Facing the Future by Dr. Clay Nuttall

Our nation is in big trouble.  Every area of life has been affected.  Nothing has escaped the impact of humanistic socialism with this tidal wave of decay and destruction.  Our education system has been a major tool in turning the culture to atheism, and the economy has fallen so deeply into debt that the average person cannot even begin to perceive the danger.  Our government has left the rule of law for the whim of the individual, and the flawed courts leave little hope for even the law-abiding citizen.  Moral standards have sunk lower than those of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Like it or not, this nation stands on the verge of civil war if something isn’t done soon to rein in the lawlessness of our high national leaders.

WAIT JUST A MINUTE…

Is it really that bad?  It is probably even worse, because we haven’t yet mentioned the rapid rise of Islam and the daily growth of hate speech and anger toward true Christianity.  Now that I have your attention, let me take a guess at your response to such strong language.  There are three possible responses: one would come from the optimist, another from the pessimist, and a third from the realist.  

The optimist would say “It’s not that bad; things are pretty much like they have always been. There are some good things, and others are getting better.”  That is actually denial, apathy, or ignorance; and it doesn’t respect reality at all.  Some believers would say, “It really doesn’t matter; God is in charge, and everything will come out all right in the end.”  Their thinking is that such things are not our responsibility, that all we need do is to love people and share the gospel.  The problem with that view is that it is derived from only a small part of scripture. The Bible's answers and important truths are always supported by the whole of Bible truth, not just a part.

The pessimist would wail “All is lost; there's no sense in trying.  I knew it would all fall apart, so what's the use, anyway?”  Or what is even worse is when the pessimist is so filled with fear and an absence of hope that he decides he will solve the problem himself, and consequently we end up with another mass shooting.  There are probably a lot more people in our society who hold this view than you could ever imagine.  This part of our culture is a time bomb ready to go off because they really think that they, along with their friends, can fix it.  The problem with this one is that it is based on philosophy, just as is the optimist's view.

The realist is the person who sees the problems and seeks to understand both the problems and the reasons behind them.  Liberalism is not reality, but rather a dream world.  The liberals don’t understand the problem and have no idea how to fix anything.  This movement tends to create problems and then blame them on someone else.  The realist knows that there are some good things going on.  He knows that God is in charge and that in the end true believers will have already won.  He knows that love and the gospel are powerful elements of change.  He knows that God is the only answer to all the evils in this society, and he seeks to know the whole counsel of God, not just a part that relieves him of responsibility.  Unlike the optimist, he is willing to accept his assignment from God and His Word and to participate in the answers God has provided.  He is not a coward, nor is he willing to hide truth under a bushel of excuses.

GOD’S ANSWER FOR THE REALIST

Love for the lost and the glorious gospel of grace are important, and they carry mountains of truth that God intended for us to communicate in the midst of a pagan culture.  Some prefer silence, but silence isn’t always golden; sometimes it is just plain yellow!

The whole of scripture is clear: God has given us truth, and it is our obligation to clearly repeat that truth, because it is truth that will set one free.  One cannot be an obedient believer and stay quiet where God has spoken on an issue.  We want sinners to love God, but they hated the Savior and He warned us that they would hate us as well.  God has spoken on the issues of abortion, infanticide, sodomy, etc.  He has not been quiet, and He does not expect his servants to be silent.  It is our sovereign God who decides what we are to speak about, and not temporary earthly leaders.  That means we cannot abandon the public forum where God has spoken.

AN ILLUSTRATION

In my book, The Coming Conflict, published by Faithful Life Press, I point out that The Separation of Church and State is not a political issue; it is a biblical issue.  What God has said in His word about the relationship between temporal government and the church is the final word.  This is also true of the believer and temporal government.  While our Baptist brothers claim this as a distinctive, there is little understanding of what the Bible teaches in this area.  That lack of understanding is going to bite us very soon.

Our country is about to come apart, and most churches have no idea what should be the response of the church and the average believer.  We have our pat philosophical responses, but they are empty.  Let me whet your appetite.  How many details do you know about the opening of the American Revolution?  Do you know what part pastors and the churches played?  Do you know where the first battle took place, where the munitions were stored, or who was the first casualty of the battle?  Do you know that there are philosophers who believe that Americans were wrong to fight for freedom?  (Watch out for their theology!)  Are you familiar with the doctrine of “the right of revolution?”  No wonder there are so few realists.  My task is only to make you think.

Shepherd’s Staff is prepared by Clay Nuttall, D. Min

A communication service of Shepherd’s Basic Care, for those committed to the authority and sufficiency of the Bible.  Shepherd’s Basic Care is a ministry of information and encouragement to pastors, missionaries, and churches.  Write for information using the e-mail address, shepherdstaff2@juno.com