I constantly hear well-intended people asking,
"What’s it going to take to get our society back on a ‘moral’ foundation?"
You know as well as I do that everyone has an answer to propose to that
question today.
1). Many say, "What we need is to humble ourselves and pray," quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14. It is true that we need to seek God in prayer, and His people do. The question is, "Is the god to whom men pray, the One of the Bible?" So many quote the verses of the Bible, yet do not know the God of the Bible. Their god is not the Sovereign, Omnipotent, Lord, but a god of their own imagining who cannot save unless they let him, Isaiah 45:20. Many who are praying for others to "get saved," do not know God themselves.
2). Others insist that what we need is a greater "witness" for Christ.
They say, "We need to recruit more workers to fill the highways and byways
to win as many souls as possible for Jesus." The problem is,
"What is the message by which God saves sinners? Is there more than
one Christ that God has blessed for the salvation of His people?
Does it really matter?"
Of course it does! God is truth, and He will not bless a lie to the saving of a soul. Imagine you asking me directions, and I, whether ignorantly or willfully, tell you the wrong directions. You will be lost and wander around unless someone tells you the right way.
The watchword today is "Jesus", but which One? There are those who say, "It doesn’t really matter which Jesus. We can’t get too picky." Can you imagine a business man running a company that way? Sales may be way up, but what’s the bottom line? Would he say, "Oh, you worry too much about details. What does it matter so long as I’m selling?" What matters is, if the bottom line is not correct, and each item you sell is sold at a loss, then the more you sell, the more you go in the hole.
You will never find in Scripture where the apostles held any political rallies, trying to overthrow the liberal Roman government. You never find them sitting somewhere in silent social protest of government policies or crusading against pornography, prostitution and homosexuality. They did not work at setting up a ‘Christian coalition’ to lobby for the institution of prayers in the schools.
What did they do? They preached the Gospel of Christ! That is all! They did not blanket Jerusalem with posters of themselves and their campaigns. They stood in Solomon’s porch and preached the crucified Christ. When arrested and warned never to speak in His name again, they returned and continued to preach the Christ of Scripture, as opposed to one which popular religion proclaimed, Acts 5:19-33. Ultimately, every one of the apostles laid down his life for the truth of the Word, and the testimony of Jesus Christ- II Timothy 1:8,9; Revelation 1:9.
What was their message? They clearly spoke of the evil of man’s depraved heart. There is the root cause of all "social ills." They preached that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the only Substitute which God has ordained for the justification of His people, and the forgiveness of sins. They pressed upon all men the claims of the risen Christ as Lord and Sovereign. They did not invite men to come forward, but commanded them to bow to Him in their hearts. They trusted God to do His work of grace in the hearts of those who listened.
This is God’s way. Can we foolishly suppose that there is any other way?
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