"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. - Matthew 5:13

     A member of our church recently posed an interesting question. He questioned where our energies should be focused as Christians. A day hardly goes by where I don't see an article or read an email encouraging me to join a massive campaign against this institution or individual because of their ungodly behavior. Because I realize that my time, resources, and energies are all limited, I'm left with a question to answer: where shall I begin to wage a Godly battle? Undeniably, there is much evil in the world. We cannot avoid it; we can't even protect our children from it for very long! What then should be the Christian's response when encountering evil and immorality in our world? Should our first response be to organize massive marches, protests, and campaigns? Or does the Bible teach another course of action? Instead of just battling against those who pervert the Biblical institution of marriage, should we rather direct our energy towards strengthening our own marriages and families? Instead of railing against Hollywood and the immoral media, perhaps our families would benefit more by simply turning off the televisions, closing the magazines, and opening the Word of God.

     While I am thankful for those amongst the Lord's people that rightly make a public stand against sins such as homosexuality, abortion, and filth in the media, the battle must start in our homes and churches if it is going to be successful. I am reminded of the Old Testament story of Achan and the Babylonian garment (Joshua 7). In their conquest of the Promised Land, God blessed the nation of Israel to overtake the fortified city of Jericho. God caused the walls to fall and the mighty city of Jericho was defeated. The next battle was against a seemingly insignificant country named Ai. The army of Israel was defeated by this miniscule nation and Joshua inquired of the Lord about this defeat. In Joshua 7:11, God answers Joshua. "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them," was the concise answer that God gave Joshua. After further investigation it was discovered that a man named Achan had stolen a garment from Jericho and hid it and other things in his tent. This was in direct disobedience of the commandment that God gave the nation of Israel in their conquest of Jericho. The result of one man's sinful decision affected the whole nation of Israel and cost them an easy military victory. Achan is an example of one man's sin affecting a whole nation. An individual's choices can affect others around them!

     Could it be that we are directing our energies toward waging epic battles when we should be focused on fighting the battles that arise in our own homes and local congregations? In the realm of marriage and families, the Bible teaches that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, and wives are to be subject to their own husbands (Ephesians 5:24-25). When God's people live up to this standard in their homes and model this exemplary behavior to their children, lasting change will occur. Sadly, many who identify themselves as Christians treat their spouses no different than those who love not the Lord. When this occurs, sinful patterns continue.

     There has been much publicity about the removal of the name of God from public life and our government. This is troubling indeed, but we must acknowledge the fault lies with us. Long before God was shut out of the public arena, He was already becoming an unwelcome guest in our homes and local churches. Christians have largely ceased to make God the center of their marriages and families. Family devotions are a thing of the past. A fear of `standing out' has caused many believers to hide their Christianity from the public eye. They are on the road to wealth and worldly recognition, and along the way they have bartered away their ability to positively influence the world around them. Many churches have long since traded Godly teaching and strong doctrine for politically correct philosophies which cater to the masses. They have reached out to embrace worldy values of entertainment, self-love, and moral ambiguity, and have ceased to identify with Christ. It is nothing more than the natural progression of this view has led us to the current state of affairs in our nation, and yet we continue to ignore the real issue. We focus the bulk of our energies on the visible problem and simply ignore the root of the matter.

     While we should be willing to stand and expose sin, the greatest battle occurs within the confines of our homes. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us that we are the salt of the earth. Savory salt is beneficial but the unsavory is useless. If we are going to wage an acceptable battle as Christians, then we must attack the sin that lies at our doors. When we act as savory salt in our homes and in our local congregations, then we will witness substantial positive change in our culture. In Acts 17:6 the faithful disciples were call those that "turned the world upside down." They did not earn this moniker by devoting their time to organizing massive protests or lobbying the government. They were thus named because they took Jesus' charge to be salt seriously. They diligently adhered to the Bible and lived lives that were honoring to God. In other words, they were obedient to the principles set forth in scripture. We will wage a successful spiritual battle when we do the same.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

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Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastor@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church

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