Two years ago as I reflected on the Easter Season and the state of the world it occurred to me that much of the world was about to unknowingly participate in one of the key components of Passover. For over 3000 years the Jewish people have been commemorating Passover, the day God commanded the Israelites to stay inside their homes with the blood of the lamb on their doorposts so the angel of death would “pass over” them. During Passover 2020 the largest amount of people in history from all around the world stayed inside their homes hoping the Covid virus would “pass over” them. This realization turned my thoughts into and Easter and Passover message called “The World at Home”.
The process of writing down my thoughts increases my understanding and grows my faith so I wrote another message in 2021 and now this one in 2022. Writing these messages also fills my life with joy and peace. My hope is that reading this message adds to your joy and peace, so thank you for letting me share it with you.
This is the third time since the pandemic began that Christians around the world will commemorate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I thought about this joyous and hopeful season I was reminded of what the Apostle Peter tells us:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)
Much of the world could really use some hope right now. I wondered, if someone asked me the reason I have hope what would I say? The Apostle John sums it up well:
“This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.” (1 John 5:11) While we have hope in the eternal life it can be challenging to find joy in this finite life. This is because whenever and wherever a person chooses to deviate from God’s ways there is pain and strife. Unfortunately in this life and in this world, people choose to deviate a lot.
Beneficial governance promotes good and suppresses evil, resulting in a time of peace and prosperity. Detrimental governance does the opposite and when evil is promoted the result is chaos and poverty. In a time of crisis, the actions of a corrupt self-serving government will turn the crisis into a catastrophe.
When the Covid pandemic spread and the lockdowns began stories about the dedication and heroism of our first responders dominated the news. Communities were coming together holding up thank you signs and sending food to show their appreciation for health care workers who were working around the clock. As the lock down continued many of the people who were still able to work focused on helping others that weren’t.
As two weeks to flatten the curve turned into months, the underlying evils that have been hard at work in the world surfaced and began exposing themselves. The rhetoric from many of our leaders and much of our media changed from words of encouragement and unity to words of discouragement and division. Some workers were deemed essential and others unessential. Mandates were imposed and our airways became filled with sinister voices pitting the masked and vaxed against the unmasked and unvaxed.
It didn’t take long for the charitable actions of a free and kind society to get suppressed by the force and will of the corrupt and self-serving. The reason this happened so quickly is because prior to Covid our world was already suffering from another plague. This plague’s symptoms began as creeping cynicism which developed into harsh criticism. The disease fully manifested itself when it became acceptable for politicians to call citizens deplorable and irredeemable simply because they didn’t want to vote for them.
When bullying, false accusations and shaming didn’t give the power hungry the outcome they wanted it was clear more voices were necessary. Undeterred, they worked all the more diligently to spread the plague and grow their army of wokeness. In order to survive the Woke Force’s judgement there are numerous ever changing rules and protocols that must be followed. Conformity of thought and speech is key and any deviation will be punished.
We are living in a time when the details of a person’s life are being gathered and digitally stored so they can be compiled, sorted and accessed indefinitely. This ability has created the perfect conditions for the woke plague to thrive. Just a few years ago it was impossible to imagine that a human being could be “cancelled” because of something they said or posted online. Yet here we are living in such a time as this. Right now there are woke infected people poring through years of posts looking for anything that can be used to cause a person to lose their job and/or to ruin their reputation. It doesn’t matter how long ago the “offense” occurred or how much the person apologizes, once you have been marked for destruction there is no mercy.
The delete button offers no protection because it doesn’t really delete anything. If a person wants to truly delete a digital record the device has to be “wiped clean”. Even after doing this “The Cloud” may still retain record of it. Ironically, there may be no way of getting rid of the cloud hanging over our heads.
Each day more people are realizing the dire consequences of living in an infected culture that is quick to point the finger and pass judgement. There is no vaccine for the wokeness pandemic but there is a way to become completely immune or if you are infected there is a cure. The cure and the way are found in Jesus Christ.
When man fell away from the knowledge of God and His ways, God gave the Law to the Israelites who were to teach it throughout the world. Over time Israel’s leaders corrupted the law with their own self-serving ways and as a result the whole world became more corrupt. Then God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to teach God’s ways to us, express God’s love for us and ultimately be the Savior of the world:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
From the “1620 agreement” known as the Mayflower Compact to our 1776 Declaration of Independence, America’s founding has been based on God’s ways which are found in the teachings of Jesus Christ. For over 200 years the world has viewed the USA as a virtuous, just and free society. Tragically like so many Nations before us, most US leaders today have decided their ways are better than God’s. While God’s way are good for everyone, their ways are only good for them. So when their self-serving ways are implemented on the Nation suffering and strife for others follows.
Powerful people are telling the rest of us that we must pay for the sins of the past, present and future. We have been deemed systemically flawed, unworthy of forgiveness and therefore we must remain in a constant state of guilt and repentance.
Now is the time for those that aren’t aware to become aware, and for Christians that have forgotten to remember, that as the world becomes more and more unforgiving our Father God remains the same:
Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (Deuteronomy 7:9)
In a world poised to cancel us, we will rejoice in the faithfulness of our God and become more and more thankful for the grace and forgiveness we receive through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
During the time leading up to his crucifixion Jesus begins explaining to his disciples that he would be going away soon. Seeing that this was difficult for them to hear, Jesus says:
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you. (John 14:26)
Jesus continues to reassure them and gives this promise:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)
Not everyone associates Pentecost with the Easter Season because it occurs several weeks later and fifty days after the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits. But it was on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus that his disciples received the promise:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (Acts 2:1-3)
This event was also foretold by John the Baptist when he said:
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Matthew 3:11).
It is through the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we are born again and by the spirit we can start living anew in this life. It is the teaching and comfort we receive that enables us to look beyond the evils of this life and see the goodness of God in everything.
The Apostle Paul reminds us of another promise that the Holy Spirit gave to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah:
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. (Hebrews 10:14-18)
God knows man has a tendency to turn from His ways. God also knows there are times such as this when leaders will no longer teach the children God’s ways, so our Father God puts His ways in our heart through the Holy Spirit. And through the Holy Spirt God also gave us this promise; “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” and this statement; “And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”
In Jesus Christ you are forgiven, your debt is paid in full and you have been wiped clean. Most importantly God loves us:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Even though these promises have been available to every person who wishes to receive them since our Lord Jesus was crucified, I can’t think of a time in recent history when people need them more.
Receiving God’s mercy and forgiveness increases our ability to be merciful and forgive others:
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Because God loves us He wants us to love Him and we do this by loving others:
Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord the God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)
When we forgive and love others we receive many other promises from God and these are just a few more:
Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3)
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7}
This year’s message ends with this:
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
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