Seating Assignments and a World on Fire

The world is on fire.

Christians are wondering if this is the end time to beat all end times, the final fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, ushering in the return of Christ our King.

The world is on fire.

People are subjected to many voices of war, anger, hate, and violence.  Yes, the world is on fire.  The heat is being ratcheted up, notch by notch.  All around the world, not just the Middle East.  The world is on fire.

I momentarily set aside the Prism of Manhood series because, like so many other people, I was trying to keep up with the context of where the world is going.  It seemed like I would be highlighting too much concern about the unimportant, like seating assignments while the Titanic was going down, instead of seeing the big picture. 

This morning it hit me.  Part of why this whole “women in ministry” issue bugs me is precisely that.  We’ve lost our way, our first love, and the entire point of ministry in the Name of Christ.  Arabs, Israelis, people all over the world …suddenly!  They are dying apart from Christ who is (or rather, was) their only hope of salvation.

The world is on fire and yet, the Church is preoccupied with the Pope possibly blessing LGBTQ+whatever unions and letting women be priests, Evangelicals are bickering about women in ministry as a gateway to the alphabet crowd, and Protestants are grousing about—and choosing sides regarding–Andy Stanley, etc. 

My goodness!  The world is on fire! 
And this is what you’re concerned about? 
Why can’t Christians just press “Pause”
and get back to first things, like, you know, the Gospel?? 

Doctrine is important. Absolutely!  But so are two issues: how we live and how we speak.  How many of us are taking this admonishment from James seriously?

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:19-22)

Questions for further thought:

In a hurry of “doom scrolling” and lamenting the end times, each of us should press “Pause” and look at our life and doctrine.  How many of us decrying the true and terrible loss of life due to a terrorist attack have stopped to consider that around 2 million Arabs are citizens of Israel, and they, too, are counted among the innocent dead and missing in that attack upon the music festival?

Those Arabs were already in “the land,” living peacefully among the Jews, working alongside them. In what way is the broad brush a dangerous tool?

According to this NYT article a young Arab medic was dead and his cousin went missing.

“We eventually found his car. But he was gone,” Mr. Abu Sabeelah said, adding that the family wasn’t sure whether he was alive, dead, or had been captured.  

Back in Rahat, at least four members of the same family — Yousef Zayadneh, his daughter Aisha and his sons Hamza and Bilal — were missing.

“These people came and killed left and right,” said Suleiman Zayadneh, their relative and a local official.  He said he was “proud of being Palestinian” and expressed fury that Hamas had committed such acts supposedly in the name of Palestinian nationalism and Islam.  “What national pride? What religion?” he said of the gunmen. “The people who came to shoot and kill — they know nothing of religion.””

Ought not our hearts be grieved at all loss of innocent life? In what ways are none of us innocent before God?

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http://seminarygal.com/a-prism-of-manhood/
http://seminarygal.com/andrew-tate-dangerous-masquerade/
http://seminarygal.com/andrew-tate-positive-instruction-silent-conquest/
http://seminarygal.com/tim-ballard-sound-of-freedom/
http://seminarygal.com/misguided-manhood-and-the-church/
http://seminarygal.com/reviving-muscular-christianity/
http://seminarygal.com/biblical-chads/
http://seminarygal.com/riptide-and-a-line-in-the-sand/
http://seminarygal.com/plentiful-harvest-path-of-peace/
http://seminarygal.com/dividing-walls/
http://seminarygal.com/patient-practical-patriarchy/
http://seminarygal.com/a-tim-ballard-update/
http://seminarygal.com/manhood-mantra/