Why are our government leaders and the media so condescending to Christians? Why have so many young people written off Christianity as totally irrelevant to their lives?
It’s because, for the most part, the church is no longer a light. Christ isn’t ruling in our society because he doesn’t reign in our lives. As I look around today, I see few in God’s house who are truly in union with Christ, and few ministers refuse worldly methods in order to trust God for their direction.
Dear believers, we cannot blame the darkness of the world around us for the church’s lack of impact. Consider the spiritually corrupt kingdom of Babylon during the time of Nebuchadnezzar. This was the mightiest empire on earth at that time, but Nebuchadnezzar was not the real ruler in Babylon. The power behind the empire wasn’t in the golden statue that he would later erect. No, Babylon’s authority rested in God’s providence and in the hands of a small group of men directed by God.
The Lord had set up a secret, heavenly government, and it was ruled by Daniel and his three friends. These men were God’s governing instruments because they operated in the heavenly realm. As a result, these holy men knew the times. They could tell the people what God’s will was for the nations. They were bright, shining lights to everyone around them because they had the life of God within them.
In 2 Kings 6:8-23, we read about another man of God having a great impact on the kingdom where he lived. At that time, Syria was at war with Israel. During this conflict, the prophet Elisha was God’s secret government, and he ruled with authority. Elisha heard from the Lord and sent messages to Israel’s king, warning him of every move the Syrian army made. When the Syrian king found out about Elisha’s messages, he surrounded the prophet’s hometown with a battalion of troops. God blinded the Syrians, and Elisha ended up leading them captive into the Israelites’ camp.
Elisha had the light because he had the life of God in him. Today, our country needs believers who have that kind of holy passion and nearness to God. For God’s authority to have any impact on our nation and culture, it must be lived out in obedient vessels.