Day 328 - What If We Lost the Big War?

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength (Vol. 1) - # 325

         

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Michael takes a day off from the more crucial issues he typically addresses, and spends some time in a Latvian sauna.  Who says theology can’t make its way into a sauna???

DAY 328

What If We Lost the Big War?

All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it. --Ezekiel 17:24 

I have found that I can learn a lot from listening. One day I was sitting in a Latvian sauna. Knowing that the Latvians had suffered greatly under the Soviet occupation, what one man said was shocking to me. “I was in a remote area in Russia where the people had nothing, and I noticed that though in physical want, they were not in spiritual want. As I watched them, I began to wonder if we Latvians were not better off spiritually during the occupation than at present. I suppose that it depends on what one wants out of life.” To me that was an amazing statement; I had never heard a Latvian--or anyone from the former countries of Soviet occupation, for that matter--say such a thing. However, it is something I have wondered. Does history bear out that great revivals take place in the midst of comfort or in the throes of want? This fellow may be right in remarking that comfort is not the best human state when Christ can so easily be neglected and substituted. The Chinese Church grew from fifty thousand to fifty million under persecution. Considering facts like that, what would happen if we took a position that what Jesus was talking about when He said that we are to love our enemies actually meant, without qualification, to love our enemies? I have come up against arguments, so I know that loving an enemy is open for interpretation and that boundaries for such a directive are quickly sought by “rational” human beings. However, what if Stalin would have taken over the whole world? What if he had been allowed to kill every Christian, and, as in the early Church under Roman persecution, Christians went to the lions? How long could evil reign without good to support it? How long would it have been before Jesus would have come? What if every Christian loved his enemies and did not use force against them in keeping with Scriptures such as, “Father, forgive them,” and (Matthew 26:53 & 54), “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” Would Jesus already have returned? I understand that there are those committed to fighting evil, drawing the line against injustice, and seeing a Scriptural delineation between war and loving an enemy. I also understand the limited impact of my comments since, as was pointed out, I have not witnessed my family being taken off by evil forces. We feel that it is unthinkable to sit back and see our families murdered, and yet that is exactly what happened to the people in this place. The unthinkable has been done. It is not just a theory.

This discussion led to another. Americans seem to hit the panic button when they see people in physical need, so they come to the rescue with “things.” An interesting observation was made that every country that America rebuilds becomes consumed with materialism (Japan, Germany, Korea, and Great Britain were given as examples). I could see the validity in the point. Pictures of people without food are given more weight in the American churches than pictures of thousands bowing to Mecca. I have been guilty myself of telling stories of the incredible physical want in lieu of the horrific fact that hundreds of millions in India do not know Jesus. Well, amen, it was interesting sauna talk with interesting perspectives.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Experiencing family taken off by evil forces, or murdered in front of our eyes would surely impact one’s perspective.  And someone once said, “What we perceive, we believe.”  Not many of us have been in a situation face-to-face with anyone who has experienced what those Latvians experienced.  God allowed Michael to meet and hear some things that impacted his perspectives.  And I am grateful he shared these with us.  Hopefully we have been listening and have learned some things by hearing his report. 

We would do well to always be grateful we also have the LORD who is performing all the things He said He would…well, amen.

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NOTICE: another blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

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