Look up when others are looking down
Please open your Bible...this time go get the Bible Bible, not the app, not the google, go find that dusty old book you haven't looked anything up in a long long time. Turn to the New Testament epistles, (hint, that's way in the back), and LOOK UP. Look up and read -
1 Thessalonians chapter 1:5
"God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you."
It's great to be foward looking, not backward looking and thinking. And it's even greater to be looking up while the whole earth is looking down and inwards. And when the world that is so self focused persecutes you, when the world kicks you in the rear, rejoice, because what that means is you're ahead of them.
Yesterday I headed out to go to the grocery store. On my way, I realized I had left my phone in the charger at home. Guess what happened?
Nothing.
My world didn't end. I didn't get lost. My people and my customers got along without me. I wasn't even in need of it at all turns out.
Could you do it? Could you go even one day without touching your phone?
I have, mostly during spiritual events such as a KAIROS prison fellowship, or during an EMMAUS weekend program. And it's really wonderful to be free of it. To focus upon the Lord of heaven and get off the phone god. Honestly that phone is a persecution. It's a judge, it's always judging us. It's a Devil really. It's an accusatory tool in many ways. It works constantly driving and impacting our lives and it's all about training and preparing the users for what's coming. What's coming is the full evolution of the artificial intelligence and virtual identity, and the indentured servitude of the users. Serving the virtual gods of the machines mingled with the flesh. And make no mistake, these devices are gods of a kind. They are a created being of a sort and deified by the users, the acolytes who worship them.
Don't get me wrong, as I write this message I'm doing so on my phone. I'm not free of this cultural phenomenon. But I know I could put it down and look up. I know I won't sacrifice looking up to live in servitude to the downward god.
You sacrifice so much to diet and you're getting fit, exercising and eating right (and from a health perspective thats great). Long walks or runs, so much sacrifice for the body image. Sacrificing decency sometimes to enhance personal image in order to be seen and/or heard, or to project a message. Sacrificing identity for fetish. Sacrificing godly imagery for earthly popularity. Sacrificing God's acceptance for the mob's acceptance. Wearing the idols image as a cloak, like a fig leaf. Sound familiar?
Genesis 3
"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves."
The first people realized something. First they realized they were in fact NOT God (eyes wide open), and next they realized their vulnerability. And in their own strength they sought to cover themselves with a cloak of their own making. They reacted to the devils deception that led to their downfall. They thought they were the captains of their own lives, and rather than seeking God's help, they hid from him.
It used to be a sign of maturity when the adolescent mind grew up and out of the self and into someone no longer phony. No longer self focused on self identity and instead focusing on the source of every human identity. But today even many of the chronologically mature have retained their adolescent fetishes and desires to find meaning and validation in and of themselves. It's all about the selfie, all about the social content, the social media score, the constant contact with the virtual reality. At the same time little to no concern about what one's reputation with God is.
The users are making deals with the Devil, compromising to get along with the powers that be. Like in the times of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt. After all the plagues God brought upon the wicked Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Pharoah offers a compromise to tempt the people of God - “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God in the land’” (Exodus 8:25). *Offer refused “So Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away” (Exodus 8:28). Pharaoh even goes so far as to ask them to pray for him while they are in the wilderness. He's using infiltration into the forms of their religion in order to garner their favor. It's like being baptized without repentance. You go into the water a pagan and come out of the water a wet pagan.
Pharaoh wants these followers of Moses to do their religious thing but not go too far from his sphere of influence. He wants to maintain a grip upon them. And he tries to be diplomatic about it. So he employs deception with compromising snares. He does this because he knows that in times of testing those who have remained tethered to his influence will return to him for comfort (If you must be a Christian, go ahead; but don’t invest everything in it. Use yourself for yourself).
Friends,
God doesn't want his bride to adorn herself in order to fit into the culture, he wants his bride to change the culture. What will happen to the remnant? Who will remain? Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:27). Christianity is to be lived on a daily basis (e.g. Hebrews 3:12-13; 2 Corinthians 11:28; Ephesians 5:1; James 2:15-16; 4:13-17).
Church,
The Dragon is looking to devour the children of God. The enemy is persecuting the faithful in the wilderness. And meanwhile Babylon is offering compromises from within the vanity fair, tempting the followers of Christ.
A synonym is another word that has the same meaning. When we look up the synonyms of the word compromise, it is very telling: to accommodate, to bargain, to concede, a happy medium, half measure, middle way, sellout, trade off. Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning and they are also very telling: to contest, to disagree, to resist!
You've got to resist if the remnant will ultimately exist. Keep these words from Jesus in mind, "the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God." (John 16:2) This persecution won't be of some Satanist cult or atheist consortium, it will be from within.
Take Heart - The Good News
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Friends,
Overcome evil with good. Do no harm to the people by returning evil for evil, and do no harm to God's truth by compromising his truth in order to create the semblance of doing good. Guard your heart with righteousness. Protect your spiritual heart from the compromises. Christ will forgive backsliding and those who fell into the snares of deception. Follow the Romans 12 model (Romans 12::17-21).
My prayer today comes from 1 Thessalonians 1: 11-12, 2
"So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ."
"May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace."
Amen