Ok, ok, do to the growing boycott possibilities toward this blog, I am releasing tomorrow’s post today.
Warning: You may get even more frustrated as this is a FIVE part series and rest and reconciliation from the mad ramblings of a passionate pastor will almost certainly not arrive until then.
Nevertheless…
Here it is since you asked.
Where would we be without the boycotts?
Exactly where we are today.
Maybe a bit worse. Maybe a bit better, but basically the same.
Why?
Because of what God says about man in these verses, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%201:18-32;&version=65; You see, man does not naturally seek after God. We naturally seek after ourselves and our own best interests.
Layman’s Terms?
We’re selfish.
Multiply your selfishness by 6 billion other people’s same ‘me centered’ problem and you begin to see the dilemma.
.The problem is sometimes laughable or just plain embarrassing sometimes (as with the examples I listed on the previous post) or devastating and heart breaking, as in the following:
Consider what happened at Virginia Tech a few days ago — a tragedy with almost unthinkable consequences. And what happens mere minutes after (or, actually, in this case during) the news? The political spin doctors are already going after all the theoretical (read, ‘peripheral’) causes for this hideous crime. What theories have we heard thus far?
- It was the school president’s fault.
- It was because we don’t have tough enough gun laws.
- It was because the police did not respond correctly.
- It was because the police did not respond fast enough.
- It was because the lock down procedure was flawed.
There are probably more floating around but all of the above have one thing in common.
They have nothing to do with the death of those poor kids and faculty members!
They are symptoms, peripheral issues and lofty theories all of which are made even more stark because of the glaring absence of the obvious.
What about evil?
What about Cho Seung-Hui?
If only he’d gone to counseling. If only he’d had the right medication. If only he’d had some friends. If only people would have listened to his views (I actually heard this moronic one on the news). If only he’d been denied access to guns. If only he could have had a 9 mm that carries less rounds (yep, heard this shockingly intelligent theory as well). If, if, if…
Then what?!!
He would have walked away?
Had a change of heart?
Been intimidated about the morality of breaking
These are useless theories people (these weren’t offered by the Christian subculture by the way, but by mainstream
The answer has always been, is now, and will always be a change of heart. Not a change of laws! The only hope is to transform the person, not transcribe new laws! And friends? That can still happen one way and one way only — through Jesus Christ. See this verse —> http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2014:6;&version=51;65;47;51;
Do we really believe that the constitutional “right to bear arms” is what kills people? Back in the days of early
So what gives?
What’s changed?
Well, a few things. We have more medication, more clinical studies, more psychiatrists, more counseling, more laws, more government, more surveillance, more legislation, more phobias, more boycotting (didn’t think I was gonna leave that out did ya?), more drop outs, more racial disparity, more boycotting (couldn’t help it), more shootings, more divorce, more picketing and…
less morality!
and less prayer in schools, less godly people in leadership, less restraint to do evil, less kindness, less charity, less hope, less of God, less peace, less security…
You’ve heard the saying, ‘less is more.’ In this case it really rings true (only not in a good way). Less of God equals more of everything we hate. And the less there is of God the less there is of His Son. The less there is of Jesus the less chance you have of finding your way out of this mess called life and into the full and abundant life Christ promised us (John 10:10).
You know, it’s interesting. The Lord has put a lot of new and very godly friends in my life in the last year or two. It’s almost uncanny how often we all are on the same page. Check out what Perry Noble said today, http://www.perrynoble.com/2007/04/19/i-am-pod/ and Steven Furtick, http://www.stevenfurtick.com/?p=233 although his comments have more to do with what I’ll be saying in part 4 tomorrow (see, don’t say I never gave you anything early).
“But pastor Rob, I fear for your rambling mind! What does all this have to do with the “shelf life” of your average Christian commitment?!”
Fear not, young grasshoppers. We’re getting there. I know this plane has been circling for a long time, but it will land.
The question is, will you be ready to face the truth when it steps out on to the tarmac?