“…this Western Culture that we are a part of, no longer believes that there is any such thing as an absolute truth.”
You and I live in a world which stresses the idea that “truth” is a relative term. The vast majority of people we interact with on a daily basis believe, with ever growing zeal, that what is true for you, is not necessarily true for them. As a matter of fact, some insist that you cannot or should not attempt to convince others that what you believe to be true is the truth. You cannot declare that your God is the God, or that Jesus Christ is the way, or insist that Scripture is holy, inspired and therefore true because your truth is not their truth. And, unless they accept what you’re saying as their truth, then it doesn’t have to be truth at all. This world that we live in, this Western Culture that we are a part of, no longer believes that there is any such thing as an absolute truth.
My purpose here today is simple: I want to encourage those of you who believe in the Truth, to continue standing up for the Truth and continue proclaiming it. I believe that most of you who are reading this probably believe very similarly to me – that Jesus Christ is the Son of the True Living God and that we (you and I) can base everything we know and everything we have faith in, on the Holy Bible.
So, taking a leaf out of the 80’s hairband archive, here is my message to you:
“Don’t stop believin’”
Our culture will continue to push back and attempt to tear down the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I encourage you to hold fast to the truth! Become more and more emboldened to live out its message and be not afraid to tell everyone you meet about it.
“…standing for the message of Christ was more important than their comfort, security, or even their popularity.”
The first thing that I want you to understand is that this struggle between the people of God and the people of the world is not foreign within our history. Throughout the Old Testament we see that the people of God were always at odds with the culture around them (sometimes they resisted and sometimes they gave in…most of the time they gave in). Throughout his earthly ministry, Christ was constantly rubbing shoulders with the religious leaders who wanted him to behave the way that was culturally acceptable to them. Most of the disciples and apostles who followed Jesus within 1st century Christianity forfeited their lives in their zeal and determination to show the culture around them that standing for the message of Christ was more important than their comfort, security, or even their popularity.
The goal of Christianity has never been to make a culture happy, or to ensure that everyone around you feels good about themselves. The goal of Christianity is to show the people around us genuine love by delivering to them genuine Truth. Our culture tells us that genuine love looks like coexistence and tolerance; but that’s not true at all. It is not loving to know that the person next to you is dying, that you can save them, and choosing not too because the cure might offend them. The truth is offensive, and love can be difficult, but neither are apathetic or indifferent to the dire need of the world around us.
My encouragement to you today is: Continue to stand for the truth and deliver the message of the gospel, even if everyone says that you are a fool, even if people turn away…don’t give up, don’t give in, and don’t quit or lay down. Deliver the truth in love and watch as God changes the world around you.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:39)
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