Talk Them Into It (Again) 04
We live in a time white noise monstrosities and shouting soundbites. Real conversation is rare. Thought and clarity are not as important as energy and fun. Truth is not about what is right but about what we feel, about what I want. The worst thing you can do to a modern man is fail to make him laugh. Disagreements are most often games of one-upmanship. Debate is a matter of winning. Often, the loudest voice is the last word.
But the goal of a Christian witness is not to win. The goal of a Christian witness is to deliver the last word. This does not mean the fool will not boast and scoff as you walk away from him, shaking the dust off your feet. It only means that in the end your word will remain standing, while his folly will perish like straw in the fire.
Fear of man is the disabler that makes this kind of conviction so difficult to achieve. The spirit of the age first markets then capitalizes on this in order to silence you, in order tho trap you in the devil’s game of prejudices and excuses. Becoming a people trained to watch, bred on being entertained, always expecting a neat package and a happy ending, we have grown weak. And stupid. Worse than both, numb. Wilting daisies, imbibing the mythologies of every peddler that comes our way, we are without excuse.
But we are not without grace. We are not without the burning lamp. We are still called. We are still chosen. There is still time so long as it is today.
Christianity is at its strongest when it has no hope but Jesus. There is no need for us to master a thousand arts. We are not left here to defend God. We are here to go on offense even in the darkest hour. We are here to be the offense which will not yield. We are the aroma of death which means life. We are the people who die, and behold, we live.
Jesus Christ is our banner. His wounds are our shield. His body and blood are our ensign. His name is our power. This is not up for debate. This is to be proclaimed.
The Church of Jesus Christ doesn’t snuff out just because it smolders for a generation or six. Peddlers can dance for the children or scoff at them. It is not up to us to stop them. What is up to us, you and me and every other simple Christian of biblical faith, is to take our stand upon the ruins of this world and stake our tomorrow on the foundations of the next one.
The Spirit of the Holy God is at work. Conflict with the world is sure to come, for the path of Jesus Christ is the way of righteousness.
To be continued…