Can you stomach this?
How Strong is your Salvation?
Terry Dashner (www.ffcba.org)
It has been said that when the Nazis came to power in Germany
the church was silent because the church opposed the same groups
that the Nazis opposed. The Nazis came against the communist
party and the church said nothing because they hated socialism
as well. Next the Nazi party came against the Jews, and still
the church did little to oppose the genocide. Then the Nazis
turned against the church, but it was too late for the church to
do anything.
This begs the question. If the church is concerned only with
individual salvations and "discipling" the inner struggles of
the converted individual, what happens to the rest of the world?
(Is the opposing world worth my efforts to help?) Or, should I
ask, is my salvation strong enough to not only change my heart
but change the society in which I live also?
My concern is always and at all times--do I have merely
salvation with an "escapist's attitude"--to hell with the rest
of the world, at least I've got my "fire insurance"--or do I
have the supernatural power of God working through me to
exchange lust for respect for the opposite sex, to exchange
racism for the love of all men, to exchange my weak
theology--get saved and just wait around for Jesus to come--for
a theology that gets people saved and spiritually equipped to
change the society in which they live? In other words, is the
salvation I claim powerful enough to reach the disenfranchised
of this world, the dispossessed, and the marginalized of society
with not only a ticket to heaven but the power of God to change
their world for the better?
I'm not advocating a social gospel. I'm advocating the Gospel of
Jesus Christ that sets a man's heart free as well as his bondage
to apathy, laziness, idleness, and pride. Or, as I understand
the words of Paul to the young churches in Macedonia--stop
meddling in the affairs of others, and get back to work so you
can support your own families. That's still a good word, but not
always welcomed advice today. Nevertheless it is true. The
Gospel of Jesus Christ is strong enough to save the spirit,
soul, and body of man--and even beyond that.
Just a few words for thought--my bottom line is this. Salvation
is important not only for the future but for the present as
well. Keep the faith. Stay the course. And work the fields.
Jesus told us to "occupy" until He comes again.
Pastor T.