Shaking Ground

“Life is a mess.”
“Things are spiraling out of control.”
“We’re at our wit’s end.”
“Nothing we’ve tried seems to work.”

These are phrases we use when life becomes
unmanageable. But we don’t usually express them as a nation, or worse, as a
global population.

Things got bad.

We fight a pandemic. Its reach continues
to haunt. We might hear the curve is flattening or trending toward healthy
communities, but it doesn’t seem that way. We’re in this fight for a while.

Racial injustice violates our screens and
holds captive the tears and fears of all colors. We say enough is enough, yet
it’s still not enough. We’re still at odds. It’s still us and them. We still
perpetrate our agendas within our circles, our communities, and our societal systems.

This is a letter to all of us who carry
the banner of Jesus Christ. While we are eager for a new “normal,” have we spent
enough time considering how God may be shaking us up for His greater purposes?

Let’s reflect before we charge forward to change whatever
it is that we’re sure is God’s choice amid these nationwide and worldwide
issues.

I’ve been a Christian for almost 40 years and I’ve
served God in various capacities and ministries for all of those years. I have
pushed for what I thought was right – for what I thought God wanted to be done.
I have often been wrong.

I’ve
been learning that, even when I’m sure I’m right, I need correction.

When a Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus
for the night, James and John wanted to “call down fire from heaven to destroy
them.” They were convinced that the Samaritans needed to be punished. In fact,
they were so sure of this that they asked Jesus to just say the word. “But
Jesus turned and rebuked them.” (See Luke 9:51-56)

James and John were livid, but being
passionate about something doesn’t make it right. Paul was extremely passionate, but he fought
against God’s people (Acts 26:9-11).

Satan is passionate, too. His passion led to
all-out war and the war is not over. We know he will eventually lose, but he
will win many, many battles along the way.

Satan waged war against Jesus and those who follow
Him. (See Revelations 12.) He is passionate about dismantling the gospel and he
has lots of fire power. He has an arsenal of biological weapons, injustice,
racial tension, politics, authorities and leaders who make mistakes, and so many other
deep-seeded issues that we respond to with anger, fear, frustration, pride, and
various other emotions. Satan’s cunning traps incite our survival instincts and
we feel like we’re fighting a physical, human battle, but we really war against
“the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

Our feelings can
mislead us.

We’re in a
spiritual battle.
We always have
been.
And the gospel is at stake.

Satan fights against the gospel: the truth about
Jesus and eternal life that everyone needs to hear. Everyone needs to hear
about God’s simple, uncluttered gift of truth, life, and relationship.

Do we fight
for the gospel or for something else? 

What we do next matters. It could make the
difference between life and death for some people because we may be the closest
image of the gospel they encounter. We need to be sure the gospel is clearly represented by our words and actions.

So, let’s look back. Did the last 4+ months just
happen, or did God intentionally shake the ground on which we stand? Did He
scramble the letters to renew our vision for the gospel? Here are a few things
that happened and how some of us responded with maturity. But does God want more?

• The walls we call home for our families grew thick and restrictive. We sheltered. We learned how to manage our physical and emotional well-being without stepping beyond the front door. We figured out how to live with and nurture our families.

• 

  We distanced ourselves from just about everyone except for our households. We focused on those who are most important. For some of us, our households are very small – maybe just one person. We had time to reflect on what’s really important for today and the future.

• We recoiled at the invasion of a predator we can't see – a virus. But many of us learned how to respect others and be more kind to
  them. We learned how to share space, even when opportunities to do so were few.
  We learned how to make sacrifices for the benefit of others.
• The pulpits of our local churches moved onto our
  screens. We were forced to consider how true our relationships are with our God,
  and our spiritual lives were strengthened. We took the initiative to read God’s
  Word and to assure our online fellowship for our families. We prayed more. We had
  the opportunity to consider what matters to us in a home church and to visit
  other pulpits, albeit virtual. We focused on heart matters.
• Racism and racial injustice got exposed more vividly and remain unsettled
  in our hearts. But we understand more about racial tension and systemic issues
  that feed it. We grew in our care toward people, regardless of color. We lifted
  our voices to motivate change.

 

What are our next steps? Does God want more? Why
did He shake things up?* What has He been telling us for almost half a year? Let’s
reflect as individuals and as organized bodies of people and believers. Let’s
search our hearts and ask God to either direct our next steps or to confirm
them.

Maybe some of these questions will help:

• How have the issues you faced during these past
  months prompted you to make adjustments for God – in attitudes and actions?
• Have the unique opportunities of the past months urged you to make some bold changes in your spiritual life?
• Can you look a little deeper into the eyes and hearts of those who are different than you? And can you respond with the care and love God wants you to express?
• Are there parts of your life that you struggle to give up for the sake of others and the gospel, and to become better at what God wants you to do?
• What drives your agendas? Does it expand the reach of the gospel?
• What is God calling you to do today that you haven’t yet started doing?
• And to the local church: In what ways do you need to refocus on God’s purpose and adjust your activities and objectives accordingly? Is your message tainted by the prevailing issues of this world, or does it reflect the truth and priorities of God’s Word?

 

It’s true: We are one human race; there are
systemic problems in our cultures; we aren’t doing a good job in defeating the
coronavirus; and we are in this together. But there is an even greater battle.
A spiritual battle. We must uphold and defend the gospel of Jesus Christ. This
is what it means to raise His banner high. This is what God wants.

 

Further reading: Revelations 2:1-7 and Ephesians6:10-20

Related blog posts:
Jesus Died on the Cross. It Matters.
We Thrive with Jesus
Authenticity and the Identity Thieves (2 parts)
Goliath!
I’m Boiling. May I Erupt?
Do We Appreciate the Many Colors?

*God is in control and nothing happens, not even
wickedness, that is not subject to His authority (Proverbs 16:4 and 1 Kings 12,
especially verse 24).

If you want to understand
the true, uncluttered gospel and how to have a relationship with Jesus, please
email me at authordlv@att.net. He died so we can live.

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more blog posts here.

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