Bringing Dead Bones Back to Life: Reviving a Spiritually Dead Culture

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ezekiel 37:4-5

Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath^[b] to enter you, and you shall live. 

(ESV)

While driving around this past Black Friday, I noticed the parking lots at most of the stores around Phoenix were full.  It would appear from this bit of evidence that the economy is alive and active.  The economic revival promised by President Trump during the Presidential Election appears to be becoming a reality.  However, spiritually the signs point to a dying culture in danger of becoming a spiritually dead culture.  Fortunately, resurrection and healing of even terminal illnesses were vital parts of the ministry of Jesus on earth and through the church, remains so. 

The passage of Ezekiel 37:4-5 speaks of the revival of the Nation of Israel after exile due to their sins but also has a spiritual application concerning the revival of culture back to its biblical roots.  Let us therefore dissect the passage to find its application for the church in bringing revival to our world.  Bringing the dead bones of culture back to life requires,

1)       Seeing the spiritual death of culture (Ezekiel 37:1) – The first thing the Lord does for Ezekiel is show him the dead bones in the middle of the valley.  Without first seeing, through the inspiration of the Lord, that there is a problem, we will have not have the urgency to pray or work to address the problem.  One of the benefits of 24-hour news and social media is news travels fast and is available to all.  As Christians we see the ungodliness of the culture like abortion, gay marriage, prevalent immorality openly on display in media, and the political corruption of government.  However, while acknowledging there is a problem can lead to good sounding campaign promises, they are empty without finding a way to fix the problem. 

2)      Acknowledging that only God can resurrect spiritual death (Ezekiel 37:2-3) – When we attempt to address the issues bringing spiritual death to our culture, we are in essence seeking to fix the problem through the apparatus that caused the problem.  Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that the forces behind the evil in the world are not of this world and something needing God’s intervention.  While Christians find much of what is occurring in the world abhorrent and want to jump in and fix it, to do so without the intervention of God will result in failure.  This is why even after the spiritual soldier puts on the armor of God, he or she must pray (Ephesians 6:13-18).

3)      Declare life giving truth (Ezekiel 37:4) – When I hear the word truth I think of the line in an Officer and a Gentleman that people can’t handle the truth.  While all truth is present in Scripture, we only understand it as the Holy Spirit provides inspiration.  Therefore, there is some truth to the statement that we cannot handle the truth.  When in the valley of a dying culture, the church has an obligation to speak biblical truth to the problem.  While some will reject the truth because the Holy Sprit has not convicted them, or they are rejecting that conviction, some will receive it.  Therefore, the Church must engage and not fear speaking truth to a dying culture. 

However, the most important component that must occur during each of these steps is prayer for through prayer we can persevere through the difficult times that will occur during spiritual warfare for the souls of lost humanity.  The challenge for each of us is will we remain comfortable in our own salvation and ignore those spiritually dying in our spiritually dying culture or rise to the challenge like Ezekiel and contribute to bringing spiritual life to a spiritually dying culture. 

Employer Employee Relationships: A Biblical Perspective

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 6:5

Slaves, obey your human^[a] masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.

(CSB)

The idea of slavery is repulsive in modern society so before skipping the biblical narrative of Ephesians 6:5-9, the word slavery used in the passage needs clarification.  The slaves referred to in the passage were not individuals involved in forced labor but individuals working for someone else for a wage or in repayment of a debt.  (1)  This context places these individuals in more of an employee/employer relationship than a slave/owner relationship.  Each party in the employee/employer relationship has a biblical obligation,

1)      Employees are to obey their employers (Ephesians 6:5) – The fear and trembling in a biblically based employee/employer relationship should not be one causing fear of physical harm for disobedience.  This fear and trembling also goes beyond simply fearing loss of job and income supporting ones needs.  Instead this fear equates to the level of reverential fear one should have towards God.  Employees must also understand that their work is not just to please their boss but also God (Ephesians 6:6).  This means that even if the boss is not watching, God is so employees must serve their bosses and God with a good attitude (Ephesians 6:6-7). 

2)      Employers are to treat employees in a loving and respectful manner (Ephesians 6:9) – In similar fashion, employers must interact with employees, knowing that God is watching.  From this knowledge, employers should treat their employees with respect and not in a threatening or abusive manner (Ephesians 6:9)

The biblical relationship between employees and employers is a triangulation like that seen in the Trinity.  When working in a biblical fashion both employee and employer work to please the Lord resulting in the employee working with an attitude of obedience towards their boss with the boss seeking to please the Lord by treating employees respectfully.  However, we do not live in a biblically perfect world, resulting in breakdowns in the employee/employer relationship. 

Disobedient employees with bad attitudes create a contentious situation where their employer has no choice but to fire them.  Likewise, an abusive employer creates a situation leading to high employee turnover or in extreme cases legal issues.  The breakdown of the relationship in both instances is failure of one or both parties to work as if serving the Lord. 

While it is impossible to place a dollar value on the cost of lost productivity because of breakdowns in the employee/employer relationship, avoidance of unnecessary losses can happen through establishment of a relationship functioning under the umbrella of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ by both parties.  Therefore, I urge anyone reading this whether employee or employer to pray with me now and come under the umbrella of a relationship with God through Jesus,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

My prayer is that the broken and strained relationships between employees and employers reading this finds resolution through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you are a godly employee serving an ungodly boss, pray for your boss and try to persevere.  If perseverance fails find another Job and if the abuse is excessive, seek legal protection.  If you a godly employer with disobedient employees, pray for these employees and try to work out your differences.  If there is no resolution possible for differences, fire the employee but continue to pray for them.  May God bless everyone reading this. 

1. Keener, Dr. Craig. Slaves and slaveholders—Ephesians 6:5-9. www.craigkeener.com. [Online] Bible Background. [Cited: November 22, 2018.] http://www.craigkeener.com/slaves-and-slaveholders-ephesians-65-9/.

Bringing a Spiritually Dead Culture to Life.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Acts 17:6

 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,

(CSB)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a day set aside for reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for.  On the humorous side we can be thankful that the campaign ads are over for a while even if the election did not turn out like we may have expected.  If you are reading this, you should be thankful that you are alive.  Even though it is not perfect, I am also thankful to live in the United States with its many opportunities.  However, as one who has accepted Jesus as my savior, the greatest thing for which I am thankful for is God’s gift of salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross. 

Unfortunately, in many churches the simplistic message of salvation through faith in Jesus death on the cross is not being preached robbing people of the opportunity to express thanks for God’s free gift of salvation.  Because of this, the culture in many parts of the world, and even parts of the United States is spiritually dead and in need of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.  Instead of the truth of the Gospel, many churches today preach a gospel acceptable to a dying and dead culture.  These churches preach,

1)      A feel-good gospel:  Jesus told the woman at the well that true worshipers of God do so in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  The truth part is the foundation of the truth in the Bible.  While most individuals that attend church would attest to believing every word it contains, do they show the same excitement when what they read is truth revealing some sin in their lives.  The Bible is a two-edged sword that cuts to the heart of any situation (Hebrews 4:12).  In an effort not to offend and lose members, many churches have abandoned biblically truthful teaching and replaced it with a feel-good gospel.  While this may temporarily preserve church membership and attendance numbers, the long-term result is weak Christians unable to persevere through challenges in life. 

2)      Management instead of spiritual leadership:  The focus of many churches today has changed from a biblical call to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) to management of a facility and keeping members by making people feel good instead of their spiritual growth.  This is the spiritual component of worship Jesus meant in John 4:23. Without teaching from a Biblically centered foundation with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit a church is spiritually dead and no different than any other self-help organization.

3)      Political correctness replacing truth:  I mentioned being thankful for the end of campaign ads but also understand the political process has simply paused and will restart as the 2020 elections are less than two years away.  While the church should be involved in the political process to express Christian values in culture through candidates supporting these values, it must not compromise the truth of the Gospel message.  The temptation to be politically correct in presentation of the Gospel message is itself a two-edged sword bringing division and eventual spiritual death to a church. 

4)      Lack of spiritual disciplines:  Pastors in many churches focused on management have taken on the role of CEO.  Unfortunately, with this role often comes the abandonment of spiritual disciplines, especially the discipline of prayer.  (1)  As the early church grew, it reached a point where the Apostles could no longer do everything and needed to delegate (Acts 6:1-7).  Instead of appointing themselves to the prestigious position of CEO, the Apostles recruited seven men of good reputation to manage the church, leaving the Apostles to fulfill the role of prayer and ministry of the Word of God.  Instead of assuming the role of CEO, pastors must focus on their biblical role of teacher and shepherd of the flock through practice of spiritual disciplines and shepherding a spiritually disciplined flock.

For change back to biblical foundations in culture, the church must itself return to worship of God in spirit and truth.  The pastor has the responsibility of shepherding the flock of believers and not acting as CEO of the organization.  My prayer is that God will raise up churches and pastors dedicated to making disciples and leave the management role up to the Lord. 

1. Martinez, Jessica. Has America's Form of Christianity Left the Church in 'Spiritually Dead' Condition? www.christianpost.com. [Online] The Christian Post. [Cited: November 18, 2018.] https://www.christianpost.com/news/calif-pastor-rebukes-passive-coward-churches-for-avoiding-hot-button-issues.html.

Parent Child Relationships

By: Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. ² Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, ³ so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.^[a][b]4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

(CSB)

The relationship of parents with their children is like the relationship of God with His Son Jesus.  We too have a relationship with God as our Heavenly Father through adoption when we receive Jesus as our personal savior.  The commandment to obey parents is the only one of the Ten Commandments with a promise of longevity of life (Exodus 20:12).  Eternal life is possible through honoring God the Father by accepting Jesus as personal savior.  Therefore, before we go further into this study, I encourage anyone reading this that has not already accepted Jesus as their personal savior, to do so now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Even the best parents sometimes have a child that goes against the Godly instructions of their parents.  Proverbs 22:6 states that when a child grows old or matures, they will not depart from the teachings of the Word of God.  However, the fact that there are children who never return after drifting from the Lord creates what could be a possible unfulfilled promise from God.  The question we will explore in this posting is whether this is a contradiction in scripture or not. 

Based upon the English translation of this verse, we interpret this to mean that if parents raise up children in Godly principles, when they grow old, they will not depart.  However, translators added the word should to the English translation for it does not appear in the Hebrew text.  Therefore, the proverb is not a promise to those parents teaching children Godly principles but a warning against not correcting children.  This interpretation aligns with other scriptures in proverbs that speak of the innate foolishness of children and the need to correct them (Proverbs 23:13-14).  Therefore, parents are in control of the process of raising their children but the decision of whether they follow the Lord and biblical teaching is an individual decision as it is with everyone else.  To control the process of raising children in the ways of the Lord, parents should be a good example by,

1)      Accepting the Lord themselves

2)      Attending a church teaching the Bible regularly

3)      Praying for and with children

4)      Studying the Bible and having family devotions

5)      Correcting children when they are wrong out of love

Most of all we must remember that our children are watching us whether we know it or not so be a good example.  Next Wednesday’s posting will be on slaves and masters or what we might call today, employees and employers. 

Engagement with Hostile Cultures

Christianity’s engagement with hostile cultures is nothing new beginning with Jesus whose engagement with hostility in culture led to his crucifixion.  This hostility continued with Stephen’s stoning.  However, in each instance, the hostility towards Christians occurred with those committing the atrocities believing their actions would end Christianity, but only served to facilitate Christianity’s advancement.  The belief that nothing can prevent the spread of the Gospel message, including threats from hostile cultures means the message can move forward despite these threats. 

Jesus confrontation with hostility in culture originated with the religious leaders of His time who should have recognized who He was.  Instead their eyes were blinded to the truth that Jesus was their Messiah, someone they should worship instead of having nailed to a cross (Isaiah 6:9; Luke 8:10).  However, before we heap condemnation on the High Priest, the offering up for sacrifice by the High Priest is needed for fulfillment of the law regarding the Sin Offering (Leviticus 4).  However, since human sacrifice is forbidden by Jewish law (Leviticus 20:1), God arranges for the ungodly Roman Government to carry out the murder. 

The hope of the religious leaders and Satan himself was that the death of Jesus would end Christianity, returning things to how they used to be.  However, what appeared to bring destruction only brought abundance to the movement with Jesus resurrection from the dead three days later (John 10:10).  However, those living through hostile religious persecution today will most likely not resurrect from the dead so would their death, if it occurred, make a contribution to advancement of the Kingdom of God?  The answer to this question lies in what happened with Stephen in Acts 6-7.

Stephen was one of the seven selected to serve the church, relieving the Apostles of responsibility for routine ministerial duties so the Apostles could devote themselves to study, preaching of the Word of God, and prayer.  The Spirit of God residing in Stephen results in performance of great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8).  Like the opposition of Jews to Jesus ministry, this results in opposition to Stephen and his capture and presentation for trial before the Sanhedrin. 

However, once again, what the enemy intended as detrimental to the advancement of the Gospel, opens the door to even greater expansion of the Gospel message.  This is because one of the people present at the stoning was a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58).  With Saul’s approval of Stephen’s murder, the church dispersed and scattered due to great persecution breaking out against the church with Saul its ringleader. 

However, God was not done with Saul for on one of his journeys to Damascus to seize any believers in the Synagogues he had an encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:1-19).  While Stephen did not physically raise from the dead after his stoning, his stoning placed young Saul in a position for an encounter with God on the road to Damascus that would establish churches throughout the known world at that time.  Saul’s conversion also led to the writing of much of what is now the New Testament. 

These two biblical accounts should encourage those living for Christ in hostile cultures today by,

1)      Showing their persecution has some greater purpose – While Jesus as God in the flesh knew he would suffer rejection and crucifixion, Stephen did not and yet boldly presented the Gospel message to a hostile audience.  Stephen had no reason to believe His death would facilitate the spreading of the Gospel and writing of much of New Testament scripture, he stood boldly in faith.  My hope is that persecution does not result in anyone’s death but should that occur, I believe it occurs with some greater purpose in mind.

2)      Showing no persecution, even crucifixion of Jesus, can stop the advancement of the Gospel – Logically the death of Jesus should have stopped the movement looking at the fact most of those following Him, abandoned him after his arrest (Matthew 26:31).  However, this logic died with the resurrection of Jesus after His death.  Stephen’s stoning scattered the church but this led to the sending of many missionaries throughout the world and the conversion of the Apostle Paul.    

3)      Showing death is not the end but ushers us into God’s presence while impacting others on earth towards acceptance of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8) – Death is not something feared by believers in Christ for it is not the end but the beginning of a new and glorious chapter in our lives.  However, this does not mean Christians are on some sort of suicide pact for they also desire living a long and prosperous life serving as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).  The examples of the deaths of Jesus and Stephen demonstrate how even the death of the Godly for their faith leaves a lasting positive impact that changes lives. 

I urge everyone reading this to join me in praying for the persecuted church around the globe.  Next Wednesday we will look at church engagement with spiritually dead cultures.  Please invite your friends by sending this link through email or social media to friends.  May God bless everyone reading this post.   

Establishing Healthy Relationships

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 5:24-25

 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

(CSB)

Talk of wives submitting to their husbands is a contentious topic in our modern society that seeks to place women and men on an equal standing.  However, Ephesians 5:21 does call for submission to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Therefore, it is safe to interpret this passage to mean men and women are equal in standing under submission to Christ. 

The first to see the risen Christ were women who came to prepare His body (Luke 24: 1-12).  Jesus could have and should have in accordance with the customs of his time, announced his resurrection to the men first.  Thankfully, especially for the women reading this, Jesus died for the sins of all humanity, men and women. 

Therefore, the call for wives to submit to their husbands is not speaking of a slavery to their husbands for that is not how Christ wants us to serve Him.  Instead it is a reverential love for their husbands, called to love them just as Christ loved and died for the church.  However, when either the husband or wife steps out from under the umbrella of reverence for Christ, a breakdown in the relationship occurs.  We can therefore conclude that the foundational key to harmony in Christian households is both husbands and wives living in reverence to God in Christ, seeking and fulfilling God’s will and purpose in their lives. 

Each person reading this that is married can attest to what occurs in the household when one party in the marriage is not a believer in Christ.  While the Bible cautions believers about being married to an unbeliever, it often occurs when both entered the marriage as nonbelievers and one of them later becomes a believer.  If that is the situation for anyone reading this I recommend loving and praying that your spouse comes to accept Jesus as their savior.  I also recommend living for Christ as a witness to your unbelieving spouse. 

However, even marriages between two Christians can experience contention and arguments.  James 4:1 tells us the cause of quarrels between people as stemming from waring desires within us.  Winning this internal battle is key to living a peaceful life with others, including our spouses.  To achieve this level of peaceful existence we must

1)      Value healthy relationships (Hebrews 10:24-25) – The first scriptural mention of the need for healthy relationships in the Bible occurs in Genesis 2:18.  In what appears to be a contradiction with God previously saying that his creation was good (Genesis 1:31), he now states it is not good for man to be alone.  There is no contradiction however for while Adam lived in a marvelous world created by God, it was not good for him to enjoy it alone.  As Christians living in a fallen world, we need each other for encouragement and why we must regularly come together (Hebrews 10:24-25). 

2)      Identify barriers to healthy relationships (James 4:1-2) – As Christians, we are not only involved in spiritual warfare against external ungodly powers (Ephesians 6:12), but also an internal war against the passions of the flesh (James 4:1-2).  This represents pride and self-absorption which prevents healthy relationships with God and others.  The opposite of pride is humility or a greater concern for others over self, attracting healthy relationships.  To break down the barriers to healthy relationships in our lives, we must identify areas of pride in our lives and ask God to give us humility in these areas. 

3)      Breaking down relationship barriers (James 4:7-10) – James 4:7-10 tells us to submit, draw near, and humble ourselves to God and resist the devil.  We often hear the resist the devil and drawing near portions of this passage while ignoring the humbling, and submission portions.  This is because these both involve confrontation of pride in our lives and surrendering of control in our lives to God.  The benefit, however, to doing this is the breaking down of relationship barriers making healthy relationships possible. 

The healthiest relationship any person can have is a relationship with God, but sin represents a barrier to this relationship that none of us can break down (Romans 3:23).  However, the grace of God breaks down that barrier when we accept Jesus as our savior (Ephesians 2:8).  If you are reading this and have not already done so, I urge you to break down the sin barrier to a relationship with God by praying with me now. 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

As with any relationship, they grow stronger through communication.  Communication is a two-way street consisting of listening and speaking.  God speaks to us through the Bible and allows us to speak to Him through prayer.  Now that you have prayed and established a relationship with God in your life, I urge you to develop a strong relationship through daily reading of the Bible, prayer, and finding a church teaching the Bible.  May God bless everyone reading this. 

The Church in Culture

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Corinthians 3:11

For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

(CSB)

The contentious nature of elections across the free world is indicative that there is a lack of foundation in modern society.  One election the electorate swings left, electing liberal and progressive candidates to office only to have the electorate swing right just two years later.  (1)  Such political swings indicate a lack of anchoring on some solid foundation.  While the mission of the church is to be that solid foundation, it has failed as evidenced by its even vacillating in adherence to its values or sitting as some morally supreme enforcer of Biblical values in the world.  Instead Jesus calls the church to spread the Gospel message as well as making disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). 

This calling requires engagement with secular culture which can tempt church leadership to compromise on foundational biblical values in order to be more appealing to that culture.  Learning how to uncompromisingly engage culture while maintaining relevance within that culture is the challenge faced by the church.  Fortunately, this is nothing new for even the Apostle Paul had to engage people from diverse cultures and managed to do so while bringing God into the discussion. 

Acts 13:13-41 records a speech delivered to a group of Jews by birth and Gentiles converting to Judaism.  With this group the Apostle Paul begins with a brief history lesson reminding the audience of God’s saving acts for Israel throughout its history (Acts 13:13-22).  This foundation served two purposes.  First it represented a reminder to the Jews on God’s concern and deliverance for them throughout their history.  For the Gentiles of the audience the conversation served as a lesson about the history of the community they were now a part of.  Acts 13:23-41 is where the Apostle Paul brings Jesus into the discussion using something familiar to the audience, Old Testament scripture that identifies Jesus as Messiah. 

Acts 14:8-18 records an encounter between the Apostle Paul and a group of Gentile non-believers in Lystra.  God presents Paul with an opportunity to demonstrate God’s healing power through his encounter with a crippled man in the city.  After hearing Paul teach, the man has faith to receive healing, something Paul picked up in the man’s eyes by looking at him.  After shouting for the man to stand on his feet, the man gets up completely healed.  Unfortunately, even after hearing Paul teach, the people of this heathen community attribute a god like status to Paul.  Similar to Peter and John praying for healing of the crippled man in the Temple (Acts 3:1-8), Barnabas and Paul tear their robes a typical Jewish response to blasphemy.  Now having the attention of these non-believers, Paul urges them to abandon their pagan gods and worship the living God. 

Acts 17:16-31 records an encounter with a culture of Greek philosophers in Athens.  This group is a culture of highly educated heathen.  Athens considered the capital of culture, philosophy, and thought in Greece was a place where these educated philosophers would gather to discuss deep philosophical topics.  Noticing a shrine to an unknown God, Paul proceeds to engage these learned people pointing to God as the unknown God who can be known through Jesus. 

Jesus also engaged the culture around Him through teaching in parables that presented theological and spiritual concepts in the context of the narrative of relatable stories (Matthew 13:1-58).  The agrarian culture of Jesus time would relate to these narratives and gain understanding of their deeper meaning.  Jesus also referred to the mission of the Apostles after he would leave them as fishing for men, something these fishermen would have related to (Matthew 4:19).

Like the culture of the Apostle Paul, the church today confronts a diverse culture.  Today’s church has churches that have lost their missional focus of pointing people to Jesus and instead preach a social feel good gospel void of mentioning the message of Grace (Ephesians 2:8).  The culture of today has its share of people lacking knowledge of the God of the Bible and instead view Christians as some group of radical close-minded people.  The culture of today also has elite intellectuals mostly in academia and media.  However, unlike the philosophers in Athens, these individuals are often close-minded to any absolute truth due to the deception of their postmodern philosophical foundation.  (2) (3). 

Over the next four Wednesday postings we will investigate ways the church can interact with four types of cultures.  We will look at church interaction with culture in the context of a hostile, anti-Christian environment.  The study will also look at church cultural interaction with spiritually dead and dying cultures as well as interaction with spiritually thriving cultures.  Please invite your friends through social media or email by sharing this post.  May God bless everyone reading this.

1. Paul Harris, Ewin MacAskill. US midterm election results herald new political era as Republicans take House. www.guardian.com. [Online] The Guardian, November 3, 2010. [Cited: November 4, 2018.] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/03/us-midterm-election-results-tea-party.

2. Dulgnan, Brian. Postmodernism Philosophy. www.britannica.com. [Online] Encyclopedia Britannica, October 31, 2014. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/postmodernism-philosophy.

3. Saugstad, Andreas. Postmodernism and the Media. bolesblogs.com. [Online] November 20, 2000. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] https://bolesblogs.com/2000/11/20/postmodernism-the-media/.

Christian Consistency in a Contentious World

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 5:15-16

Pay careful attention, then, to how you live—not as unwise people but as wise— ¹⁶ making the most of the time,^[d] because the days are evil.

(CSB)

The contentiousness of society has taken a bipartisan turn towards violence.  Democrat uncertainty over how to confront President Trump have led to people taking matters into their own hands, confronting Cabinet members in public places.  (1)  Thankfully, there were no injuries or worse in these confrontations.  However, the bombs sent by Cesar Sayoc Jr. to Trump critics indicate an escalation of contentiousness with the potential of injury or loss of life.  (2)  However, the shooting last weekend at the synagogue in Pittsburg by an anti-Semitic Trump hater indicate escalation of contentiousness to a deadly violent level.  (3)

The Apostle Paul could have written Ephesians 5:15-16 after recent contentious and now violent events regarding how believers in Jesus are to live in these contentious times.  I challenge anyone reading this that believes the Bible has no relevance in modern society to reconsider their belief.  Further relevancy is found in 1 Peter 5:8 with Peter reminding Christians to be sober-minded and alert.  The context of 1 Peter 5:8 provides guidance on how to maintain Christian consistency in a contentious and violent world. 

1)      Humility under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6) – The commonality in the contentiousness we see in the world is rooted in selfishness.  Democrats confronting Trump cabinet members see President Trump as a threat to their belief government has the answers to all their problems in life.  The bomber believes he has a calling to eliminate opposition to Trump.  The shooter believes Jewish people are the threat to society similar to the Nazi belief in the need to eliminate the Jewish race.  Humility to God eliminates selfishness as one surrenders their life to God through acceptance of Christ, creating peaceful consistency of life.  A consistent Christian lives humbly for God, waiting for God to exalt him or her at the proper time (Isaiah 40:31). 

2)      Trust God with the cares of life (1 Peter 5:7) – Scripture reminds us to cast our cares on Jesus because He cares for us.  Jesus illustrated this in the Sermon on the Mount when He reminded us that God even cares about sparrows and the flowers of the field that wither away (Matthew 6:25-34).  The result of not casting our cares on Jesus is reliance on the passions waring within our hearts that contribute to contention (James 4:1-3).  Christian consistency of trusting God for our needs prevents us from seeking fulfillment of these needs through coveting others possessions or seeking fulfillment with wrong motives. 

3)      Alertness to the schemes of Satan (1 Peter 5:8) – This passage of scripture is not saying that the Devil makes us fall into temptation for temptation comes from our own internal fleshly desires (James 1:14).  Instead the passage is a reminder to be alert to the schemes of the devil who uses our fleshly desires to separate us from God and His desires for our life.  This scheme of creating contention between humanity and God is nothing new and was the scheme used in the Garden (Genesis 3:1-7).  Christian consistency in a contentious world involves awareness of this mode of operation by Satan. 

4)      Resistance and firmness of faith (1 Peter 5:9) – Armed with the awareness of Satan’s schemes, Christians can resist the temptations to contend with God and others and remain firm in their faith, trusting God.  1 Peter 5:9 also reminds us that the temptations and trials we experience are not unique and experienced by others stressing the importance of associating regularly with other believers in Christ. 

Jesus taught that the world will know we are disciples of Christ by our love for each other (John 13:35).  Unfortunately, the Christian community can become contentious differing little from the contention seen in the world.  Instead of falling for the scheme of the Devil to cause contention between humanity and God and with each other, it is time for the Christian community to unite under God and work together in harmony to spread the Gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).  My prayer is that the Christian community will become the voice of harmony in a contentious world. 

1. Martin, Jonathan. Democrats Confront Democrats Over How to Confront Trump. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, June 25, 2018. [Cited: October 31, 2018.] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/us/politics/trump-liberal-activists-shaming.html.

2. Correa, Matthew Haag and Carla. What We Know About the Mail Bombs Sent to Trump Critics. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, October 25, 2018. [Cited: October 31, 2018.] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/nyregion/pipe-bombs-sent-democrats.html.

3. Murphy, Saeed Ahmed and Paul P. Here's what we know so far about Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect. www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN, October 28, 2018. [Cited: October 31, 2018.] https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/27/us/synagogue-attack-suspect-robert-bowers-profile/index.html.