For many years, the church has always been the authority figure regarding morality. In fact, the church was at the center of people's lives. Families got up on a Sunday morning, took their kids to church, and attended Bible study in the middle of the week. However, as the years have gone by, that is no longer the case. People sometimes place church attendance at the end of an overpacked schedule filled with sports activities and other events to crowd out the importance church attendance takes in our lives. Because of this, since the turn of the Millennium, churches lost their voice in society. No longer are we the “go-to voice” to figure out how society should act. Rather, we consult our friends or TV screens rather than the Word of God. Living in this post-Christian nation, it may seem as though the church is loosening its influence on society. Yet, there are some truths the church needs to hold on to even in the most difficult situations.
Here are six truths the church has forgotten:
No matter how bad things seem, we can take solace in knowing that God is in control of it all. When the church strives to pay off mortgages and build new buildings (sometimes to the departure of congregation members), we can know that God controls all of it. Each church is his. If God wants a church to grow, it will grow. God is in control of every situation personally and corporately as a church. The church wants to feel in control, but ultimate control is God's. Host a night of prayer and repentance. Ask the Lord to heal our land as he promises in 2 Chronicles. There are many times throughout Scripture when things seem out of control. In Exodus 14:13-14, for example, the Israelites felt out of control as they watched their enemies swarm them. They were convinced they would die, and by all appearances, they were. But it was only when Moses encourages them to stand firm and lay down their weapons does God work on their behalf: “Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
God wants to work on our behalf. We must surrender ourselves to him and his will. God is almighty and all-powerful, yet he doesn't force himself on anyone. A church bent on rebellion will reap the consequences of that rebellion. But a church that surrenders itself to him will always prosper.
On January 6th, 2021, we watched as people stormed Washington, DC, destroyed public property, and tried to overtake the government. Many people who watched it unfold on television felt as if the world had gone mad and that people were acting like animals. It seemed hopeless that we would ever change. Yet, two years almost to the day, we watched in awe as an entire football team and, ultimately, the world around us prayed for a young man named Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest on the field. So many people prayed and asked God to intervene on Damar’s behalf. It is because of those prayers that Damar is doing so much better. In the moments when we feel like the world can't get any worse, God shows us that he is in control and that more people know him than we think. In a difficult situation, those who are willing to pray and ask God for his guidance will see miracles happen on their behalf: It is written: as surely as I live,’ says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God'" (Romans 14:11).
Jesus tells us to present our requests before God. God wants us to live in peace and freedom. But so often, we take control of our own situations and do not allow God to work. God works out every situation according to his will. Even in situations where things do not work out the way we would like them to, it doesn't mean God is not in control. He will work out every situation in the way he sees fit. The best way to receive this peace is to allow God to work. Try not to intervene and manipulate situations to go your way. Simply ask God to work things out according to his will. God takes care of his people. This is a promise in scripture and a promise he wants to fulfill in us today if only we'll let him.
Even though the world has gotten away from believing the Bible is the ultimate truth, it doesn't mean that its promises are still not true. We can count on the fact that God is in control of the world until Jesus returns. Jesus’s blood covers over every sin. Sinners will be judged for their behavior. The wicked will not prosper in heaven. We are saved by grace, not by works. Every person who has free will can receive the gift of salvation. These are all truths with which we can cling to when the world seems bleak. If the news reports make life seem too catastrophic for you, turn off the TV and read the Word of God. Reading the Word of God will remind us of the promises that are still true regardless of how terrible the world becomes.
Even with attendance declining, more people believing subjective truth than ever before, and sermons becoming more of a self-help tape than preaching the Bible, we can take hope in the fact that Jesus is coming back for his children. Although scholars disagree as to when that will take place, we can rest assured knowing that he will indeed come back. It always gives us hope knowing that our situation is not the end of the story. The end of the story is found at the end of the book of Revelation: “Come, Holy Spirit, come.” We can have the opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit into our church and experience revival. Although revival may not happen on a global scale, we can experience personal revival and revival within our local communities. That is the hope with which we can take solace each week as we assemble to worship God together through Sunday worship.
Although the new year presents new opportunities for personal growth, it can be scary for the church as we counter new levels of persecution in new ways in which our freedom to worship God is being compromised. However, even when our freedoms are being silenced, we can rely on the truths listed above. Our hope does not come in a political figure or a certain party's dominance in the Senate or House of Representatives. It doesn't come from our finances or social titles. Our hope comes from the Lord and him only. This is the hope with which we can cling; that is where the peace that passes all understanding originates.
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