Everywhere you look, you will see examples of our rejection of God’s Word. I call them “scenes from the rebellion”. All you have to do is open the scriptures and read the commands of God to see how we revolt against His design for how we are to live. Reading God’s Word is a giant indictment of our selfishness and desire to make ourselves higher than God (Romans 1:21-23).
Today I was reading James where he writes, “… Everyone must be slow to speak and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness” (James 1:19-20). It’s as if James was looking at our modern culture and writing down the opposite of everything we practice. This is how far we are from living in obedience to God’s Word. We are living 180 degrees from God’s standard.
Social media may be one of the most destructive forces ever unleashed on mankind. Sure, there are positives to each platform. They allow us to stay in touch with friends and family more quickly and visually than a telephone ever did and without the accompanying distance charges. Social media keeps us informed about what’s happening across the world, almost in real time, alerting us of atrocities and dangers we may never have known otherwise. Most important of all, social media provides a way to share the gospel with those we could never reach in any other way.
With all that upside comes a sinister platform for one of the great scenes from the rebellion. I see so many Christians, or at least those who profess to be Christians, release such unhealthy streams of vitriol that one has to wonder if they’ve ever read the book of James or any of the Bible. I don’t see many people on social media being slow to speak. Instead, there seems to be a race to see who can speak the quickest lest their opinion get buried too far down the long list of comments. Instead of being slow to speak, we are quick to jump to judgment and conclusions long before we have all the facts.
It amazes me how quickly a simple comment turns to rabid aggression and hate on social media channels. Discourse is a lost art, and it is shocking to see how anyone proposing an alternate idea or opposing opinion is so quickly vilified. We are anything but slow to anger. Being so quick to anger leaves no room for sharing the gospel and destroys our witness for Christ (Colossians 4:6).
How many scenes from the rebellion do you see every day? This brief discussion is only looking at two verses from God’s Word. We rebel at every chance, seeing our ways as better than God’s ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Instead of being slow to speak by exhibiting kindness and patience, we lash out with anything but love (Ephesians 4:31-32). Our quickness to anger belies God’s command to show peace and mercy (Matthew 5:9). These scenes from the rebellion fill our days, our hearts, and our minds. It’s no trivial matter and causes our faith to erode.
Don’t let yourself fall into step with the culture. Come out of the world and be different (Romans 12:2). Remember, if you love God, you will hate the things of this world (1 John 2:15). Guard your testimony and let the light of God shine through everything you do (Matthew 5:16). Reject the world, reject the rebellion, and embrace the holiness of God.