The Sky is Falling

There are good, theologically sound men who have studied recent history and proven that the world is changing exponentially. That is that while society has always changed and developed from the beginning, it's change is occurring more and more quickly.  In other words, life and technology didn't look too much different in 1800 as it did two thousand years before.  But two hundred years later in many places in the world the change is almost unbelievable, especially considering the relatively short time it took for technology to develop.  The point that some make then is that such change especially when taking into account the moral decay that is going along with it means that this world's civilization can't last more than about 50 years or so before it implodes on itself.

Now while this line of reasoning might have some merit and perhaps the Lord will be coming back in our children's lifetime; it is also true that our generation isn't the first to think like this.  And as history has proven, for Christians to think too much like this will lead to date setting and eventual embarrassment.  But there is something about the fact that the world is in many ways a evil place and things are getting worse and worse that I think is interesting to ponder.

A preacher I know sends out a paper he writes periodically that is consumed with all the bad things that are going on.  Whether it is the latest conspiracy theory in our government, some chemical in our food, some godless judge who is about to rule on something that will ruin our country; he is consumed with how bad things are getting.  For instance he tells us that our government has the technology to create earthquakes and stop hurricanes and so seemed to infer that we could have been behind the recent Japanese tsunami and could have prevented Hurricane Katrina.  And he made it quite clear that we can expect a massive cloud of radiation to drop on our country soon.  He seems to think that if we don't do something soon the American Way will vanish as if life can't go on if this happens.

Now don't get me wrong.  If someone can point out dangers in our society or the food I eat then they should.  But I am not quite sure how to take a Christian and especially a preacher who is consumed with the evils of society more than the preaching of the gospel.  In the aforementioned paper the attitude is we have to stop this company or that politician or life as we know it will be gone forever.  I guess my question is so what!  If we can make things better in some way, fine but if after our attempts, our milk is still pasteurized and our government still lies to us and there are still harmful cell phone signals invading our brains, then we have to convey the message, not that the sky is falling and life as we know it is gone but that this world is passing away anyway and so now is the day of salvation.

I don't want to be a person, let alone a Christian that just sees all the bad that is going on.  What seems to happen a lot of the time is that such people become consumed with all the bad news in the world and not consumed with rejoicing in the Lord always.  Is one really living in the joy of the Lord when they can't sleep at night because they might live too near power lines or their taxes might go up next year?

Yes, this world is a bad place in a lot of ways; yes, our government is corrupt in a lot of ways; yes, our tax money is wasted to the point of being criminal; yes, our food could be healthier; yes, the American justice system has become an embarrassment and on and on we could go.  But the Bible told us that things would wax worse and worse.  It doesn't mean we shouldn't try to stop it if we can but it should mostly motivate us to carry out the Great Commission.  And the last I read it, it said to preach the gospel and make disciples; it didn't say to be consumed with all the evil and unfairness in the world and go around and make everyone fret over it.

We sometimes act like we are surprised that sinners sin.  While I don't like the fact that sometimes this affects my family and me, I don't want to lose focus that this is why we have been left in the world; not to lead crusades against evil and even to complain about all the bad things out there but to spread the light of the gospel to a world in darkness.  Mostly I want to be a person that people like to be around because I am happy and contented in Christ, because I have hope for tomorrow and because I can be happy and pleasant in this world despite the realities that sin brings.  Not by ignoring them but because I know that God has them all under control.  Even if "Big Brother" takes all my "rights", my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.