“Don’t worry about
anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him
for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which
exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Anxiety
is fear. Anxiety is dread. Anxiety is a very slow, very painful
death of the spirit because of the world and its problems. Anticipation,
on the other hand, waits with breathless expectation. Anticipation is
certain of something wonderful just beyond the horizon. Anticipation
trusts and builds up the spirit because it knows of the certainty of the
Kingdom of Heaven.
It
should seem clear which is the preferred mode of the Christian, but we all have
our fears to face. Whether it is a life-altering surgery of a loved one,
a possible loss of a job, or even the uncertainty of this government’s next
move, we are afraid. We hope for the best in all circumstances, I think,
but anxiety fears for the worst. Too much anxiety can bleed the spirit of
the most ardent Christian completely dry!
Recently
two very large United Methodist churches in the Mississippi Annual Conference
voted to separate from the United Methodist Church altogether. They each
state they are not protesting any particular thing but are, rather, weary of
the constant infighting within the larger Church and have decided living with
that kind of anxiety is counter-productive to what The Lord would ask of His
people. They are each choosing to be more focused on matters of the
Kingdom and the mission of the Church rather than matters of the world.
Though
some might be inclined to think the issues within the United Methodist Church
are Kingdom matters, the reality is we have become almost completely
overwhelmed with worldly things, worldly issues. We are just a little too
fixated on the “empire” and getting our own way with no regard and no respect
for those with whom we disagree. The constant yammering and protesting
and destruction of property and spirit have completely hijacked the narrative
of the Gospel. We think we are fighting for social justice, but the truth
is we are just plain “fighting” … even among ourselves. And why?
Because we are filled with anxiety. Because we are filled with
fear. Because we are filled with hatred of and resentment toward the
“other”, and we stopped listening to one another a long time ago. Worst
of all, we have stopped listening to The Lord. All because we are filled
with anxiety.
Jesus
said, “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is
coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God”
(John 16:2). But we are not “killing” bodies; we are “killing”
spirits. Yet because we are so cock-sure of the rightness of our own
cause, we are showing absolutely no regard for those who do not agree with
us. While we are “fighting” for a government of our choosing, an “empire”
that serves us, we are destroying the Church and diminishing the Gospel.
Soon our “lampstand” will be taken from us (Revelation 2:5).
This
has nothing to do with immigration issues, border security, or cabinet
appointments. This has everything to do with “cultural” Christians who
are shaped by the “empire”, and disciples who strive to be shaped by the Word
and the Spirit of The Lord. The nastiness must cease and we Christians
must not only apologize to The Lord and to one another, but we must fully
“repent” and then “bear fruit worthy of that repentance”. Until or unless
we do, we will not find the “peace that will guard your hearts and your minds”
… because we are not living in Christ.
When
we choose to make things right again and become more concerned with matters of
the Kingdom and become more engaged with transforming lives than in vainly
trying to change minds, we will find our lampstands burning more brightly than
before! When we act with integrity and in genuine love, the “nones” and
“dones” will find their way back to the Church; but if we destroy ourselves
only for the sake of being “right”, there will be nothing to return to.
The
government will never be able to give us the kind of peace St. Paul is
referring to, the kind of peace Jesus imparted to His faithful (John 14:27).
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Always and
forevermore.
Michael
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