What does the Bible have to teach us about how we should respond to violence, threats, and terrorism in our world today? It exists – it definitely exists. The effects of the OTHER christian religions in the Middle East and its surrounding countries is absolutely felt in other countries – especially the US because we as a leader in the global world and in many facets our culture. That though is precisely why we are hated and despised so much. It is our culture and belief system. The Great Commission of Mt 28:20 says that He will be with us to the very end. Again, the Beattitudes (Mt 5:11) list the behaviors we should have and display to others as Christians. We must understand the Christian World View and be united in Christ as one body and show that unity as we operate from a Christ centered attitude. This is spiritual warfare and He has given us armor to wear for that purpose.

Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites for they whitewashed the tombstone and cleaned the outside of the vessel but left the inside unclean. Mt 15:3-20 talks about what comes out of the mouth. Not only must we tend to matters of the heart but we must get to the heart of the matter. That is – aggressions come from the heart.

Examples of encouragement in the Bible are many. There is a plethora of this found in the OT, in particular in Exodus, Joshua(1:5, 9 – No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you…..for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go). What is going on in Israel, God is allowing to happen to His chosen people but no one is able to eradicate them from the face of the earth. The Book of Job is a book of suffering. God and Satan strike up a deal about targeting Job but God limits how far Satan can go. The Book of Exodus is about God causing and allowing violence(the Plagues) to take place so that His people can reach the promised land. The Book of Genesis with Sodom and Gomorrah and its destruction. Peter calls the Hebrews “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen people set apart…”

The church in was taken up (protected) by God when the city of Jerusalem fell.The Book of Revelation is about a warning to the churches, the coming destruction and “The New Jerusalem”, a city coming down from heaven taking its place on earth. It is a book written by a sufferer – John in exile on Patamos – to those suffering. He tells about a situation “what is” and explains his revelation “what shall be”. When the focus is on the “what is” and not the “what shall be” then one does not see God’s handywork. Now, when the focus is on the revelation and not the situation, there is a different perspective. The “what shall be” cancels out the “what is”.

How do we live in a culture that is increasingly hostile toward Christains and the Christain world view?

Worldly values are those things that are most important to people who perceive that there is no power or purpose beyond themselves. These values include – but are not limited to – things like power, pleasure, wealth, fame, revenge, status, vanity to name a few. Exodus 20:1-6 talks about Hebrew worship of idols and such other forms of paganism. The problem with their rescipe for success is it promotes a lifestyle that is counter-intuitive to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. These values of the world instigate jealousies, resentments and conflicts that spring up among people who live in accordance with the purposes of Satan.

Living in a society like this we need to show those things that Jesus taught; respect for others, being humble or showing humility, love, compassion, etc. In the OT we have the rules for Christian living -The Ten Commandments. In the NT, we have the rules for Christian behavior – The Beattitudes Matthew 5 – 6. Jesus says that when we are persecuted He will be there to support us so that we may have the fortitude to take a stand against those worldly values. What was once held sacred is cast down and what was once cast down and thought of as disgusting is now law of the land and held sacred. As the values of Christian living and society go and get replaced with living in a manner that is absolutely against biblical values focus on Gods’ directive then so goes the morals that we hold dear as a capstone upon which our belief system is based.

As you are walking and looking down,  you see the cracks in the sidewalk along with the dirt

the gum, the cigarette butts, etc..  There is no sense of direction and there is no focus.

When looking down, not only do you not see what is ahead of you but

you do not see what is coming down from above.

As Christians or brothers and sisters in Christ, when we are on that sidewalk, how

often do we walk looking down?  How often do we not look up to see what God is

sending from above?

 

(inspired by a quote from C S Lewis)

Source: About Immigration, the Bible says….