Being A Christian In A Non-Christian Society

Being A Christian In A Non-Christian Society

Many American Christians have finally awakened to the fact that in our lifetime our society has devolved from one that was fundamentally Christian in its thinking, values and conduct to one that is largely secular (non-religious) and on many levels anti-Christian. The question confronting us in this hostile environment is, "How then shall we live in this situation?"

We must remind ourselves that neither the Father, the Son nor the Holy Spirit have changed. They are the same yesterday, today and forever (Mal. 3:6; Heb.13:8). The will of God for humanity, which is recorded in our Bible, has not changed. It reads for us the same as it did for the earliest generation of Christians (Matt. 24:39). It is still the standard by which Christians must live and it will judge us with all previous generations in the last day (John 12:48-49). The Lord's church has not changed! True, the many churches created by men have changed and will change yet more. Their leaders hesitate not to cast aside old beliefs and practices and embrace new ones to make them more palatable to modern men. What men create, men can change. True, false teachers are changing congregations of the Church of Christ that have fallen under their influence. But every change induced takes them further away from the Savior and his favor. It is true that some peripheral aspects of the church can change. Things that are in the realm of incidentals, such as means and methods can change without harm, but the true and faithful church will not change its basic nature, its matters of faith, worship and the prescribed activities and duties assigned by Christ (Matt. 28:20).

We must remember who we are. We are children of God by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:26). Our conduct should reflect this sacred relationship.

Keep your eyes on Jesus. He will lead us to victory (Rev. 19:11-15).

We must never forget the great and painful price our Master paid for our salvation and for his church (I Cor. 15:3; Acts 20:28). Whatever our hardships, they are not likely to compare with His!

We must never be ashamed of our faith, of the church, her standards and worship (Rom. 1:16).

Never be ashamed of who you are. Wear the noble name of Christian with holy pride and dignity, even in the face of ridicule, slander and persecution (II Tim. 1:12; I Pet. 4:14-16).

Don't be afraid of our enemies. "The Lord is (our) helper; (we) will not fear: What shall man do unto (us)?" (Heb. 12: 6). " Greater is he that is in (us), than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4).

Don't feel overwhelmed by the enormity of our task or of the opposition. The Lord who gave us our mission has all power in heaven and on earth. He is with us as we advance to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18,20). No enemy can stand before him and no obstacle can block his advance. Eleven surviving apostles set out to conqueror the world for their Master. There are some three million of us. They had little or no resources. We have resources abounding. They had none of the remarkable tools of transportation or communication that we now enjoy. Yet, they succeeded, even in the face of the hostile Jewish establishment and the mighty Roman Empire.

Remember your mission. "Go make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). We must not allow ourselves to be distracted from that Great Commission bring lost men to salvation in Christ by the many other good things proposed for us to do. Schools, wells, medical clinics, and benevolence do meet the needs of the physical man but only the gospel can meet the needs of the soul. The one benefits for time, the other for eternity! Our first priority must always be the salvation message, others things must be secondary to that.

Remember your goal. The conversion of the human race to Christ is our goal (Mark 16:15). Yes, it is greater than any one of us, or any congregation, but it should be the consuming purpose of every Christian in every age.

Banish from your mind the ideas of retreat, defeat, surrender, compromise, fleeing or desertion.

Keep in mind your reward. Those who are faithful unto death will receive the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). A place in our Father's house will be a reward that will repay every sacrifice made for the Cause of His Son.

Our situation is surely no more challenging than that which the early church faced. Like them we will be "more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).

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