The anomaly may be over

There has been an anomaly for the past few years. The words of Paul to Timothy that all who want to lead a godly life in Christ  Jesus will be persecuted, have by and large for the United States been a metaphor.  That anomaly has been teetering for a while, but it is now starting to crumble.

On social media there is a buzz about "persecution beginning" the simple reality is that for believers in Nigeria, that is actually not the case, for believers in most of Asia, that has not been the case, for believers in North Africa and most of the Middle East that has not been the case, we were the anomaly.

The fact that moral anarchy turns out to be A pressure point, is not new, the idea that tolerance tolerates anything but biblical conviction, nothing new. The idea that the church had better get good at producing lay leaders, because pastors are prime targets, not a novelty. Except in America.

And the answer? Not mysterious either. God is at work, and the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.

Let's be ready!

"I don't think we are sinning"

"I don't think we are sinning." That is the statement made by a member if the congregation here who is living with a woman he is not married to. This is the same individual who said that he really appreciated the fact that I "stick to the Bible." 

The contrast beetween those two statements leaves me feeling just a bit confused. On the one hand we are surrounded every day by people who justify their sin. I am not sinning when I over eat, when I loose my temper, when I gossip about others . . .

What do you say to someone who has made up their mind based on their own opinions? The temptation is to spout off, to get angry, to become agressive in asserting the truth. But the words that come to mind are those of Paul to Timothy: 

24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Because the goal of faithful shepherds is not to drive sinners from the church. If it were we could just lock the doors on Sunday and so long as we were outside then we would have succeeded. No, the goal of shepherd is to see people come to repentance, through the faithful and persistent I insistance on the truth. Gentleness, patience, and endurance of evil, for the sake of repentance, these are hard.

Especially when from the outside it is easy to see that they are, in the word of Paul, serving the devil. But that is Gods way, he is patient with sinners, gracious and merciful. By God's hand we will be also.