I'm hearing that around ten percent unemployment will be the new normal here. Sad. It's kinda like a drought of opportunity—an employment- famine and yet other things remain in the focus for those who lead. What will time reveal? Hope you have the work you need (let us know your opinion or how we can pray for you).
What can we do about all this.. nothing? Naw.
Sure, we in the Western World live in a society adrift, that's cast off restraints for the sake of pleasure, materialism and cheap instant fixes.. one that's now stinging for the most part and desperately groping around in what seems to be ein Plage der Finsternis (a plague of darkness). Those in society here are grasping for real answers and advice from corrupt non-leaders playing like leaders (on both sides of the spectrum, but not all are phony), from ungodly friends, and from wicked sports, music and film role models that are hailed and applauded in the media. And therefore, Western Society (especially here in America in some ways) is not coming up with solutions that are viable in addressing the root issues.
How can the masses even begin to differentiate, while swimming in a sea of lies constantly coming forth from so many of those they've trusted? This moves me.
A society gone astray from the Ten Commandments and their loving but just Author will not last long (check out those from the not so distant past), but like a clump of battered branches heading downstream, such a society will only briefly continue and bounce off the rocky banks of the rushing flow—yep, in a river of time if you will—and it will soon arrive at a shocking conclusion that's just around the corner. "Aww Kurt, why be some prophet of doom and gloom, when you're normally so upbeat?"
Well, unless..
.. we can stop, think biblically, each get right personally, and pray for the land we live it as well as for those around us stubbornly heading towards perdition. We can intercede for the authentic spiritual awakening that is so needed—we can have something to say and open our mouths.
In a day of high profile preachers given to positive confession and oratory pleasantries only, you and I cannot afford to be nothing more than PMA messengers, nor of ones without hope. We still have the Good News to spread!
There is a type of separation that is biblical and good, but in a day when many believers are retreating into their shells and holy huddles for safety, what's needed from the Church is mobilization, permeation, saturation, infiltration, and not cloister-ization!
The Bible says, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:17-18).
And it also tells us about how, "devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did" (Acts 8:2-6,nkjv).
God can do it again 'cause His deep compassion never changes. He has graciously sent our people awakenings in these parts before, and it's no problem for Him to send more awakenings if we as a people will simply according to His terms, hang a U-turn back towards Him.
Hey, are you in need? Has He got your attention yet Western World.. or do you still feel that all is good around you? God once told the wise King Solomon this..
"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" ~2 Chronicles 7:13-14
Perhaps, even at this stage of the game so to speak, if we also do that, we might see Him do something similar in our country. What do ya think?
A society that has lost its moral compass and good stable moorings must get back to the Bible in order to survive! Hello, duh! The more disconnected people get ..along with their leader, specific cultures and sub-groups.. away from Christ, His will and precepts, the more necessary it becomes that the witnessing-Christian's living in those different cultures daily connect with and stay close to Jesus Christ. If we believers refuse to prioritize our fellowship and genuinely reflect His light in unselfishly shining outwards, who here will? If I don't go tell people about the Bible-Jesus from a base of strength with Him, will my many greatly-valued-by God.. gay and Moslem neighbors go do that?
We have a bit of time. The restraining factor (the real Church) standing against radical putrification that keeps trying its best to aggressively spread via well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning reprobates around the globe, has not yet been caught away. Our salty purpose is still before us. One day soon all the impediments against rot, will indeed be removed. You'd hate to be here for that.
But as an outgrowth of the believer's healthy, intimate, obedient union with Christ, we each for a time, can joyfully point society and those in it back to the Biblical text more thoroughly, but not with irrational applications of vain charismania or other impracticality. Society has already seen too much nonsense—too many counterfeit revivals! Many feel allergic to anything called "church" now.
In spite of this, we can believe for personal revival first ..all alone with the Lord and then tactfully take the time unbelievers need ..to without apology, carefully explain the Way of Salvation more accurately from the text. We can point em to the poignant lessons of how God responded in Church history as well.
Why not? Children of light are not to point primarily to the Church or to ministers as the Answer. We don't need to justify or condone those who have fallen, we don't aim to change em or point them to religious morality, or to habit-reformation in psychobabble clinics (and not all clinics put that first..) or to so called progressive Governments and other flawed human institutions as our providers or our Solution. We are called to point people to the Word today, for He alone can change us, awaken those in nations, and meet all our needs.
