Be a Rebel in the Best Way Possible

I think committed Christians are the true rebels in our culture today. Don’t tell me that it’s rebellious to do what everyone else does, say what everyone else says, be woke, and conform to a preexisting culture that is changing before our eyes.

The Bible tells the story about a man who lived during a very dark time in human history, maybe the darkest it has ever been. This was the time before the Great Flood when God brought his judgment upon planet Earth.

Noah Faced an Ungodly Culture

Against this very dark background lived Noah, a man who walked with God and showed us that we, too, can live a godly life in an ungodly culture.

In fact, Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37–39 NKJV).

Jesus was saying, “Remember how it was in Noah’s day? It will be similar in the time before My return.”

The Old Testament book of Genesis gives us a description of the world at that time: “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (6:5 NLT).

I’m amazed at what I see in the news today. The atrocities, the horrible acts people commit against other people. It’s disturbing, it’s heartbreaking, and seems as though people endlessly find new ways to do evil things.

That is what was happening in Noah’s day. As a result, the Bible says, “So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, ‘I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.’” (Genesis 6:6–7 NLT).

Their wickedness was full to the brim, like an overflowing trash can or a septic tank. It was stinking to high Heaven. This shows us that God is aware of the wickedness of man. He’s paying attention.

Then the Bible gives us this detail: “But Noah found favor with the Lord” (Genesis 6:8 NLT).

Rejecting the Status Quo

Noah was what I like to call a world changer, someone who doesn’t accept the status quo. A world changer doesn’t march in lockstep with current culture. Rather, a world changer wants to change the culture. World changers are followers of Jesus Christ who affect their surroundings more than their surroundings affect them. They think for themselves and do what is right. A world changer is someone who wants to make a difference.