. Thus, we must always be firmly committed, speaking with both words and our acts, being motivated only by our deep devotion and love for God, and God’s creations.
While at times – depending on His audience – Jesus could be very direct and severe – Jesus most often spoke gently, frequently using parables when teaching, thereby avoiding direct confrontation while providing general application to all.
Finally, whenever the Salt and Light we share with another is rejected we must exhibit grace and respond as did Jesus – moving on, shaking the dust off our feet – while praying and knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who supplies the power of transformation.
Copyright 2020, Wilbur McCoy Otto
FN 1: Edmund Burke, 1776.
FN 2: Mostly through fire from the heavens (which will make Covid-19 a mere gnat by comparison.