We must understand that God has not kept us on this earth by accident, but in His providence, He is building up His church, one body made up of uniquely gifted members, all integral for His purposes. So the questions we ought to be asking ourselves are “where has God made us ‘necessary’ for His purposes? In what areas can we have a greater impact?
What is being called destigmatizing is in reality the intentional effort to sear men’s consciences by the continual repetition and eventual believing in lies. It’s a choice. It’s health care. It’s a woman’s right. It’s nobody’s business. It’s not a baby. We must understand that the arena in which we fight is not primarily political—nor is it over societal construction—but over conscience.
One of the deficiencies of fallen man is that we forget. Our memories fail us, skills and facts we once knew fade and if we do not refresh our minds, the problem is only compounded. God knows this about us and it is precisely why He blessed us with the Sabbath day.
God here arrives on a mission of mercy, with good news of great joy. And what makes the arrival of the Lord Jesus good news is not only that He arrives as king, but that He also arrives as Savior. Instead of coming in just judgment, God comes to mercifully secure the salvation of all the subjects of His kingdom.
The teaching is that the only stipulation of being a Christian is to say a prayer, walk an aisle, or invite Jesus into your heart, with little or no talk about true transformation, dying to sin, or living in holiness, and thus, the significance of the name “Christian” is severely diminished. The result is a generation of nominal Christians who have no concern for imitating Christ, obeying Christ, or walking in a manner worthy of the name. And this is a “Christianity” which cannot hope to impact the world.
In our culture, there seems to be a “Jesus” for almost every group and movement. There is a democrat Jesus and republican Jesus, moralist teacher Jesus, social justice Jesus, activist Jesus, environmentalist Jesus, hippie Jesus, free love Jesus. Instead of being conformed into the image of the Son, we imagine Him to be just like us, taking some of the things we like about the person of Christ, and then mixing in whatever we want Him to be.
We give thanks for his great faithfulness, when ours is so small. For his strength, because we are so weak. His courage, when we are so fearful. His comfort when we are hurting.
What has been propagated by many Christians in recent years is a sort of “American Dream Christianity.” The purpose is to pursue and attain whatever is desired in this life—relationships, jobs, wealth, health, comfort—with religion, church, and God fitting neatly into their respective places. God becomes a component of one’s life, but never the whole of it.
