Rise and Shine

We are in the midst of the most turbulent year in decades with the Coronavirus, protests across the nation that have turned violent, and deeply divided political camps. At this writing, the polls were a week ago. We have a declared winner followed by accusations of widespread voter fraud.

As unsettling as this seems, it’s not a new thing. Four years ago, many Democrats refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the election and continued to call Trump the illegitimate President for months. In the year 2000, the counting and recounting of votes continued until December 12th, when Bush was finally declared the victor.

All Americans need to be patient and allow the legal process to unfold. There’s no need to hide if there’s nothing to hide.

My words today are for the church though. We find ourselves in a new world and we need to rise to the challenge. We need to be salt and light as never before.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” ( Philippians 4:14-15)

That’s a tall order! No grumbling or disputing? Be blameless and innocent? Without blemish? All while living in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” (which we certainly do). And we are to “shine as lights”!

How are we to do this? Maybe better questions would be; how are we to most effectively do this? And what is our ultimate goal?

My answer to the first question is that we the church, are to lavishly pour out love. Onto one another, onto our neighbors, onto our political opponents, onto our enemies, onto sinners, onto saints. We are to creatively and actively find ways to love. To truly serve others in ways that effectively minister to them.

Unreservedly LOVE PEOPLE!

And do it from the deep well of Christ’s love within us.

My answer to the second question; our ultimate goal is to point people to Christ. He is their only hope. If you don’t fully believe that, then you need to go back to your Bible and feed on the Truth. And that brings me to the final point.

While we lavishly love and serve others, we are never to compromise on the truths of God’s Word. Our culture is demanding this of us, but we must hold firm to what the Creator has ordained.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:3‭-‬11)

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:2‭-‬6)