As summer hits it peak, and mother nature continues wreaking havoc across the globe, while political turmoil and social unrest run unabated; I am reminded of the writers of the New Testament. Following the resurrection of Jesus, upheaval abounded in the then known world. Religious leaders demanded that this Jesus cult be silenced, political leaders demanded that regional leaders keep their people in line, and persecution ruled the day.
Just like today, trouble abounded for the early Christ-followers, and yet not once do these writers say anything about them. Instead, they write about living a righteous life, surrendering your life to Christ, and being a living testimony to his resurrection power.
The stories of the Bible are written by men and women living in real-life situations while relying on the living God to make the difference. The Bible makes it clear that these stories are written by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, being written for our benefit—future Christ-followers.
The reason this is important to understand is the fact that life was not easy in those early days. In like manner, life for the Christ-follower is not easy today. However, instead of focusing on the social issues of the day followed by their opinions on how to deal with them, these writers were moved by God the Holy Spirit to focus on things that mattered—drawing close to God (or as I have been saying, the godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).
That mandate has not changed. Life will continue to happen, as a godless-humanity continues to flex their respective muscle in order to make their voice—and will—be known. It is as true today as it was in the pages of the Bible stories of old. (A point of clarification: because I use the word “stories” does not indicate fables or fictional accounts of events. Rather, it is the retelling of real events as witnessed through the eyes of those experiencing them; being written under the direction of God the Holy Spirit.)
A close personal relationship with the godhead does not mean that you are naïve or ignorant of the events going on around you. A close personal relationship means that you are willingly choosing to get closer to God. There is a line in one of the Star Wars movies, where surrounded by an impossible situation, instead of worrying, the Jedi character says something like, A way will present itself—and certainly, it did.
This is the case with the Christ-follower today. There will be many impossible situations, but instead of fretting, or worrying, a simple trust in God to make a way will make all the difference necessary. Can it be that simple? The answer is, of course, the God of creation has promised to take care of everything the Christ-follower is in need of.
I believe that humanity is living in a time where the strength of community will have a life-giving value. It is possible that being involved in such a community will make the difference in life or death. This isn’t a scare-tactic, but perhaps a warning that is associated with those of “like-faith” (belief system) will be a strengthening factor in this season ahead.
This is where the simple-church dynamic of the journey comes into focus. The difference in simple-church today is the ability to have community both physically as well as electronically. The dynamic of an online community of Christ-followers can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
I am not “suggesting” anything with this statement; however, an online community cannot be ruled out. In the words of the Jedi knight, A way will present itself.