We live in evil times. Injustice, greed and narcissism rule. This is the world in which the church exists. But this is where the church has always existed. We, the church, are soldiers. We fight for the King, eagerly looking for the day when the Kingdom of God has completely renewed this broken and sin stained world. Until that day the Kingdom pushes forward through the lives of saints who selflessly preach and live Christ no matter what the cost.
We are soldiers. We fight for the renewal of all things, which can only come through Jesus Christ. But what happens when we do not fight? Jesus taught us: salt that loses its saltiness is fit only for the dung heap. So, what happens when a soldier no longer fights?
Consider the following excerpt from the book, God in a Brothel…
“During my time investigating human trafficking, the most challenging thing for me was when I found the church to be absent from the fight. At a time when there are more people in slavery than at any other time in history, tragically I found the church in many countries to be largely silent or completely unaware of the slavery around them.
On any given Sunday I often sought out a place of worship near the area where I was operating. Indeed, I had found that such times of stillness, surrender and reflection were essential to my ongoing effectiveness. However, what I often saw was a church that had allowed itself to be seduced, entertained and enslaved by a form of worship inherited from the West: the focus was more on the feelings and desires of those present than on a suffering world that was crying out for rescue. The goal was typically on gaining victory over personal sin, and there was little apparent understanding of the whole gospel as it applied to the rest of a creation groaning under the weight of injustice and evil.
In both the developing and the developed world I was struck by the sometimes ornate and overtly expensive buildings into which the faithful filed on any given Sunday morning. Sitting in the air-conditioned complex discussing Christian theology as it applied to relationships, marriage, family and employment practices was all very nice. In the light of what I had seen during the week, however, such debate and discourse seemed empty and devoid of any authenticity because there was no involvement on behalf of those most enslaved and oppressed within their own communities. Indeed, I routinely found that I was more uncomfortable inside such a church than I was inside a brothel. At least inside the brothel there was no pretense.
The church has always sought to communicate to a hurting world that God is a rescuer who can save them. Our message has little credibility while we remain afraid, indifferent and inactive in the face of human slavery occurring in our own backyard.” (God in a Brothel: An Undercover Journey into Sex Trafficking and Rescue by Daniel Walker, pg. 131-132)
My fear is that we in the Western church are walking away from the fight.
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