Following Judah's Lion

A Profound Question

A commentor named Lisa asked this question:

Rick,
I have a serious and sincere question. I've been thinking of this for a long time and last night finally framed it this way.Remember when Wm. Wilburforce was fighting to end slavery in England?And there was a group of people who boycotted sugar because they said that there was too much "blood" in it?Today, as citizens of the U.S., how do we avoid living with blood on our hands?We are not to fight against flesh and blood. We are to love our enemies and pray for them. But how do we get thru our days without blood on our hands?We cannot boycott oil. It's impossible.Even if we gave away our vehicles and rode bicycles there is oil in the manufacture and maintenance of bicycles. In our electricity is oil. No lights, electric ovens, refrigerators, computers... In almost every single thing we buy is oil -the plastic, the manufacture,the transportation.How do we go about not participating in the killing? Have you ever thought this way?A little while ago I came across a bit of video showing a couple of little Libyan girls who'd been horribly maimed by our bombs. One had a chunk our of her leg but she was apparently in shock because she was just quietly staring at the other little girl who couldn't stop screaming because she'd had her lower jaw shot off. How can we, as citizens of this country, not take part in and truly distance ourselves from what America does? Is our whole lifestyle drenched in blood and we don't even see it?
Thank you, Lisa
Jn.17:14I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
I Jn.2:15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
God has ordained that His people, His church, stay in the world to shine His light. We are not to be of the world or love the world, but we are to be a light to the world. When those lines are blurred, the light goes out. But let us address some of the things Lisa brought up.
When the church takes up the spear, or the sword, or the gun, or the bomb, at that moment the church becomes as godless as the hordes of Mohammed. There can be no gray area when it comes to violence and the taking of human life. The church continues to follow the false shepherd of this world who gives reasons and just causes for its use of horrific methods of violence and killing. Of course it stems from nationalism and the pagan allegiance to a secular institution, allowed and ordained by God, but never meant to be the light for the path of God’s people. The western church has been so assimilated by the surrounding culture that it can no longer discern right from wrong, or the temporal from the eternal, or the spiritual from the carnal.
Preachers by the thousands, some even good and sincere men, stand before their people and lead them into idolatry, witchcraft, and violence.
Gal.3:1-3 - O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
The things of God’s kingdom cannot be accomplished through the power of the flesh, and in fact attempting to do so is witchcraft. No one can read the New Testament and stand upon its teachings and condone violence. But when it comes to nationalism and patriotism, the Scriptures often bow to the customs and prevailing culture. To place your hand over your heart and pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth is as pagan as it gets. And yet millions of professing believers do so and with the public suggestion that God is in it all.
The marshalling of human voices in order to leverage legislation always leads to compromise and unholy alliances regardless of how noble the legislation. And if we are to boycott then we must boycott all things since this world cements them all together. We as believers are called to humbly obey the secular laws, but we have never been called to make them. Our law is the Spirit that is woven into every Word that proceeds from God’s holy mouth. And when we mix earthly law with God’s eternal law we mix the holy with the profane.
We have forgotten that we are pilgrims in this present world. This is not our life; our life is hid in Christ with God. Our eyes must be filled with redemption and the higher calling of the everlasting gospel.
Heb.12:1-2 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It is not only sin that hinders us, but many are the weights of this world and its cares that burdens our spirit and compromises our testimony. Activism in the affairs of this world is the enemy of God’s kingdom. Our activism is ministry, and whether it be feeding the poor, or visiting the prisons, or reaching lost sinners, our calling and motivation must never come from this world. Everything we do and say must emanate from Christ and through the power of His Spirit. Even Jesus Himself paid unfair taxes without complaining and certainly without organizing a political protest.
An earthly, noble cause is many times the enemy of heaven. Some causes seem so well meaning and seemingly compassionate, but if they are unattached to the gospel of redemption then they are little more than window dressing for the Titanic. Do you see how difficult it is to keep our hearts on things eternal and unseen? But that is our challenge, our command. Do not settle for the small raisons of this world when God offers the colossal grapes of Eshcol, grown and fed in the garden of His kingdom! Oh how tragic it is to see the church bow her knee to all the different idols of this world and attempt to attach God’s name to them.
What does it mean to be a “living sacrifice”? To whose life does God refer, and what sacrifice does He call us to? The western church knows precious little concerning sacrifice, and in fact, she avoids it and teaches that any inconvenience, and financial downturn, and illness, and any barrier to earthly success is of the evil one. Saturated with this present world, the church turns to earthly causes and earthly remedies to soothe her hardened conscience.
Our God reigns, and He is eager for His people to turn once again to Him and Him alone. God will not share His glory with another. And God will not pull up a seat at the table of ideas, political causes, and human reasoning. Oh yes, His grace will many times overcome misguided human energy. And like Wilburforce and others, His grace is sufficient. But do not equate God’s grace with God’s will. All of us have known His grace, even when we stumbled and fell. But it was not God who blessed or orchestrated our stumbling. That must be owned by us alone.
The video of that Libyan girl is but a drop in the bucket when compared to the sufferings in this present world, and especially those caused by man’s wars. But what would happen, you say, if we did not confront Hitler with violence? We need not worry about that, the world will meet violence with violence. We must not wring our hands while we attempt to figure all things out. We must look to Jesus and His Word, and the consequences belong to God. Where are the martyrs if all believers meet violence with violence?
Again, to be a sacrificial disciple of Christ in this world is a sacred, yet difficult calling. We must continually renounce our own feelings and reason and plans. The things of God nudge at our hearts, while the things of this world shout at us. All that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, are all enemies of God’s kingdom. But like the Greek sirens, they are all alluring to our fallen nature. And even the seemingly good and noble causes can be a distraction at best, or idolatry at worst.
So be very, very careful, my friends. And do not allow yourself to be puffed up just because God has led you out of such worldly practices. And have much patience with your brothers and sisters who still cannot see. Remember, you were there not too long ago, and it is only by God’s merciful grace that you have taken another step into His glorious light. We all have many more steps to go.