2021… A NEW WAY OF LIFE?
Can you imagine a world where Christians are considered outsiders and religious persecution is rampant? Can you imagine a world where the government is out to get you and the laws prohibit you from gathering in peaceful assembly to worship God? Can you imagine hiding in fear wondering if you will be called out for being a Christian and fearing an angry mob? Can you imagine the court’s ruling against you and the lawmakers passing laws that oppose you? To live like this, with these fears, day after day, looking over your shoulder wondering if it could get any worse would be exhausting. In a situation like that one might be tempted to ask…
What is this world coming to?
The paragraph above has in fact been lived out by thousands of Christians. We read about it in the New Testament. In Acts we see the government of Rome prompted by the Jews to squash efforts of a growing Christian church. Arresting, imprisoning, beating, and persecuting Christians was a daily event under later Roman rulers. For a Christian to publicly claim Christ as Savior was a willing choice to die for their faith. Mobs of people would gather together to laugh, drink, and party as Christians were burned at the stake or fed to lions. All of this is a part of a well-documented experience for the early Christian church.
There is another fact that is well-documented. There is no written record of any Christian in the first century church asking the question… What is this world coming to? However there are hundreds of documents recording hundreds of Christians boldly declaring… Look who has come into this world. Christ the Savior of the world has come to this world to redeem the sinner, rescue the lost, and give hope to the hopeless. Jesus taught that this world in not our home, our hope, or our future.
Today, if you find yourself asking the question what is this world coming to… STOP and reflect on who has come to this world. Jesus stands at the door of your heart and wants you to let Him in. Jesus says “Come to me and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) Jesus came to this world, lived a perfect life, and died on a cross as an innocent man who paid the price for our sins. He is now in Heaven and wants to be a part of your life every day. Jesus loves you.
