"...on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." -Matthew 16:18
This may sound melodramatic - and I could always be wrong - but I believe Christianity is slowly entering an age where it is most embraced, most sincerely practiced, in those places in the world we often (sometimes carelessly) call "less fortunate." Countries that don't have a cupful of the luxuries we enjoy in America and most of Europe.
I believe one of the reasons for this is the appearance of evil in America - how we in the States perceive evil, what we label to be harmful. Diligent Christians in America are used to the tactic of evil being disguised as things that are good and beneficial - Black Friday is a great example. The media encourages self-indulgence to sell products and rake in money, and we as Christians have to be very discerning in America to see what is noble and what is not. What is truly good, not selfishness disguised as prosperity, liberty, and health.
But in countries like Somalia, Sudan, Syria, evil is not a wolf in a sheep's disguise, but a wolf in a wolf's combat fatigues.
People in the violent slums of the world are so used to being blatantly oppressed, tortured, used, killed, that they know evil when they see it. Therefore, when they're told about the light of Jesus, there's no mire of luxury and worldliness to obscure it. There's no comfort in the ways of the world to deceive them, at least not as easily as it does in America. There's no "prosperity gospel" nonsense, no schisms of theologies to muddle the message. People who are oppressed know that the world is an ugly place, and the beauty of the Gospel is such a stunning, stark contrast.
I believe the difference between hearers of the Gospel in America and hearers in deprived nations harkens to the words of a man named Agur in the book of Proverbs: "Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God."
I think so many in America have filled our bellies and forgotten God - or have become so bitter by hardship that we say "to hell with it" and outright curse the name or notion of God. Those in other countries, however, seem to be in some sort of strange middle ground; they're certainly not rich, but even as hungry and deprived as they are, they're even hungrier for truth and light.
They're not more willing to accept Jesus Christ because they're gullible - they're willing to accept Him because they see evil more plainly, more nakedly, because they see the works of the ruler of this world so much clearer than we can in the comfort and haze of so many worldly mirages. Therefore to them, the goodness of Jesus is all the more radiant. Those in the countries where the stars seem to never shine are not more willing to accept Jesus Christ because they're uneducated, because they'll worship anything - they're willing to accept Him because they see so many lies and the destruction they cause that they so much more clearly recognize the truth, and rejoice much more in the light it shines.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess
"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." -John 3:19-21
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." -Matthew 24:14
This may sound melodramatic - and I could always be wrong - but I believe Christianity is slowly entering an age where it is most embraced, most sincerely practiced, in those places in the world we often (sometimes carelessly) call "less fortunate." Countries that don't have a cupful of the luxuries we enjoy in America and most of Europe.
I believe one of the reasons for this is the appearance of evil in America - how we in the States perceive evil, what we label to be harmful. Diligent Christians in America are used to the tactic of evil being disguised as things that are good and beneficial - Black Friday is a great example. The media encourages self-indulgence to sell products and rake in money, and we as Christians have to be very discerning in America to see what is noble and what is not. What is truly good, not selfishness disguised as prosperity, liberty, and health.
But in countries like Somalia, Sudan, Syria, evil is not a wolf in a sheep's disguise, but a wolf in a wolf's combat fatigues.
People in the violent slums of the world are so used to being blatantly oppressed, tortured, used, killed, that they know evil when they see it. Therefore, when they're told about the light of Jesus, there's no mire of luxury and worldliness to obscure it. There's no comfort in the ways of the world to deceive them, at least not as easily as it does in America. There's no "prosperity gospel" nonsense, no schisms of theologies to muddle the message. People who are oppressed know that the world is an ugly place, and the beauty of the Gospel is such a stunning, stark contrast.
I believe the difference between hearers of the Gospel in America and hearers in deprived nations harkens to the words of a man named Agur in the book of Proverbs: "Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God."
I think so many in America have filled our bellies and forgotten God - or have become so bitter by hardship that we say "to hell with it" and outright curse the name or notion of God. Those in other countries, however, seem to be in some sort of strange middle ground; they're certainly not rich, but even as hungry and deprived as they are, they're even hungrier for truth and light.
OHMS,
Cpt. Bud Sturguess
"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." -John 3:19-21
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." -Matthew 24:14
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