On July 26th, the Olympics opened in a four-hour-long ceremony, during which a lot of controversy arose. This controversy revolved around what seemed to have been a depiction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles. Adding fuel to the fire, it was portrayed by drag queens and members of the LGBTQ+ community. This was seen as a mockery of Christ and very insulting to Christians around the world. Since then, they have tried to clean up the controversy by claiming they meant to represent Dionysus, “he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology, the god of wine, who is one of the jewels of France.” Even if this is true (which I don’t believe it to be so), this moment has been an eye-opener for Christians around the globe. Let’s talk about 3 ways it has caused us to think as Christians.
We forget that the World is full of wickedness.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
First, we Americans tend to forget that there is a world outside of our 50 states. And if we haven’t forgotten, we tend to wish or dream that it is better off than what we are dealing with here in the states. But this has been an eye opener for those dreamers, that the world is not better off and is only getting worse. The World needs the Gospel just as much as we do. It is the only thing that will save us and redeem us, apart from Christ we are no better off then they are. Once we learn to see the world through the lens of God’s word, we won’t find ourselves shocked by their wicked actions anymore. We will only understand and appreciate more what our King has done for us on our behalf.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25
The only hope is for those found in Christ, because He is our hope. Let us share that and focus on it. Let us focus no more on the evil of the world than that which is necessary in order to convict them of their own need for a Savior. Exchange the darkness for the light, the lies for the truth, the wicked for the righteous. Let us stand for Christ; for nothing else will satisfy.
Forget peace, grab a sword.
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. – Matt 10:34
Secondly, those who have been backed into a corner or those who have felt threatened tend to want to fight back. This is our gut reaction to fight back with all we have in defense of that which we love. Nothing is wrong with that but sometimes how we go about it can prove to be an error for us. Christians are no strangers to persecution and yet we have grown weak in this area. Our Christian fathers who came before us walked through some of the toughest opposition any people have ever gone through. Nowadays we can’t stand to be mocked or called names, we know very little about persecution. When it comes to facing opposition, generally we are pulled in either two directions: Fight back or Turn the cheek. This is one area that we have failed to find the balance of the two. As Christians we need to stand against sin and oppose it at all costs. But on the other hand we must be able to forgive those who throw stones against us and call to memory that we serve the God of justice. Understanding God’s justice gives us peace because we no longer feel the need to have to correct all things and gain justice for ourselves. In the end, all wickedness will be judged by God and believers can find rest in that hope, we can even pray for it to come swiftly.
“So, when I look at Christianity in its current form, I don’t think they can be right in terms of their interpretation of God because, if they were correct, God would give them the strength to defend themselves. And they don’t! Christianity doesn’t mean anything anymore. If the Christian interpretation of God was correct, then God would be giving them the strength to resist; but they don’t resist anything! I don’t believe Christians have preserved a single thing in modern times. I know in America there’s these hardline Christians who believe that they’re trying hard; they are still failing on a daily basis. And in most of the world, especially Europe, Christianity is absolutely…a joke. The thing that actually finally converted me was about three weeks ago…it was the first drag queen Methodist preacher.” – Andrew Tate
“There’s only one religion on earth I can respect. I can’t respect Christians anymore….. they’re making fun of Christianity on TV; they’re mocking your God in front of your face, and Christians don’t say a word!… And then they sit there and go, well, they say tolerant because they’re cowards but the truth is this: if your interpretation of God and the world was right, I don’t believe God would allow you to sit there and be such a [explicative] coward. That’s what I don’t believe. I don’t think that God would allow you to do that! I think he’d say, ‘No! You need to defend our ideals because our ideals are good for humanity.’ And Christians fail to defend them, so if they fail to defend them then they do not exist. There’s only one religion left on the planet! That’s Islam. – Andrew Tate
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. – Eph 6:12
People like Andrew Tate do not understand Christianity; they struggle with the idea of persecution. Like Peter, they want to draw the sword and fight back. However, we no longer fight against flesh and bone; our battle is against spiritual forces. What better way to fight those forces than with the Word of God, that which is our sword.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Act like Christians not heathens.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. – Rom 12:17
Last but not least, let us remain set apart during persecution so that those who persecute us might see our hope in Christ and give glory to God. We are to remain steadfast and faithful in all seasons of life during all trials. Our Lord suffered persecution on our behalf, and we are to expect similar persecution as we try to live like Christ. Fight evil with love while abiding in the truth of our Lord.
To summarize, Love others well by sharing and standing for truth in an obedient manner to the Lord. Do not lower yourself by fighting evil with evil. Run the race with endurance and joy, let not those who oppose us and those who fall off distract nor hinder you. Rest in the hope and peace that is found in the Lord. Vengeance belongs to our God and He will have it.
“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent” – John Calvin
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