In recent weeks I have written a fair bit on current affairs – on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, on gun crime, immigration, and the NHS. But lest anyone think otherwise, this in no way means that I’m despairing at the current state of the world.
Not at all.
Because, whilst there is much that I find concerning about all that is going on just now, as a Christian, my hope remains in God. I continue to believe that He is in absolute control even though the way He manifests his sovereignty is often beyond my understanding.
And even though I know that He does indeed have the whole world in His hands, the daily news remains worthy of my attention – for at least two reasons.
The first is that the Christian faith has a lot to say about protecting the weak and welcoming the stranger; it has a lot to say about love and hate; and it has a lot to say about peace, and how we should pursue it.
And secondly, the mess this fallen world finds itself in makes me long all the more for that better world to come.
And before anyone suggests that I am being so heavenly minded that I am liable to be of no earthly use, it is in fact the opposite that is true. Because it is only when we hold lightly to what this current ‘vale of tears’ offers that we will be prepared to risk what we do have in order to make the world a better place. All of which means that it is, in fact, those who are the most heavenly minded who can be of the most earthly use.
But for any hope of heaven to be realised, rather than the constant bad news we see on our televisions, we need to hear instead the good news of the one who truly is the only way to that eternal home. [John 14:6]
Which is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains the most precious news of all.
Because to know that His life, death and resurrection were followed by His ascension – not just to heaven but to a throne – changes everything. For as Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, these historical events of cosmic significance are the means by which God has
‘…delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ [Colossians 1:13-14]
But such thoughts are not just theoretical – on the contrary, they are profoundly practical.
One person who really does know what it is to live in constant danger is Igor Bandura, the Vice President of the Baptist Union in Ukraine. A while ago he was asked how, practically speaking, you can live through a time of war?
His answer, recognising that the church exists to offer a message of hope, was to see each day as an opportunity to share the gospel.
None of us can ensure the safety of all those we love – nor can we know all that will happen to us tomorrow. Only God can do and know these things. But we can share the good news of what Christ achieved on the cross.
And so Igor said: ‘If I’m going to die tomorrow, then I want to preach the gospel today’.
And that isn’t a bad way for any of us to live.
Let’s pray then, with Igor, that the gospel becomes, and remains, the main thing – not just for those in Ukraine and the Middle East, or those suffering the effects of gun crime or persecution – but for all of us as well, no matter the less publicised difficulties that we too may be facing.
So let’s not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it really is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. [Romans 1:16]
Related posts:
To read ‘On not being heard’, click here
To read ‘On the crises in the Middle East’, click here
To read ‘On refugee-ism’, click here
To read ‘Anxiety over the NHS’, click here
To read ‘More severed thinking’, click here
To read ‘Severed Thinking’, click here
To read ‘It’s not difficult’, click here
Some musings 