A thought that has been recurring in my head is how bad of times we live in. With divorce rates higher then they have been ever before, abortion rates higher then they have been before, with things like cancer and heart and lung disease higher then ever before, with people falling away from the church in record numbers with the changing of my generation, we live in a bad, sinful generation!
It is not a good thing. I've heard a lot of people older then I say things like "This generation is probably one of the hardest generations growing up." and until today, I would have agreed with these people. We do have it pretty tough! With entry level positions for jobs needing a degree and 2 years experience, lots of people have a tough time getting a job, especially one that will pay then enough to not only make ends meet, but make a living of, we do live in a hard generation, in hard times. Before you have a job, you have to drop 4 years of your life and +$40,000 in debt, you're starting your adult life already in the hole, fighting an uphill battle.
This morning I finished reading the book of Matthew, and started reading through the minor prophets starting with Hosea. As I was reading, I noticed a lot of things that were going on in the land of Israel at the time. Things like famine and economic oppression were rather rampant in the land of Israel at the time, and the word of the Lord was against his people, very much so that he compared them to a wife of whoredom. With oracle upon oracle against the Israel, the Lords word was fulfilled with the decimation of Israel in 720BC as Assyria conquered and resettled Israel, the word of the Lord will not come back void.
I couldn't help but think, how would our generation fare in such a setting, with not only austerity from the political leaders against the people, but also from the priests themselves, taking bribes and influencing people not to serve the Lord, but follow their own passions by creating other gods and worship practices to satisfy their desires (Molech to sacrifice unwanted children for war, various gods for fertility and good crops having sex to worship them...). How would we do? well, obviously, we would follow the same patterns to a tee. Why? I'm not a time travelling man (that would be so cool) but looking at the trends of the people of God since the birth of the nation of Israel, the people always revert back to their own desires leaving only a few who remain faithful to the Lord in word and action.
With such examples as Elijah and the prophets of Baal, leaving a handful of Israelites faithful to the Lord, fast-forward to 595 BC as the Lord saves for Himself a handful of people to rebuild the nation, fast-forward to about 33AD, Jesus reveals himself to the five hundred people to spread the kingdom of God, fast-forward to the reformation when church leaders themselves domineered over the church body and vastly twisted the word of the Lord and left the flock in darkness, the Lord raised up Martin Luther to instil change and knowledge to His people.
Today, the church is letting a lot of things slip, thing of sexual immorality with premarital sex, pornography and homosexuality becoming mainstream things that people in the church body do, church leaders are more concerned with your happiness, and a rebuke is nowhere to be found. Things of holiness, steadfastness and sacrifice are pushed away from the presence of the pastor but replaced with the a selfish ambition and false fire.
Times never change.
The only thing that has changed ever in the history of the church is the tolerance of human emotion in relation to the serious charge of holiness and humility of the people of God found throughout the bible. As people feel "oppressed" by the commands of God, pastors find ways to entice them to stay and compromise the message of grace, and judgement. One does not know grace until he first feels the judgement of the Lord, the message of the cross, of love and compassion for the world.
Paul Washer once said "The most terrifying truths found in the scripture is that God is good...what's the problem with a good God? It's terrifying to know that God is good because we are not. So what does a good God do to with people like us, sinners? We've sinned against God, we've sinned against one another, we've sinned against nature, all creation calls for our condemnation. If a just God simply pardons the wicked, He is no longer just. How does a just God call men into fellowship with him? Through the Cross of Jesus Christ. We see this tremendous unique revelation of the fullness of God in the Cross. God is just, and He must punish sin."
Too often people are concerned more with being comfortable and not sacrificing what they do in their free time rather then sacrificing their free time and their comfort for Christ. People have become so thin skinned that no one can tell them that they are doing something wrong without taking offence. "Real family and friends will always stab you in the front." the premise behind this lyric is that the people who love you the most will tell you the things you the hardest things that you need to hear, this is something lots of the church has forgotten. Even when truth is blaring in front of them, they become so thick skinned and don't take it to heart, or change. Is this not the message of the Gospel? That man kind is completely and utterly hopeless without the violent intervention of God on the cross, and the repentance of sin thereafter?
Times never change.
I am fairly conservative in my theology because I see a sever lack of passion and self discipline in most liberal movements. The feel good message of joy is in every sermon, but no one reads their bibles to see if it's true. People take the pastor at his word and accept the things that he is saying without looking it up for themselves, weighing or not whether truth is to be found in it, and then changing to that truth.
James 1 says it best "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
I know it's Christmas, and and the time right now is to be doing the christmasy thing of advent, the expectation of the coming King, This was just on my mind today. How messed up this generation is. How messed up our world is. Good thing there is Christ. Good thing.
