Through the pandemic I've learned to trust in God and lean on Him. It is now 2022 and I see how other Christians are behaving towards the government. They have a parental view of government. They fight for freedoms that they believe they have a right to that has been given to them by God. They go after the fire starter instead of trusting in God to provide a job, a house, everything for them that they need. Instead they look to the government like their parents. Not knowing why certain decisions were made but not liking the results. Much like children act when their parents make bad decisions. Or sometimes their parents make decisions that end up with bad results for better results in the long term...who knows? But the point is how much we rely on the government to take care of us instead of God--trusting that God has a reason and a plan for all this. Many of them feel that the government has overreached their hands. We are used to thinking that we keep separate from the government and the government doesn't stop us from worshipping God. Some believe the government is supposed to follow God and if they don't we then have a good reason to not obey if they infringe upon our "rights" that were written in 1982. These laws are made to keep us from intruding in government and the government intruding into the Church.
I've lost my job and didn't have work for more than a year. I had to trust in God to provide. And He did. I learned to lean my fear away from the circumstances and rely on God's plan in all this. The thing is no one, not the government can prevent us from worshipping God. Church building or not. We are not separated from Him. I'm not endorsing virtual church. It is no way real fellowship, not the way we are naturally supposed to interact and communicate with each other. But there are ways to work with these circumstances and make Church happen. Maybe this was a time that God wanted us to get out of our Church bubbles and bear fruit. Most of western churches are filled with I'd say 3/4 false teaching or lukewarm believers. Those complaining about "persecution" in the West don't have a deep theology or knowledge of history. They compare themselves as being persecuted when their fellow brothers and sisters abroad are literally risking their lives for their faith in Jesus. It's so distant to them. They don't want any of that to come to them so they start protesting. Protesting for what? Their freedom? Then let's see where this fight for freedom leads.
If freedom is #1 and make it your mandate (pun intended) then you must accept that everyone's freedom is to live the way they choose and your freedom cannot infringe another's. You better allow everyone to express their freedom too. That includes every colour of the spectrum.
Did we naturally deserve any of God's good grace? We've lived in a country blessed by His grace for many years. But those years are ending. And there is good reason. These are the results. Your freedom is removed. God is loosening His leash. Truth be told that God's love allows us to live freely if we obey His commandments. If we follow His way. But if we want to fight for freedom in the way that constitutions promise us then we are slaves to the law. We are free to do whatever we want and then end up slaves to ourselves. Living according to God's word and disciplining ourselves to live Holy means giving up on worldly pleasures and the things that this world can offer.
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?"
We were not promised comfort in this life.
Jesus said, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”Following Christ means denying ourselves.
Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’”
