the light shines brighter in the dark
if we'd just uncover it
..
i remember reading books about the thrive of christianity when christianity was the whipping-boy of the world
seems that when things got tough - like people sawn-apart, burned in hot oil or set on fire, cut into pieces kinda thing - the christians stood taller somehow, stronger, more determined to glory in their testimony to the Lord Christ
an amazing thing, methinks .. utterly amazing
when you consider how easy it would have been to say like " nah, mate .. don't know no Jesus .. who dat ? " and walk away, life intact, family intact .. all cool
kinda like that Peter guy back in the day the fowlcock blowed the whistle
..
there's a whole lot of despondency going around since the most powerful ever , most wealthy ever nationstate decided on its next leader ..
not sure i've seen anything like it
some of the people are really scared, and a review of the international take-on-it reveals a similar fear
christians in the circles i pay attention to are beset with righteous indignation, particularly at the white evangelical vote, 'cause the way they see it, the pres-elect is a radical distance from the move towards a democracy that embraces, uplifts, supports ..
the funeralistic dirges are coming fast and furious like
..
which gets me back to opposition and persecution
i've watched over the years as chrsitianity in the west as-i-know-it has walked away from the God of the scriptures, twisting that god into some misshaped effigy to be burned at the feet of our youth who are so done with christianity-as-it's-been .. so done
and for damned good reason too ..
so maybe, just maybe, it's 'time' for chrstianity-as-it's-been to burn
maybe this seemingly apocalyptic event will serve as the fulcrum, the repent event
when christianity rebels and reverts to its roots
..
it'll be tough
there will be massive opposition
the comeback will blow hard, all kinds of dirt in the face
.. but the revelation of the real tangible authentic church that Jesus built is the telos of that
and there's nothing more needed today in this world than for the christianity of the Christ to be renewed, the wood/hay/stubble to be burned-up, the light to shine, the salt to purify
..
for those of us who've fled the church in search of the church
those who've been abused
who've watched the charade, tired of the put-on, longing for the genuine
this could well be a good time in our history
although that might sound cynical or morbid, the almost cyclical nature of biblical history allows for hope in this time of depression ..
the period of the Judges, for example, was a repeated wandering from God towards defeat and suffering, followed by repentance and rededication to the God that led them out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery into freedom ..
perhaps this is one of our defining times when the sheer madness of our world causes us to ardently consider what's important in this life, to repent and move in that direction
yes, there's the depressing debilitating down of what-seems-to-be-on-the-face-of-it
but opportunity sometimes disguises itself as oppression
and it's the brave, courageous disciples who are tuned-in to the God that is there, is here, who will recognize this as an opportunity to serve the Lord Christ in a way we've not known in recent history ..
may we all, with unveiled faces, reflect the glory of the Lord as we are being transformed into the image of the Christ
and may that reflected image lighten the atmosphere and enlighten the minds of our fellow humans, for all of whom the Christ gave his life
may we pray ' thy kingdom come, thy will be done, here on earth, as it's done in heaven ', and then move in that very direction
now
summoning all the passion and caring we can for those that are so very depressed and for those that are so very deluded into thinking that any government wherever could ever surrogate for the kingdom of our God and of the Christ of God
remembering the very basic truth that all people are created in the image of the God who created them
may our light shine in such a way that people will see our good works and glorify our Godfather in the heavens ..
peace to you
and love
in Jesus' name
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