Being the Light

“When your world is rocked, you don’t want philosophy or theology as much as you want the reality of Christ.” Mark Harbinger

My heart is broken. I weep for the nation I love, for this broken world we live in. Recently, we have been bombarded with stories of the evil in this world, and as Christians, we sometimes have trouble finding where we should stand on issues. 

Over the last few weeks, I have had several conversations with friends and family about the struggles we face this side of Heaven. We discussed how, as Christians, we are meant to respond to suffering and even to nonbelievers. A lot of the thoughts I am about to share with you have been influenced by these conversations, books I have read, and recent sermons I have heard.

I have learned that though we may wrestle with fear and doubt, God does not leave us alone to deal with our struggles. He is not only with us, he left us a book of instruction. In that book, He gave us an example of a man who was devoted to God, and yet still experienced intense suffering. The book of Job gives us this description, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” God even praised Job, but Satan questioned Job's faithfulness. He believed that if Job encountered hard times, he would turn from God (Job1).

But even through the trials, Job stayed faithful, continuing to praise God and His goodness. His friends, however, condemned Job. They believed that Job must have sinned in order to have deserved God’s judgement. One friend goes even so far as to say, “Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities,” (Job 22:5).  It is easy for us to condemn Job's friends. But some Christians are just like them and condemn the people around them, thinking they must have brought it upon themselves. 

How many times have we questioned why do bad things happen to good people, or good things happen to bad people? We tend to think justice (or karma as many people like to call it these days) should be immediate and constant. But the Bible tells us that judgement won't come yet. Some, however, will exactly match Job's friends' mindset, such as with the tragedy in Orlando, saying those victims deserved to be murdered the way that they were, and it was God's punishment. Goodness Gracious no! No human deserves to be murdered in such a horrific way and that was not Holy Judgement. Yes, they lived in sin, but we are all sinners. That would be like saying because a child disobeyed their parents, they deserve to be shot. We like to rank sins, but we know that God cannot be in the presence of any sin at all. The just penalty for our sins is eternity separated from God in Hell.  

Our job is not to condemn those who are far from God, or to desire that they stay far from God. The way our camp pastor put it this summer keeps coming to mind, Christians are not to be offended by the sin of those who are far from God, they are broken for them.  Matthew 9:13 serves as a humbling reminder, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous but sinners.” Jesus did not sit there offended by the sin that surrounded him, he went and dined with those society deemed the dirtiest and the worst: the tax collectors, the prostitutes, and the unclean. 

We are a CALLED OUT people but we aren't called to hate others or condemn them. Our job is to take the gospel to the nations, from our households and local community, to our nation, and to the farthest reaches of the globe. If you don't believe me or need a reminder, take a look at Matthew 28: 16-20. We are even given an example of what happens when we ignore this task, and his name is Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Ninevah, but Jonah refused, running in the opposite direction. Now, this is a pretty great cautionary tale (pun intended) considering he ended up inside a whale. An important aspect of the Great Commission I want to point out is that God told the disciples to go to Samaria, their greatest enemies, as Jews (Acts 1:8). Who are your enemies? Who are the people it is difficult for you to love?

This is not meant, however, to take on a weak view of love, that we should accept sin and be okay with it. Paul was provoked by sin as he walked through Athens (Acts 17:16). Some Christians are so immersed in the world, you can't tell them apart from the society they live in. They may reach out to those who are far from God, but once they reach them, you cannot see the true message of Christ. It's like going to feed the hungry in the streets of Atlanta, but forgetting the actual food. The beauty of the Gospel comes from our weakness and the fact that we need him. 

Unfortunately, there is a consequence for sin and if we do not repent and follow Him; we will end up eternally separated from God in a place so horrible there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Apart from God's grace, we are all deserving of this punishment. We don't deserve anything good, our best works are dirty rags compared to God's glory. The term dirty rags does not refer to the rags you use to clean your kitchen or even bathroom. These rags were women's menstrual cloths, yuck! We know that any unbelievers that have perished in these world tragedies will end up in Hell. That breaks my heart even more than thinking about the recent events. 

However, that sadness is motivation. Who in my sphere of influence can I impact with Christ's love working through me? Who can I share the power of God's glory and His incomprehensible love with? I find hope in the beauty of the Gospel, that the death of one man, the Son of God, washes us clean of our sin. We are made whole and saved from our sins just by having faith in him. We are saved by grace through faith. 

To end my thoughts, I have three last things to say, two challenges and an encouragement. 

When Job eventually questioned why God allowed him to suffer, God's response was this, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding." If you ever reach that place where you question God and why he allows certain events, I challenge you to read Job 38-41, it is extremely humbling. 

But for encouragement, remember this verse from James 1, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” As well as 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 

My final challenge for Christians is that you would make this verse your goal for your community, “And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12