Today in America Christians are being persecuted for their faith. And while this persecution is not normally physical, we are often mocked for our beliefs, called narrow minded and bigoted, and considered intolerant of alternative lifestyles. In addition, we are considered foolish for believing in absolute truths and plain old fashion and living behind the times. Fortunately for us we can still practice our faith openly and worship as a corporate body in church.
However, with the recent unprecedented persecution of Jews in America, due to the Israel/Hamas war, I fear that anti-Christian hate and persecution could be coming our way. With all of this persecution one would think that this is one of the greatest challenges facing American Christians today. But I tend to differ and agree with the astute observation made by Pastor C. J. Mahaney, who once said: “Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world.”1 Charles Spurgeon, even back in the 1800’s, concurs here when he said: “I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church.”2
In fact, persecution of believers, often has the opposite beneficial effect of drawing believers closer to God and one another, making them read their Bibles more, and seeing the church grow even stronger. No, I believe, that we, especially in America, are being seduced with a fresh and powerful dose of worldliness. A great love for the things of this world has infiltrated the church and as a result our witness for Christ has weakened as Christians look more like the world and less like Christ.
In our high tech culture the visual stimuli from TV and the internet have made the desire for the flashy things of this world much more alluring than ever before. With the momentary pleasures of sin all around us, if we don’t stay close to the Lord they can consume our thoughts, so much so, that they detract from our Bible reading and prayer life. Let’s face it sin can be seductive and Satan is using everything at his disposal to distract us from serving the Lord. Sadly, many Christians are buying his lies and are no longer wholly devoted to the Lord.
But thankfully we can combat this barrage of seductive allures by committing to daily Bible reading and prayer, by surrounding ourselves with vibrant Christians, turning off the TV, and not visiting many of the dangerous websites on the internet. In addition, we must find good accountability partners, attend a church that is sound doctrinally, and commit daily to let the Holy Spirit have total control of our lives.
As Christians we can’t leave this world, but we don’t have to fall prey to the old desires of the flesh. The key is to hide the Word of God in our hearts and to stay very close to Jesus. My friends the more time we spend in our Bibles the less time we will spend in sin and the worldly pleasures that surround us. While there are no shortcuts to living a holy life, I contend that the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more you will see that the awesome joy of the Lord far exceeds the momentary pleasures that this world can offer us!
1 Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world. – Grace Quotes
2 Charles Spurgeon quote: I believe that one reason why the church of God… (azquotes.com)
Amen and Amen! Beautifully said. Apart from God we are nothing. When our eyes are turned upon Jesus, like the song says, the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. We need to stay focused on the eternal, because “the world is passing away and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever” ( 1 John 2:17).