How far will we fall? We have killings on our campuses, we have shootings in our high schools, and we even have kids killing kids on our play grounds. The debate is raging on how to provide more security, gun control, and even arming other kids to protect them. I want to ask one question…What has changed? In our society, in our communities, and in our homes what has changed? These violent acts did not happen in a vacuum. What was the catalyst? It isn’t that guns are more readily available, we have always had guns. It isn’t that we now have violent movies, we have always had violent movies. It isn’t that our kids no longer have great homes, there have always been cruddy families, and awful homes. So what is the difference? Journey with me to another time and another place and lets see what the real issues are…
Mankind without God will always follow a predictable path. Every society since the beginning has had the same plight and flight plan. God gives us the account in the book of Genesis where the first flight from God took off…
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. NIV Genesis 6:5-6
It all begins with the heart issue. It always does. Our hearts are deceptive, wicked, and desire to do exactly what they want which is usually the opposite of what God wants. “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil.” Our thoughts reveal our heart. Our heart dictates our world view. Our world view dictates our behavior. Early man had a heart disease that is known in the Bible as sin. Sin if allowed will weave its tentacles around our lives until a firm grip is had then it will squeeze and press all hopes of life from its victim.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. Genesis 6:11 NIV
The story has progressed. Man has now devolved from thoughts to actions. His heart has dictated his life. What he thought of in verse 5 now he is living in verse 11. Violence is always the result of a corrupt heart. Wayward thoughts if left unchecked will result in wayword actions.
So what does that have to do with us? In Genesis it begins with corrupt thoughts, corrupt hearts, minds far from God. Later those corrupt thoughts lead to corrupt deeds, volence against humanity. Then what you ask?
Genesis 7:23
23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. NIV
The results of the path of sin was destruction. Everything was lost. Today if you were to track the demise of every empire, every kingdom, and every nation of our past you will find the same pattern. The gauntlet begins with God being left out of our economy, and our thoughts shifting from the things above to the things below, then our corrupt thoughts give birth to corrupt behavior, and in due course destruction comes. This is exactly what God said:
14 Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. 15 These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. James 1:14-16 NLT
So what does this have to do with the killings recently? Everything.
We are in the very throws of the demise of our community as we know it. Evil desires and thoughts have given way to evil actions and violence in our community. These are the death rattles of a society. Don’t kid yourself apart from the God our end is in sight.
What can we do?
Pray…Prayer evokes the attention and focus of the only One who can do anything about the hearts of man, Jesus.
Take Responsibility…The issue isn’t going to be fixed because of gun control, security, or even metal detectors. The problem is that we as God’s representatives have not done a good job of selling the world on Jesus. This problem is squarely on the door step of the Church. Don’t just stand there, do something! Tell them about HIM! LIVE IT! GET INVOLVED!
Commit…Commit to the life changing work of Jesus through His favorite tool the Church. Changed lives, is the answer. Lives change here at MCC. Bring them in!
Take a second and read what Jesus had to say about the end…
Luke 17:26-27
26 "When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah's day. 27 In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all. NLT
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3 comments:
As hideous as what happened on the Virginia Tech campus was the amazing thing is God can use that to display His Gospel. There are already stories of hero’s who gave their lives to save others. One professor, Liviu Librescu, blocked the doorway of his class room so instructing students to get out of the building only to be fatally shot after saving the lives of several students. Believe it or not this is the Gospel being put in display for the world to see, someone sacrificing their life so that others can live……………sound familiar?
Think about why stories like professor Librescu and those fire fighters on 9/11 that ran into the burning World Trade Center buildings to save other, or those passengers on United flight 94, why do those stories make the hair on the back of our necks stand up. Why is it when we hard the words “let’s roll” we get goose bumps? Even those who don’t know anything about Jesus and reject God are inspired by these kinds of stories. I would argue that in everyone we are hard wired to recognize the Gospel in action that’s why we react the way we do to these events.
I certainly don’t mean to make light of these events they are tragic, and our prayers go out to the families of the victims and the survivors. The crazy thing is God is using that tragedy and the actions of a few heroic individuals to show people what the Gospel is all about.
The Va Tech tragedy has left my heart heavy and sad. I imagine that one of the children in my life had been one of the victims and my heart literally breaks for these families. This university, the families, the students need our prayers. Folks, evil lurks, and we as Christians must ban together to carry the cross for Jesus. I wonder if the young shooter had ever been exposed to any kind of Christianity. What a shame!!
I see this as an act of the devil, as I can hardly think of anything more evil than the barbaric way these young people's lives were stolen from them.
From all this the Lord has put in my heart to never defer or neglect the opportunity to share His love, faith and hope when I sense discord, despair or darkness in any human being. I pray for the Lord to make us all instruments of His peace.
As Pastor Scott says, our MCC family may not be able to change the whole world, but we can change Sherwood and Arkansas. We never know when a tragedy of this magnitude will hit our community. I pray we will all extend ourselves as individuals, small groups and church organizations to reach out and reach up to take Christianity out into the community.
Well said.
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