Monday 25 February 2019

Seven Benefits to the Coming Opposition

The church of Jesus Christ has always resembled her King best when she was in a place, not of dominance, but of yielded weakness.

Will the church in North America face an increasing spirit of hostility to its accustomed status of cultural privilege? Absolutely. The question is not, ‘if,’ but, ‘when?’ And my suspicion is that it’s coming much sooner than most would expect. The coming cultural backlash to our unrestrained ties to political power will become a threat to the status quo that no religious PAC can foil. We have declared and unleashed our preferred weapons of battle, and it is likely that they will be used against us in full measure (Matt 26:52). In many ways, it will be a bed of our own making and we have only our pride to blame.

But will this be a bad thing?

Not entirely.

The church of Jesus Christ has always resembled her King best when she was in a place, not of dominance, but of yielded weakness. A quick glance through our history unmistakably reveals that when we become powerful, we behave in counter-kingdom ways. We baptize the world’s operating systems and use its muscle to advance our own comfort, security, and prominence with precious little thought given to the mission of our Founder. Rare indeed are history’s examples of the Church in power becoming a kingdom advancing enterprise. The power of God’s kingdom flows exclusively through yielded human weakness. It is constricted by the vanity of human might.

So, how can the coming opposition be an advantage to the mission of Jesus Christ in North America? Here are seven ways that we can anticipate finding a kingdom blessing in the loss of our earthly status:1. Opposition Reminds Us of What Matters So long as life is copasetic, we are tempted to believe that tertiary aims are worthy pursuit. Being liked. Fitting in. Having a voice. These lesser ...

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