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JESUS ASKED HIS DISCIPLESOVER AND OVER AGAIN,"why did you doubt?" He asked
them in such a way as if to say, "O, you people of little faith, why did you keep
your eyes upon circumstances instead of upon me?" That is the same question he
might be asking you and me. "Why do you doubt?"
In this day and age, we find Christian values having little effect on the political
system. In the U.S., we have abandoned what little remains of our Christian
heritage. The culture has adopted moral relativism, secularism, and self-seeking as a
substitute for Biblical ethics. Christ is not allowed out in public, and if he does show
up, someone is likely to get sued. Not only do the laws of the land stand against
Christianity, but even worse, the media and the intellectuals consider religion a relic
of the past which interferes with their vision for the future.
Yet in spite of all this, we should be excited about Jesus and what he is going to
do. Though we are no longer a Christian nation, we are in exactly the same
situation as the New Testament Church was in ancient Rome. Rome was pluralistic;
they had many religions and no single one was accepted by the majority of the
people. Everyone was free to do what he wanted and believe how he wished, with
the notable exception of Christians, who were persecuted for their non-pluralistic
beliefs. Yet God used the persecution to cause the Church to grow.
Christianity, at that time, was considered a strange and irrelevant little cult. Its
moral values stood in sharp contrast to the morals of the day. Infanticide was
practiced and the stadiums were filled with people who loved bloody sports. Yet in
this environment, the Church prospered. The people of that declining society
became desperate for something that made sense and for a God who gave meaning
to life.
Even persecution was a part of God's plan! The Christians had been told to go
out into all the world and make disciples, but the Apostles remained localized in
Judea. They did not have a vision for evangelizing the Gentiles. They did not have a
vision for reaching Rome. But God had a different plan and a purpose that would
not be denied by his people's narrow vision.
The persecution described in Acts 8 caused the Christians, who had stayed in
Jerusalem, to flee to other cities. It must have looked to the people of God as if the
devil had the upper hand and that God was losing control. But it was all part of
God's plan! Like picking up a white dandelion weed and blowing on it, the winds of
persecution caused the seeds of the Gospel to spread throughout the Roman
Empire. The persecution was part of God's plan to get the message out of
Jerusalem and into the earth!
Why should we fear a post-Christian America? Is not our Lord still in control?
Can he not use this chaos to his glory? Or do you believe the devil is stronger and
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