Inconvenient Biblical Teaching - Going Against the Flow
-The Apostle Paul writing to the first believers in the City of Rome, 1st century
Romans 12:2
[5th message of the Why I Don't Believe Series]
The messages in this series have discussed about how some people who reject Christianity do so because they either cannot accept an inconvenient biblical teaching, or they have taken a stand against it and is standing their ground, no matter what. (This is understandable as all of us do not want anyone telling us what to do. The bible actually alludes to this as free will.)
And also because it is convenient to do so. Of course, people do not wish for their convenient lives to be disrupted. And they do not want to be left out, miss out, called out, cancelled or otherwise risk going against the flow -- the very opppsite of not wanting anyone to tell us what to do. (This is all human nature.)
Going Against the Flow
A little lesson is in order, nothing in this world is new, everything we are going through, people of long ago have already went through a similar thing, there is nothing unique about our problems, except maybe that we are now broadcasting them on social media for all to see.
So when Christianity started in 1 A.D., and the small band of Jesus believers started spreading out and going out to the ends of the earth, they actually started turning the world upside down.
Now, the world didn't like that and they pushed back at them hard. Christianity was built on the back of Christ and the shoulders of those early Christians who choose to be martyred for what they believe in rather than to give in or give up.
Old Normal
It took about 300 years for Christianity to become what was considered "normal". And it became the largest belief system (unbelief in a god included).
After this, for hundreds of years, for most of the world at least, Christians lorded over non-Christians.
New Normal
But in this generation of instant gratification, where the richest, the most educated and young people have taken control of our world (economy, government, education, the news, entertainment, sports, gaming, leisure, the internet and social media), it only took one generation to flip the world back again.
Today, the words of Apostle Paul as we read in the excerpt above has become relevant and real again.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world."
Christians today are seeing themselves back to the times of the first believers. Christians are again being persecuted and killed for their faith.
Opendoors
And worse, in this highly connected and highly "educated" world, the persecution is not only happening in the real world but also in the all too real virtual world (of social media and the internet).
Cancelled
We totally understand anybody not wanting to be a Christian in this day and age because the real world, the reel world and the virtual world are all coming against them being one. And in some societies being cancelled is a worse fate than being put to death.
Plea
Our call today is the same as what Apostle Paul was pleading to the first Christians:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world."
Of course this is easier said than done.
For some perspective, the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote:
"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
True. Jesus of Nazareth, His disciples and several millions of the early church gave up their lives so that all people since including all of us today would have the opportunity to hear and listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ and have a chance to decide for ourselves.
Apostle Paul continued:
"For through the grace given me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think—but to use sound judgment, as God has assigned to each person a measure of faith."
Faith
We all have a measure of faith, no matter how small it is.
We do not need supernatural out of this world faith. We just need enough to tell ourselves that what if the reason why those early Christians choose to die for what they believe in instead of to live but having to deny Christ is because Jesus of Nazareth is really who He claim to be.
If there is even a small chance of this being true, then maybe we owe it to our small faith to read the bible for ourselves or to listen to someone talking about Jesus, more so during this pandemic time. Every preacher is online, on TV, on radio and on social media. We have no excuse not to at least give them the benefit of the doubt or a few minutes of our time.
Going against the flow is not easy. But Christians share in both the suffering and the glory of Christ. This is much the same way for any fan of their favorite team. Sports fans will share in both their team's triumphs and their losses. All past losses are part and parcel of celebrating winning the cup or the ring, and will only make it all the more sweeter.
And worse, in this highly connected and highly "educated" world, the persecution is not only happening in the real world but also in the all too real virtual world (of social media and the internet).
Cancelled
We totally understand anybody not wanting to be a Christian in this day and age because the real world, the reel world and the virtual world are all coming against them being one. And in some societies being cancelled is a worse fate than being put to death.
Plea
Our call today is the same as what Apostle Paul was pleading to the first Christians:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world."
Of course this is easier said than done.
For some perspective, the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote:
"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
True. Jesus of Nazareth, His disciples and several millions of the early church gave up their lives so that all people since including all of us today would have the opportunity to hear and listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ and have a chance to decide for ourselves.
Apostle Paul continued:
"For through the grace given me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think—but to use sound judgment, as God has assigned to each person a measure of faith."
Faith
We all have a measure of faith, no matter how small it is.
We do not need supernatural out of this world faith. We just need enough to tell ourselves that what if the reason why those early Christians choose to die for what they believe in instead of to live but having to deny Christ is because Jesus of Nazareth is really who He claim to be.
If there is even a small chance of this being true, then maybe we owe it to our small faith to read the bible for ourselves or to listen to someone talking about Jesus, more so during this pandemic time. Every preacher is online, on TV, on radio and on social media. We have no excuse not to at least give them the benefit of the doubt or a few minutes of our time.
Going against the flow is not easy. But Christians share in both the suffering and the glory of Christ. This is much the same way for any fan of their favorite team. Sports fans will share in both their team's triumphs and their losses. All past losses are part and parcel of celebrating winning the cup or the ring, and will only make it all the more sweeter.
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