During the 8th century B.C., over the backdrop of ancient Israel’s moral decline and coming judgment, the Prophet Isaiah spoke against “those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). And while these words were written over 2,500 years ago, they aptly describe American culture today. Things we used to call right, we now call wrong; and things we used to call wrong, we now call right. We have gender confusion, marriage redefinition, disregard for human life, the stripping of parental rights, an erosion of religious liberties, and environmental worship, where sea turtles on the beaches of Florida are more protected than babies in the womb.
Our culture is in decay.
We have no one to blame for the social and moral decline in America except ourselves. Many churches have embraced liberal philosophies—replacing the Word of God with mere social justice and promoting progressive ideology over Biblical theology—while some churches will not address political matters at all. Whether they’re afraid to lose their 501(c)(3) status or simply don’t want to ruffle feathers in their congregations, they are bowing to man instead of God. While there are 90 million self-identified evangelical Christians in America who are eligible to vote, 40 million do not vote, and 15 million are not even registered. And we wonder why evil has filled the vacuum.
As our culture increasingly clings to madness and barrels toward destruction, many in the church simply turn a blind eye. Yet, the presence of the church and the power of the Holy Spirit are the only two forces restraining evil in our world. If we see the rising tide of evil in our land and decide to do nothing, we are ceding ground to the enemy and being unfaithful in our calling as ambassadors for Christ.
The world’s mission is to conform us to its image—its values, philosophy, culture, trends, beliefs, and system—and those who do not conform are shamed, canceled, and in many places around the globe, persecuted. More Christians have been martyred for their faith in the last 100 years than in the previous 20 centuries combined. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). If society is corrupt, there is no sense blaming society. That’s what happens when fallen humans are left to themselves and evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question is, “Where is the church?”
While the world’s mission is to conform us to its image, the church’s mission is to help others understand that they can be transformed by the person and power of Jesus Christ—and we must not abandon our mission. The Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
Truth is offensive to a world that doesn’t want to hear it, but if we love people enough, we will tell them the truth. It’s not up to us how they respond. God sorts that out. When Jesus was facing Pontius Pilate, He said, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). Jesus personifies truth, and we must be truth-tellers.
A clash between good and evil is being played out in real time. The Holy Spirit is drawing people to Himself so that as many as possible will be saved and will avoid eternity apart from Christ—but demonic principalities are also at work, seeking to destroy all who would bow to their influence. Souls are at stake, and we must not kowtow to fear.
While in prison, Paul wrote these words to the church at Ephesus: “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20). Paul understood the cost of following Christ. He would ultimately give his life for the Gospel. May we, like Paul, be strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit to speak boldly for our Savior.
Jesus is coming again, and the church is to influence the world for Christ until His return. We are not to be silent, passive, ashamed, embarrassed or politically correct. We must engage our world, promote Biblical values, speak the truth and tell people about Jesus wherever and whenever we can. Until He returns, He has charged us to be His ambassadors. He has charged us to be salt and light: salt to be sprinkled upon a decaying culture as a preservative and an antiseptic, and light to shine the truth into a dark world.
