Bad news & Apostasy Sells

Bad news and apostasy sells(!) It is a self-evident truth, and it is why you will rarely find headlines encouraging you about the gradual rise of the faithful in the midst of depravity…. 

Don’t lose heart. (But I am one to talk!) I often feel a deep resignation toward the days and times we live; comforting myself with a morbid fascination for how bad things are getting–in order to transcend the physical realities to brighter days! But I simply can’t cope like THAT anymore. I’m not even sure that posture is even Biblical!

My King may not be physically on the earth, but to be discontent with our lot in life is really to be discontented in God(!) After all, God DID leave scripture for us to glean this specific truth from: “…in your book were written, every one of them, THE DAYS THAT WERE FORMED FOR ME when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16) He made these days for you and me.

I know many things in life seem hellishly savage: politically, emotionally, economically, morally, etc. etc. But God will never apostatize himself or his covenants. God works where man’s methods and tools wear out…so I don’t think He is calling it quits, I believe God likes taking down giants in ways that bring him the most glory! History and the Bible prove it. To be fair, does it take more faith to challenge giants of the earth or to resign ourselves to the armchair of future comfort? We were not created for the theological armchair. Faithfulness launches rocks against the gate of the enemy and “prevails”. If the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, then I believe we have great cause to have optimism in the face of “giant” opposition–BECAUSE GOD IN THE FLESH SAID SO. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell  shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18) 

My God is on the throne, the earth is his footstool, and the gospel will be successful to save all the elect. He has not returned yet because He is still busy saving! That is the heart of God. The day of judgement will come…but traveling ahead of God is not in step with His grace for the days He made for us.

The Jews were always pointing out to Jesus how the Romans were the problem. But in A D. 70 God did not destroy the Romans! God destroyed the very people that continued in spiritual adultery (whom he had warned for generations). He destroyed those very people who blamed the culture for their probelms! (Sound familiar?) We need to be very careful we are not doing the same as THAT generation–those whom Jesus contended with during his ministry. We are not to go “woke” and embrace the culture, going apostate (God forbid it!). However, we must embrace Gospel hope that goes beyond “profession talk” and actually challenge the culture with the truth wherever we can. We are not to build, challenge, and work with an air of pessimism that promotes depressive Christianity; we plant in hope and continue by faith that God is bigger than the giants we see.