Why do we get so angry when those without Christ commit sinful acts and implement sinful policies? They are unrepentant sinners. What else would we expect them to do? A better question is why aren’t we who know Christ more angry with our lack of devotion and actions for His Kingdom? It’s very easy to see the specks in the eyes of others but difficult to notice the logs in our own eyes (Matthew 7:3-5).
Our world is spiraling into evil and darkness, causing no small amount of hand-wringing from those of us who long to see all people repent and acknowledge Jesus as the Lord He is. While it is right to call out sin intending to point people to Christ, we must never forget that any revival must first begin in the hearts of God’s people.
As Christ’s ambassadors, we are to proclaim His truth and shine His light into the darkness of our world (2 Corinthians 5:20). The depravity of men should never shock us. What else would we expect from people operating in the realm of Satan? It is naïve to think those under the influence of the father of lies would feel any desire to know the truth (John 8:44). A change of heart will come only by the work of the Holy Spirit. We should never stop praying for such intervention in their lives (Ephesians 6:18).
But I turn our attention back to the hearts of those of us who know the truth and have seen the beautiful light of Christ. Why are we so afraid to share what we have found? Observing the never-ending expansion of wickedness in the world, I am dumbfounded by the lackadaisical response of the Church at large. We’re content to call out sin on various social media platforms but exert no further effort. To our shame, most of the outrage I’ve seen points not at the despicable acts of sin occurring in the world, but focuses on pointless arguments within the body of believers (1 Corinthians 1:10).
It seems we’d rather prove our particular theological prowess than take a stand against evil. Perhaps more bluntly, we’d rather elevate ourselves than elevate the only One worth elevating! We might shake our heads at the behavior of the world, but we show little concern for our own behavior. Taking an honest look at the way we live, there is little difference from that of the world. Sure, we might not engage in some of their obvious sins, but we are wallowing in unrighteousness, either too lazy or lacking the conviction to live lives of holiness before our King (Romans 12:2).
We might not physically indulge in sexual immorality, but we’re happy to watch it on our television screens and listen to its glorification in the lyrics of our music. While we lament no one is standing up and speaking out, the thought of doing so ourselves never crosses our minds (James 1:22). When counseling fellow believers, we’ll extol them to pray and read the Bible while we never make time to get on our knees or blow the layer of dust off the multiple copies of God’s Word sitting on our shelves (Matthew 6:5-6).
Do you want to see revival in our time? It starts with us (2 Chronicles 7:13-14). If we aren’t willing to be the people God commands us to be, why would we expect the world to turn to Jesus? If those who claim to love Him can’t be bothered to live for Him, why would those who reject Him be compelled to seek Him? Be angry with the state of the world all you want, but at least be honest enough to recognize we are part of the problem. We reject Christ’s authority every day, just as the world does. We’ve got to fix that before we can ever have any hope for this world. Are you longing for revival? Get on your knees; dust off that Bible. Turn from sin and flee from immorality. Repent and perhaps the Lord may relent of His judgement on us (Joel 2:12-13).